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George’s 2024 Year in Books

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2025 Reading Challenge

2025

READING

CHALLENGE

George Matthews has read 16 of 24 books.

67%

George R. Matthews

Goodreads Author

Born

in Baltimore, The United States

Genre

Biography, History, Baseball

Influences

Hampton Sides, Ron Chernow, Simon Schama

Member Since

September 2023

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Readers may contact me at georon3@gmail.com to receive a digital copy of Billy the Kid: The Life Behind the Legend. The book was released by McFarland and Company on March 7, 2025. The book description reads, in part, "George R. Matthews’ Billy the Kid: The Life Behind the Legend gives us, for the first time, the whole person. It brings together a huge amount of material, much of it made available to researchers only in recent years. The result is nothing less than an original, authoritative, and provocative portrait of Billy the Kid, as both outlaw and frontier fighter against the infamously corrupt Santa Fe Ring."
I have posted the book's cover as my photo.

My three previous books:
1. When the Cubs Won It All: The 1908 Championship Season. Readers may contact me at georon3@gmail.com to receive a digital copy of Billy the Kid: The Life Behind the Legend. The book was released by McFarland and Company on March 7, 2025. The book description reads, in part, "George R. Matthews’ Billy the Kid: The Life Behind the Legend gives us, for the first time, the whole person. It brings together a huge amount of material, much of it made available to researchers only in recent years. The result is nothing less than an original, authoritative, and provocative portrait of Billy the Kid, as both outlaw and frontier fighter against the infamously corrupt Santa Fe Ring."
I have posted the book's cover as my photo.

My three previous books:
1. When the Cubs Won It All: The 1908 Championship Season.
An Amazon customer posted the following review: "If you like the early days of Baseball, this book recounts the story of the Chicago Cubs of 1908. They were a powerhouse team by any standard. When BASEBALL was king and Chicago ruled. A must read."

2. America's First Olympics: The St. Louis Games of 1904
An Amazon customer posted the following review: "A very interesting and well-researched book. Using newspapers and other 1904-era accounts, you read about the individual events. It's like reliving the games as you read the daily summaries. George also discusses the various 'selective' history of these early Olympics (which largely rely on IOC director DeCoubertin). Were the Olympics as big or professional as the post-1920 games? Certainly not... But they all had various issues, from under-publicizing to over doing it. A must-read for early Olympic enthusiasts, or fans of the 1904 World's Fair.

3. Zebulon Pike: Thomas Jefferson's Agent for Empire. This tells the story of Pike's spy mission to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1806, when the United States anticipated an invasion of Spanish New Mexico in a dispute over the boundary of the Louisiana Purchase. An Amazon customer posted the following review: "Highly recommended to those curious about Pikes Peak, Lewis & Clark, Louisiana Purchase, western expansion, American attempts of sincere relations with indigenous people and espionage!"

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George R. Matthews’s books

Average rating: 4.23 · 52 ratings · 29 reviews · 4 distinct works • Similar authors

	Billy the Kid: The Life Behind the Legend 4.48 avg rating — 25 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	America's First Olympics: The St. Louis Games of 1904 (Sports and American Culture #1) 3.83 avg rating — 18 ratings — published 2005 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	When the Cubs Won It All: The 1908 Championship Season 4.67 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 2009 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Zebulon Pike: Thomas Jefferson's Agent for Empire 3.67 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2016 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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George R. Matthews's Blog

Billy the Kid: The Life Behind the Legend

McFarland and Company will publish Billy the Kid: The Life Behind the Legend in May 2024.
The book description will read, in part, as follows: "George R. Matthews’ Billy the Kid: The Life Behind the Legend gives us, for the first time, the whole person. It brings together a huge amount of material, much of it made available to researchers only in recent years. The result is nothing less than an ori Read more of this blog post »

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Published on March 06, 2024 18:13

George is Currently Reading

George Matthews is currently reading

The Undiscovered Country: Triumph, Tragedy, and the Shaping of the American West

by Paul Andrew Hutton

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Sep 25, 2025 09:01AM

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George’s Recent Updates

George Matthews is now friends with Melissa Linardos
7 hours, 28 min ago · like
George Matthews is now following Bob Andrews and Mike Orta
9 hours, 11 min ago
George Matthews rated a book it was amazing King: A Life by Jonathan Eig (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jonathan Eig is a five-star biographer as is his King: A Life biography.
Sep 25, 2025 09:01AM · 9 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of King by Jonathan Eig. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — King by Jonathan Eig <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
George Matthews is currently reading The Undiscovered Country: Triumph, Tragedy, and the Shaping of the American West by Paul Andrew Hutton	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 25, 2025 09:01AM · 4 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Undiscovered Country by Paul Andrew Hutton. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Undiscovered Country by Paul Andrew Hutton <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
George Matthews finished reading King: A Life by Jonathan Eig (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 25, 2025 09:01AM · 2 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of King by Jonathan Eig. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — King by Jonathan Eig <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
George Matthews rated a book it was amazing Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
An excellent and important read for 21st century Americans.
Sep 02, 2025 11:35AM · 3 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Founding Brothers by Joseph J. Ellis. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Founding Brothers by Joseph J. Ellis <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
George Matthews started reading King: A Life by Jonathan Eig (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 02, 2025 11:35AM · 5 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of King by Jonathan Eig. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — King by Jonathan Eig <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
George Matthews rated a book it was amazing Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
An excellent and important read for 21st century Americans.
Sep 02, 2025 11:33AM · 3 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Founding Brothers by Joseph J. Ellis. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Founding Brothers by Joseph J. Ellis <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
George Matthews started reading Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 25, 2025 08:05PM · 5 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Founding Brothers by Joseph J. Ellis. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Founding Brothers by Joseph J. Ellis <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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George’s Quotes

“I can not live without books”
― Thomas Jefferson

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“I'm not a member of any organized political party. I'm a Democrat.”
― Will Rogers

tags: humor

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“Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.”
― Groucho Marx

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“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”
― Mae West

tags: humor, life

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message 2: by George

Jul 03, 2024 02:24PM

Death in the Time of Pancho Villa.
Would you consider adding the book to your to read shelf?
Here is the book's description on Amazon: The in-laws are aghast when Rose Westmoreland boards a train alone, bound for the far edge of the country in search of her missing husband. Unthinkable for a lady in 1911. Now she's in El Paso, a city holding its breath, anticipating a spectacle. A decisive battle of the Mexican Revolution is about to erupt right across the Rio Grande. Rose's husband, Leonard, sent there by his employer, Stoneman Petroleum, apparently first went native, then disappeared, leaving behind a fiery mistress and rumors he was sent to offer the rebels money in exchange for favorable drilling rights.

Alone in this liminal place, Rose is befriended by two women, a retired thespian and a young Mexican expatriate, who suggest coping methods that would throw the folks back in Shaker Heights into a tizzy. A reporter recruits Rose, who is a talented amateur photographer, to immortalize the Mexican leaders: a sardonic, strawberry soda-sipping Pancho Villa and visionary Francisco Madero, who communes with the shades of Napoleon and Beníto Juárez.

Rose is caught up in the intrigue of the Revolution, the unfamiliar culture of the borderlands, and the deadly competition between international oil companies. When the only person to offer real information about Leonard is killed by what is, perhaps, a stray bullet, she finds her own life in danger. Her determination to uncover the truth reveals hidden secrets, calling into question everything she thought she knew about her life back home, and threatens the well-being of everyone she holds dear.