From the subway ride to the ballpark, through batting practice and warm-ups, to the game-winning home run, A Day in the Bleachers describes inning by inning the strategies, heroics, and ineluctable rhythms of the opening game of the 1954 World Series. Here are the spectacular exploits of the Indians and Giants, and of a young player named Willie Mays, who made the most-talked-about catch in baseball history.

So I'm a Heel

It's just a lucky break the way Ed Hawkins gets a look at that police blotter that tips him off on the arrest-and-release of his rich neighbor, Otto Weylin, for molesting a minor. Nobody ever gave Hawkins a break, and he doesn't intend to give Weylin a break either. He figures that Weylin is good for ten grand to keep this little bit of information out of the papers, and maybe he's right. But why all of a sudden is his 10-year-old son becoming so friendly with Weylin? What is the secret that Weylin's sex-starved wife keeps hinting at? The blackmail scheme is...

It Takes a Villager is a treasure trove of collected newspaper columns written by a sharp, insightful and provocative ex-New Yorker from his adopted California seaside village home, Laguna Beach. These delightful commentaries are selected from over 50 years of Arnold Hano's observations of the local history and politics of the town and the foibles of its inhabitants. They demonstrate his affection for Laguna Beach; his effective social activism, including constant vigilance to insure that Laguna retains its village atmosphere; and his love for his family and friends, all leavened with his...