Last Days of Summer is the story of Joey Margolis, neighborhood punching bag, growing up goofy and mostly fatherless in Brooklyn in the early 1940s. A boy looking for a hero, Joey decides to latch on to Charlie Banks, the all-star third baseman for the New York Giants. But Joey's chosen champion doesn't exactly welcome the extreme attention of a persistent young fan with an overactive imagination. Then again, this strange, needy kid might be exactly what Banks needs.

Told in the literary form of letters, notes, and report cards, the story of a boy who lies to a young third baseman about his health to win his gratitude unfolds into his evolution as his friend's personal role model.

A contemporary American classic—a poignant and hilarious tale of baseball, hero worship, eccentric behavior, and unlikely friendship Last Days of Summer is the story of Joey Margolis, neighborhood punching bag, growing up goofy and mostly fatherless in Brooklyn in the early 1940s. A boy looking for a hero, Joey decides to latch on to Charlie Banks, the all-star third basemen for the New York Giants. But Joey's chosen champion doesn't exactly welcome the extreme attention of a persistent young fan with an overactive imagination. Then again, this strange, needy kid might be exactly what Banks needs.

In this book, photographer Akila Berjaoui shows how her love for the beach is inextricably linked with her artistic vision. Akila Berjaoui’s incredibly sensual photographs often feature sand, sun, water—or a combination of all three. In her first book, this highly sought-after fashion photographer, armed with her favorite old analogue cameras, takes us to breathtaking seaside locations, from her hometown of Sydney, Australia, to the bathing hotspots of Italy, France, and Brazil, to name just a few. Much in the tradition of Slim Arons, Bruce Weber, Peter Beard, Claude Nori, and Juergen Teller—all of whom she regards as influences on her work—Berjaoui’s photos harken back to the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s with their soft colors and sultry joie de vivre. As a woman, Berjaoui is able to draw out her female subjects with a sense of kinship, rather than voyeurism. One of the world’s most in-demand photographers, Akila Berjaoui is destined to make a name for herself in the field of travel, beauty, and lifestyle photography.

Harry Kirkland was a star shortstop in a small Western Pennsylvania steel town where baseball was everything. Everyone in his home town eagerly followed this Little League hero’s career. Their adulation and loyalty convinced him that his life would continue on a golden road of success and good fortune. But Harry never fulfilled his dreams. Stricken with a bout of viral encephalitis and sent to live in a mental institution, he slowly faded away—brain-damaged, toothless, and void of hope. Until the day that Ted Tresh, Harry’s childhood friend, arrived at the hospital for a long-overdue visit. Armed with recollections of a simpler life, championship games, and lazy summer days, Ted takes Harry back to revisit their past, and reconnect with the boys they once were. The Last Perfect Summer is a nostalgic trip back to the 1960s—back to the days when a soda cost a dime and Mickey Mantle was every schoolboy’s idol. Back to a time when the innocence of youth allowed for any dream to come true.

The Hardy Boys meets The Phantom Tollbooth, in the new century! When two adventurous cousins accidentally extend the last day of summer by freezing time, they find the secrets hidden between the unmoving seconds, minutes, and hours are not the endless fun they expected.