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Stories from History's Dust Bin
Cover by Lydia Chapman, Bellingham, WA

Stories
from
History's Dust Bin

by Wayne Winterton, PhD

With an introduction by Dr. Eduardo Pagán,
co-host of the popular PBS television series, History Detectives.


All three stand-alone volumes are now available
in Hardcover, Softcover, and eBook (Kindle & Nook) formats.

Wayne Winterton


Available on the internet at Abebooks, Alibris, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, all the way to Xlibris,
or by ordering through the service desk of fine bookstores everywhere.

English language versions also available in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain.

The award-winning Stories from History's Dust Bin Books
are being updated and will be released in a

SECOND EDITION
(late spring 2019)

At this time, if you're thinking about buying a single History's Dust Bin book,
or the 3-volume series, I recommend that you wait until the update is completed.

In the meantime, consider a purchase of the companion volume, 
From Ace to Zamboni: 101 More Dust Bin Stories,
which is available online or at the service desk of your favorite bookstore.
   
 

Wayne Winterton's Stories from History's Dust Bin Receives
Arizona Book of the Year 2016 Award
 

     On November 5, 2016, in a ballroom at the beautiful Embassy Suites Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona, the Arizona Authors' Association in partnership with Green Pieces Press Publishing hosted a Gala Event.  The purpose of the event was to (1) raise money to promote and advance Arizona youth and adult literacy throughout the state, and (2) to announce, celebrate, and award the finalists and winners of the Arizona Literary Awards competition for 2016.

     Money for Youth and Adult Literacy was raised through an outstanding Silent Auction of items ranging from Weekend Retreats and limited edition Paintings to Restaurant Fare and Gift Cards.

     The competition recognized five unpublished and three published categories (Children's Literature, Fiction, and Nonfiction).  Submissions were accepted world-wide as long as the manuscripts and published works are printed in English. 

     Winterton's 3-volume set, Stories from History's Dust Bin, competing against a field of 81 entries, was awarded First Place in the Nonfiction category and eligible for consideration for Arizona Book of the Year, the culminating event of the evening.

     Also eligible for Book of the Year was Lisa Y. Potocar of upstate New York for her book, Train to Glory (Children's Literature); and Sharman Apt Russell of Silver City, New Mexico for her book, Knocking on Heaven's Door (Fiction).  When the lights were dimmed, the envelope opened, and the winner announced, Stories from History's Dust Bin stood alone.

     In the Introduction to the Dust Bin books, Dr. Eduardo Pagán, co-host of the PBS TV series, History Detectives, writes, "...what sets the telling of these stories apart from the presentation you will often find in history textbooks is Winterton's writing style.  He occasionally engages the reader with a thoughtful or rhetorical question in mid-story, or inserts a nuanced thought to encourage the reader to imagine beyond the obvious."


From the mega-screen behind the podium

The Award Trophy, with its many diamond-like facets, is a challenge to photograph

The International Literary Award contest, established in 1980 by the Arizona Authors' Association, accepts English language submissions from authors anywhere in the world, and winners are selected by a respected panel that includes international judges.

 



Sample Stories
Click on one or read them all - and know that over a hundred more short stories
await your reading pleasure inside each volume of History's Dust Bin.
 

 

7 Stories from Volume 1

David R. Atchison
(U.S. President for a day)
Jeremy Bentham
(Present, but not voting)
Louis Braille
(From tragedy to legacy)
Joshua Norton
(His Majesty, the Emperor of America)
Elizabeth Taylor
(How does she do that?)
Mary Toft
(One harebrained scheme)
Horace Wells
(Father of modern anesthesia)

PLUS
114 more stories

7 Stories from Volume 2

L. Frank Baum
(There was the Oz side and the other side)
Patrick Gass

(At ninety-eight he ran out of gas)
Franz Joseph Haydn
(After 145 years, a heady reunion)
Frank Hayes
(Posthumous winner)
Laura Keene
(Lincoln's blood was on her hands)
Alice P. Liddell

(The "Alice" from Wonderland)
Willie Sutton
(Slick Willie)

PLUS
116 more stories


7 Stories from Volume 3

Wally Cox
(He was whose best friend?)
Margaret Dickson
(Hanged, and lived to tell about it)
Peter Falk
(Mussed hair, squinty-eyed detective)
Ann Jarvis
(The inspiration for Mother's Day)
James J. Kilroy
(Even Josef Stalin met Kilroy)
Hedy Lamarr
(A pretty face; a brilliant mind)
Larry Walters
(He set the standard in lawnchair aviation)

PLUS
115 more stories


Volume 1 contains 121 stories (377 pages)
Volume 2 contains 123 stories (398 pages)
Volume 3 contains 122 stories (373 pages)

Stories range from 500 to 1,200 words, average reading time per story, five to nine minutes.

Perfect for "curled up" nighttime reading, or for road trips (as a passenger of course),
long waits at the doctor's office, as a welcome substitute for airline magazines, in fact,
any time where one to a dozen short historical vignettes would help to pass the time.
 

 


     

Reviews

 
 
I really enjoyed all three volumes of the "Stories from History's Dust Bin."  I can only imagine the process you set for yourself in gathering tidbits, then sifting through for the best ones, and compiling them by relationship to dates on the calendar.  Larry Pointer, author of In Search of Butch Cassidy, University of Oklahoma Press, 1977.
 
When we returned from our latest trip, what a wonderful surprise awaited us!  The whole set of History's Dust Bin!  I immediately looked at recent dates and read about Howard Johnson (so much ice cream I've eaten there), then learned about the origin of the word, "boycott."  Just now, we've read the depressing story of Henry Rathbone, our story for today.  This will be such a fun book to read each day.  Randy and Rebecca Conklin, US Air Force (Retired), Virginia
 
I just finished reading History's Dust Bin Vol. 1.  It was an extraordinary read, a fascinating journey into parts of our world we don't know.  [The author] has uncovered, apparently through relentless research, an interesting story for every day of the year, items that are educational, funny, shocking, and always entertaining . . . delivered in small pill-sized doses.  John W. Sloat, Presbyterian Minister (retired), Zelienople, Pennsylvania.
 
Stories from History's Dust Bin is like pizza to a typical child. Three volumes of amusing anecdotes and discoveries are a delightful treat. Like toppings, the reader can pick whichever stories are of interest or choose them all. [There is a wide range of stories, from] Elizabeth Taylor's double eyelashes, ... [to] the real "Alice" and inspiration of Alice in Wonderland, [to] the two Harrison Fords of show business....  Aurelia McNeil, author, freelance writer, and book reviewer.  [click here for McNeil's full review of History's Dust Bin.]
 
In our house at the breakfast table every morning we now read the story of the day from Winterton's book for that date. We then go on-line and look at photos, websites, video clips, and artwork about these folks which usually leads to a discussion about people, places, and times gone by. It is a fun way to start the day! I highly recommend the entire series so you can add something special to your daily routine.  Chip, Amazon Website comment
 
What Wayne Winterton has given us is both an educator's research of history coupled with a good guy's chuckling look at unforgettable people, all encapsulated in very readable short stories.  - Slim Randles, Albuquerque, New Mexico, syndicated columnist, author of Sun Dog Days and Raven's Prey, and recipient of the 2012 Rounders Award.
 
This vast collection of stories about well-known and long-forgotten personalities is as informative as it is interesting.  It is a must read, a wealth of unique information about people and events that is intellectually challenging, highly entertaining, and sprinkled appropriately with personal humor.  - Dr. Armand A. Lakner, Potomac, Maryland, Apollo 11 Mission, Systems Reliability Manager, NASA (Retired), and author of From Mauthausen to the Moon.
 
How can I begin to tell you how awesome these books are!  The stories are short, but so informative.  I’ve read and reread some of the stories, enjoying them even more the second time around.  Mary Musselman, Secretary (retired) to U.S. Congressman James V. Hansen (UT), North Ogden, Utah.
 
Just when you thought you knew a little bit about people, this book makes it clear that you don't.  There is a story for each day of the year and it was my intention to read one every day, but I ended up reading several each day.  I recommend ... a Kindle version for anyone who hates to pick up a magazine in a waiting room.  Myschyph, Amazon website comment.
 
Very interesting reading.  Love the stories.  They make me realize our larger society is made up of many fascinating people.  Their ideas, ingenuity and drive have all added to the fabric of a fascinating family of man.  I am also impressed with the amount of work that went into the writing and creating.  Well done!  Bryan Watkins, Partner, LRA Real Estate Group, Phoenix, Arizona.
 
Interesting stories about people you thought you knew but you learn more about, and people you have never heard of.  Organized to read in a one-a-day format, but like potato chips, one is never enough.  Richard Atwood, Amazon website comment.
 
I just want you to know how much I am enjoying your book.  It is funny and informative and I enjoy the sayings at the end of each story.  Thank you for putting the time and effort into this endeavor.  It is my morning routine along with breakfast.  I am looking forward to ordering the other two volumes.  Kaye Halladay, Office Manager (retired) Property Management Company in Provo, Utah.
 

 

West Wing Book Club (Phoenix, Arizona)
Author at West Wing Book Club
Wayne Winterton with some of the members of the West Wing Book Club,
L to R: Patricia Yuen, Linda Glass, Sondra Edgar, Tina Garcia, and Marci Gill.


 
BookWorks, Flying Star Plaza, Rio Grande Boulevard, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Marquee announcing book-signing event featuring three authors
at the BookWorks Bookstore, Flying Star Plaza in Albuquerque.
Winterton interacting with the audience prior to book
signing as author / radio personality Slim Randles looks on.


 

* Winterton began his teaching career in Utah in 1963, moving to New Mexico and becoming the principal of two schools on the Navajo Reservation (Lake Valley and Dzilth-na-o-dith-hle).  He has also served as the Superintendent of the Albuquerque Indian High School, Superintendent of Schools for the Northern Pueblos Agency, and during 1978-79 was the interim President of the Institute of American Indian Arts, a junior college in Santa Fe.  From 1979 to 1986 he worked for the federal Office of Surface Mining in Kansas City, Missouri, and Tulsa, Oklahoma.  In 1986, he joined the staff of the Bureau of Land Management's National Training Center in Phoenix, Arizona as the Division Chief for Administrative and Media Services and briefly as Center Director.  He retired in 2004 with over forty years of public service.  He received his PhD from the University of New Mexico in 1976.

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Stories from History's Dust Bin
Purchasing Information for Schools, Bookstores, and Libraries


Volume 1
Hard cover: ISBN: 978-1-5144-1994-6
Paperback: ISBN: 978-1-5144-1993-9
eBook: 978-1-5144-1993-2

Volume 2
Hard cover: ISBN: 978-1-5144-1995-3
Paperback: ISBN: 978-1-5144-1977-9
eBook: 978-1-5144-1976-2

Volume 3
Hard cover: ISBN: 978-1-5144-1980-9
Paperback: ISBN: 978-1-5144-1979-3
eBook: 978-1-5144-1978-6


Thank you for visiting the Stories from History's Dust Bin website.

You can also visit the Whistler's Gold website by clicking here: Whistler's Gold.
Whistler's Gold is a romance-mystery novel by the same author, set on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico.


 

       

 

 

 

 

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