Bücher von Richard O. Davies

Richard O. Davies takes the reader through two hundred years of American history as reflected in the small Ohio farming village of Camden. Davies describes the development of the relatively self-sufficient community that emerged from the Ohio land rush of the early nineteenth century, a community that reached its apex during the 1920s and then entered into a period of slow decline caused by forces beyond its control. He details the roles of land speculation, the railroad era, the impact of the automobile, the emergence of a tightly knit community, and finally the post-World War II loss of business and population to the nearby cities of Dayton, Hamilton, and Cincinnati.

Betting the Line: Sports Wagering in American Life is a study of gambling, particularly sports gambling, and how it has thrived in American culture. According to Davies and Abram, the culture of betting results from two complementary influences in American society: risk taking and speculation. This is the first effort by academic writers to describe and interpret the history of sports wagering in the United States. Although many books have been written about "how to bet and win," Betting the Line presents a serious history of this popular activity, from the colonial and Civil War eras to today, from early betting on horse racing and baseball to the modern venues of basketball and football.By considering topics as diverse as the business of a bookie, the expansion of legalized gambling, and the increase in popularity of televised sports, the authors offer readers an insightful look into a practice that has become commonplace in American popular culture. In a mere seventy years, the number of states where gambling is legal jumped from one to forty-eight. Yet Nevada remains the only state where sports betting is legal. This book challenges many long-standing myths and stereotypes that revolve around the enterprise, arguing that sports gambling is reflective of the American free enterprise culture.Blending historical facts with interesting tidbits and anecdotes, this lively book both engages and informs. Betting the Line makes a major contribtuion to American social and cultural history as well as to sports history.Richard O. Davies is a professor in the Department of History at the University of Nevada, Reno.Richard G. Abram is an instructor in the Core Curriculum Program at the University of Nevada, Reno.