Charles Ebeling

Apple Pressings: Squeezing Potent Truths from Sweet Bits of Knowledge Charles Ebeling

These 15 essays are filled with the products of a curious mind, set loose with the time and means to explore anything of interest. They were written under the auspices of the Chicago Literary Club, one of the oldest and most regarded institutions of its kind, and presented, one per year between 2005 and 2019 by the author.

The topics range from an exploration of the role of the humble French Fry in global history and culture, to a tour through the Masai Valley of Kenya to explore the fate of giant animals in a modernizing world, to an introduction to Samuel Johnson, one of the most articulate and revered Englishmen of all time and his sidekick and naughty biographer James Boswell, to a dive into the history and future of the Electoral College and all its faults, to the story of a long relationship with one of the men who created McDonald's, Dick McDonald.

The essays continue with a profile of how Toyota surpassed Volkswagen as America's top import and the role of the author in building Toyota's brand recognition, followed by the story of a short but profound tour of duty in the Vietnam of 1968, to more about Bozzy, to the fascinating story behind the use of colors in politics through time, to the obscure story behind the 1.5 billion candle-power beacon that one brought planes into Chicago.

The essays go on with the real story of the French Fry and its birth in the Meuse Valley of Belgium, to a look behind the doors and later open-spaces that define the offices of our times, to the truth behind spokesmanship, both commercial and political, and winding up with a rollicking recollection of the public relations business and the author's role in it in the Chicago of the 1970's.

Each essay is preceded with a "backstory" on how and why Chuck engaged that topic. All in all, Apple Pressings is a biography of our times, and a time worth reliving.