in print …
1832-1872 traces the first four decades of development of this quintessential American experience and includes the campaigns of leading political figures, including Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, and Abraham Lincoln. Stan Haynes describes the events, the candidates, and the most important issues, speeches, and events from the period. He conveys the suspense surrounding the dark-horse candidates, deals made behind closed doors, the celebratory parades, and traces the origins of some of the most colorful traditions on the convention floor, including the roll call of the states. The author explains subtle changes that occurred from one election to the next and the more dynamic changes brought about with technology—the railroad and telegraph, for example. H.L. Mencken, whose hometown, Baltimore, was the site of the first national conventions with a monopoly for a dozen of them between 1832 and 1864, once wrote that political conventions offered “… a show so gaudy and hilarious, so melodramatic and obscene, so unimaginable, exhilarating and preposterous that one lives a glorious year in an hour.” A lot can be learned in that hour, it turns out, about the dynamic nature of American politics. “A richly detailed analysis of the origins of the American national nominating convention process,” writes one reviewer. “[A] fascinating and entertaining look at the way these quadrennial gatherings used to be—before primaries and
86 UVA LAwyer / Fall 2012
caucuses took all the drama and fun out of them,” notes a review in the Baltimore Sun. Stan Haynes is a practicing attorney in Baltimore with a lifelong interest in American political history, especially presidential history. www.americanpoliticalconventions.com
Winners & Losers: Rants, Riffs & Reflections on the World of Sports Bob Latham ’83 Greenleaf Book Group Press
Lawyer and sports writer Bob Latham is a serious sports fan—much more comfortable outside the press box or VIP section than in it, because he wants to feel the game, not just watch it and analyze it. Winners & Losers: Rants, Riffs & Reflections on the World of Sports, a compilation of 58 essays and articles that capture the author’s experience on pilgrimages he’s made to sporting cathedrals and sports events around the world. His courtside observations allow us to witness the triumphs, the losses, the drama, and the personalities of sports and those who dedicate their lives to it. There are anecdotes here to delight fans of all sports. In addition to his keen observations, Latham includes a humorous critique of the Secretariat statue at Belmont, a witty commentary on the NCAA policy on mascots, and an eyewitness account of Mohammed Ali’s 70th birthday party. “At one point when I pulled out my camera to capture a particular scene, I realized that in one frame I had the unlikely trio of Ali, Snoop Dogg and Buzz Aldrin,” he writes.
U.S. tennis great Jim Courier notes, “The real stories in sport are located somewhere beyond the box scores. This collection of essays enlightens, entertains, and spotlights the reason we care so much about sports—the people involved.” Bob Latham is a litigation attorney in Dallas, Texas, and a columnist for SportsTravel magazine. He has been an International Rugby Board executive committee member, chairman of USA Rugby, and a member of the board of directors of the U.S. Olympic Committee. www.lathamsports.com.
Evolution’s Purpose: An Integral Interpretation of the Scientific Story of Our Origins Steve McIntosh ’87 SelectBooks
What is the purpose of evolution? Everything, including life, matter, and culture, is subject to the process, and science has shown evolution to be progressive through time. What if evolution was a way to bring science and spirituality together? This intriguing idea is at the heart of Evolution’s Purpose. Steve McIntosh takes readers from pre-biotic life forms through modern civilization and presents a new interconnected understanding of philosophy and science. “The philosophical recognition of evolution’s purpose uplifts science and spirituality by better integrating and harmonizing these two indispensable approaches to truth,” he writes. McIntosh, an integral philosopher and member of Deepak Chopra’s “Evolutionary