Abingdon native publishes ‘Favorites’

“Favorites,” Garret Mathews (Garret Mathews, $14.95, 2009)

Abingdon, Va., native Garret Mathews embarked on a newspaper career in Bluefield, W.Va., more than 30 years ago.
And, today, he’s still alive to tell about it – especially his time as a columnist for the Courier and Press of Evansville, Ind.
A graduate of Virginia Tech, Mathews has published a handful of books, including “Baseball Days” and “Swing, Batta.”
His latest is “Favorites,” a collection of columns spanning about 20 years.
Mathews writes an obituary for his Mercury Sable. He watches police track down prostitutes in a sting operation. He visits a young mother who makes a living as an exotic dancer but really wants to be a herpetologist. He makes a visit to a homeless woman temporarily living in a motel.
Another time, he gives advice on how to pick boys for a little league baseball team. (Hint: Find the ones with the good-looking moms, Mathews writes. “Hey, it’s a long season.”)
In this book, Mathews also includes a Feb. 2, 2006 column, describing the racial scene surrounding Abingdon High School, just before he graduated in 1967. Here, Mathews writes a letter to “Benny,” an African-American who was among the first to be integrated into a previous all-white environment.
“When you and other kids of color walked through the double doors of our high school that first day, it wasn’t to a standing ovation,” Mathews writes. “Since the Confederate war memorial had been planted on the courthouse lawn, and even before, our hometown’s school system had been all white.”
The scene, then, was controversial.
“Of course, it all worked out in the end,” Mathews writes. “You guys were great classmates. We decorated the homecoming court together. Dissected cats together. Made fun of the 139-year-old librarian together.”
Other subjects in the charming and thought-provoking “Favorites” include an interview with a member of The Kingsmen, the band famous for singing “Louie Louie.”
Mathews also attends the funeral for a pauper – and discovers no one else shows up.
To order, visit http://www.newspaperwriter.com or call (812) 464-7527.

“Cocke County, Tennessee: Pages From the Past,” Edward R. Walker III (History Press, $19.99, 2007)

Illustrated with postcards and vintage black-and-white photographs, author Edward R. Walker III takes a nostalgic look at Cocke County, Tenn., in a new book subtitled “Pages From the Past.”
The home of Newport and Cosby, Cocke County borders Greene County, Tenn., and North Carolina. It also contains a portion of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
In this volume, Walker spins tales of when the railroad arrived at Newport in 1867 and how streets took their names in town.
Another chapter focuses on a history of Carson Springs, once a popular vacation resort near English Mountain.
To order, visit http://www.historypress.net.
“Family Hiking In the Smokies: Time Well Spent-Fourth Edition,” Hal Hubbs, Charles Maynard and David Morris (University of Tennessee Press, $14.95, 2009)

Hiking does not have to be grueling. That, in a nutshell, has been the mission for the authors of “Family Hiking In the Smokies,” a book now in its fourth edition.
Published in time for the 75th anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, this handy paperback features maps and photos plus outings at Cosby’s Mount Cammerer, Gatlinburg’s Cataract Falls and the Look Rock Tower near Townsend.
Sidebars scattered throughout the 100-page volume focus on history and safety tips.
To order, visit http://www.utpress.org.