Samuel
Hawley is a writer. His books are
highly eclectic. He has written about 16th-century East Asian history,
19th-century Korean-American relations, Olympic sprinting and land
speed racing and a circus elephant named Topsy who was electrocuted in
1903. He lives in Kingston, Ontario.
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NEW VIDEO: "HEZARFEN AHMED CELEBI: FIRST PERSON TO FLY?"
May 23, 2023
Here
is my latest video, about Turkish folk hero Hezarfen Ahmed Celebi
(pronounced "Chelebi"), who according to legend was the first person to
fly. In 1632, he built a pair a wings and used them to fly acorss the
Bosphorus in Constantinople (Istanbul today), from the European side to
the Asian side.
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CRAIG BREEDLOVE HAS
DIED (MARCH 23, 1937 - APRIL 4, 2023)
April 5, 2023
Craig Breedlove, the
greatest living legend in land speed racing, first to 400, 500 and 600
mph, has died.
I had the honor of writing two books about Craig: Speed Duel: The Inside Story of the Land
Speed Record in the Sixties, and most recently Craig's
authorized biography, Ultimate
Speed: The Fast Life and Extreme Cars of Racing Legend Craig Breedlove.
The guy was just so inspiring, building
far-out jet cars, all named Spirit
of America, and then white-knuckle racing them on the Salt Flats
to break the world land speed record...five
times! And he did it all starting out in his dad's garage, on a
shoestring.
The first time I contacted Craig, I left a
message on his answering machine, an out-of-the-blue message from a
nobody Canadian writer, saying that I wanted to write a book about his
land speed duel on the Bonneville Salt Flats with Art Arfons. Craig
actually called me back, and was subsequently very generous with his
time, doing hours and hours of interviews over the phone and in person.
We later tried to get a Speed Duel feature
film project going, with a script I wrote based on the book, but it
never got off the ground.
Thanks for the memories, Craig!
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COVER REDESIGN 2
April 4, 2023
I've redesigned the
cover for my thriller Homeowner With
a Gun.
Tag line: "It's the middle of
the night. You're awakened by a noise. Someone's in your house. What do
you do?"
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COVER REDESIGN 1
April 4, 2023
I've redesigned the
cover for my novel Bad Elephant Far
Stream, inspired by the true story of the circus elephant Topsy.
Behold!
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FILM HISTORY:
"TOSHIRO MIFUNE IN THE JAPANESE ARMY DURING WWII"
Mar. 17, 2023
The
great Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune enters briefly into my latest book,
a novel entitled "One Hundred Million Eat Stones," set in Japan in the
closing days of World War Two. I was surprised at how little
information there was on Mifune during the war, his service in the
Japanese Imperial Army. So I made a little film about it.
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"INSIDE THE HERMIT
KINGDOM: THE 1884 KOREA TRAVEL DIARY OF GEORGE C. FOULK" - KOREAN
TRANSLATION
Jan. 15, 2023
Here
is the Korean edition of my book "Inside the Hermit Kingdom: The 1884
Korea Travel Diary of George C. Foulk." It was translated by Cho
Beop-jong and Cho Hyeon-mi, and published by Alpha Media in Seoul.
Link: https://www.aladin.co.kr/shop/wproduct.aspx?ItemId=263619831
Here is the original English edition (Lexington Books, 2007).
Link: https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Hermit-Kingdom-Journal-Clayton/dp/0739120964
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TRAVEL DOC:
"EXPLORING UNDERGROUND TUNNEL COMPLEX IN CAVTAT, CROATIA"
Oct. 27, 2022
The
spirit finally moved me to make a new film, a little travel doc from my
recent visit to Croatia. In it I venture into an abandoned tunnel
complex just outside the town of Cavtat. It was a little bit creepy
going into this place alone, with only my cell phone flashlight.
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SHORT FILM: "PARKA
MAN & SWEET POTATO"
May 30, 2021
Here
is my latest narrative short film, "Parka Man & Sweet Potato," shot
in Kingston, Ontario and starring Kingston actor Jason Bowen. Kingston
cinematographer Ty Sweetnam did most of the camerawork. My nephew's
son, Lucas Rines, played Parka Man as a boy. There is no dialog in this
film, only sound.
I really like making films. Figuring things out and overcoming the many
challenges is extremely rewarding.
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NEW DOCUMENTARY
SERIES: "THE ATOMIC BOMB"
October 8, 2020
I'm
making a new documentary series on "THE ATOMIC BOMB," exploring the
A-bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and related
topics. Here's a list of the first five episodes, which I'll be posting
on YouTube, one per week, on Thursdays:
ATOMIC BOMB Ep. 1: How the Hiroshima A-Bomb was Made (Part 1)
ATOMIC BOMB Ep. 2:
How the Hiroshima A-Bomb was Made (Part 2)
ATOMIC BOMB Ep. 3: Could the Hiroshima Mission Have Failed?
ATOMIC BOMB Ep. 4: Did the Japanese Know Something Was Coming?
ATOMIC BOMB Ep. 5: Japan's Secret WW2 Atomic Bomb Project
Here's
Episode One:
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"IMJIN WAR" VIDEO
SERIES (CONCLUSION)
August 23, 2020
I've
finished up my "Imjin War" video series with 13 new episodes, telling
the rest of the story of the seven-year-long war. Here are Epsiodes 11
and 12 to kick things off.
Episode 11: Kato
Kiyomasa in Northern Korea and Manchuria
Episode 12: Rise
of Monk-Soliders
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SHORT FILMS: "THE ACT
OF CREATION" & "CITIZEN SAFETY"
May 4, 2020
I've
started making short narrative films as a way to learn the filmmaking
process. My first two efforts, "The Act of Creation" and "Citizen
Safety," were entirely solo productions, shot my myself alone, starring
myself, and had a budget of ZERO. Check 'em out:
Citizen
Safety
The
Act of Creation
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"LAND SPEED LEGENDS"
EPISODES 4 - 6
January 10, 2020
Here are Episodes 4
through 6 of "Land Speed Legends":
Stan Barrett
Budweiser Rocket - Speed of Sound?
Lee Bible White Triplex - Land Speed Death at Daytona
Craig
Breedlove's Spirit of America Jet Car - Evolution
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"LAND SPEED LEGENDS"
EPISODES 1 - 3
December 20, 2019
Here are the first
three episodes of "Land Speed Legends":
Craig Breedlove's Spirit of America SECRET WEAPON!
Art
Arfons & Green Monster - Art's COOLEST Record!
Craig Breedlove RIPPED OFF by Carroll Shelby?
I'm also uploading videos to DailyMotion. If you prefer that platform,
here's a link to my channel:
https://www.dailymotion.com/samuelhawley
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"IMJIN WAR" VIDEO
SERIES (PART 3)
December 15, 2019
Here are the final three episodes of Season One of my "Imjin War"
series. I plan to return with more episodes in 2020, so stayed tuned.
I've started uploading videos to DailyMotion in addition to YouTube. If
you'd prefer to watch there, here's the link to my channel: https://www.dailymotion.com/samuelhawley
Episode 8: Korea's
First Victory on Land!
Episode 9: Could
Hideyoshi Have Conquered China?
Episode 10: The
Spanish Plan to Conquer China
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NEW VIDEO SERIES
COMING: "LAND SPEED LEGENDS"!
December 3, 2019
I'm working on a new
video series, "Land
Speed Legends,"that
I'll begin to upload to YouTube within a couple of weeks. (I'm
thinking of setting up a channel on Bitchute as well.) It's going to
feature Craig Breedlove, Art Arfons, Walt Arfons, Athol Graham, Glenn
Leasher, Nathan Ostich and a whole bunch more. Check out the promo
below. And don't forget to suibscribe! The first epsiode I have planned
will be: "Craig Breedlove's Spirit of America - Secret Weapon!" Even if
you're a Breedlove fan, I bet you haven't heard this story before.
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"IMJIN WAR" VIDEO
SERIES CONTINUES (PART 2)
November 14, 2019
Here are Episodes 5
and 6 of my Imjin War series on YouTube:
Episode 5: Why
Was the Gun So Important?
Episode 6: Yi
Sun-sin Strikes Back!
Episode 7: Battle
for the Yellow Sea
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"IMJIN WAR" VIDEO
SERIES CONTINUES!
October 31, 2019
Here are Episodes 2,
3 and 4 of my new video series on the Imjin War.
Episode 2: Why
Did Hideyoshi Want to Conquer China?
Episode 3: Japan
vs. Korea: The First Invasion Begins
Episode 4: North
to Seoul
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NEW "IMJIN WAR" VIDEO
SERIES ON YOUTUBE!
October 9, 2019
I'm happy to announce
the premiere of a new video series, "The Imjin War," based on my book The Imjin War: Japan's Sixteenth-Century
Invasion of Korea and Attempt to Conquer China.
I've completed five episodes so far and will be uploading them to
Youtube at a rate of one per week. Here's a list of the first eight
episodes:
IMJIN WAR Ep. 1: East Asia in the 16th Century
IMJIN WAR Ep. 2: Why Did Hideyoshi Want to Conquer China?
IMJIN WAR Ep. 3: The First Invasion Begins
IMJIN WAR Ep. 4: North to Seoul
IMJIN WAR Ep. 5: Why Was the Gun So Important?
IMJIN WAR Ep. 6: The Korean Navy Strikes Back
IMJIN WAR Ep. 7: The Battle for the Yellow Sea
IMJIN WAR Ep. 8: Rise of Korea’s “Righteous Armies”
Here is Episode 1: IMJIN WAR
Ep. 1: East Asia in the 16th Century
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CHINESE TRANSLATION
OF IMJIN WAR IS HERE!
July 8, 2019
The
Chinese translation is finally here of my book The Imjin War: Japan's Sixteenth-Century
Invasion of Korea and Attempt to Conquer China (Chinese title:
壬辰战争). It was translated by Fang Yu (方宇) and published by Beijing
publishing house HinaBook (民主与建设出版社).
Here is a link to purchase the Chinese edition: http://www.queshu.com/book/41749617/
And here is the original English edition on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Jun1Ie
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FILM HISTORY: BICYCLE THIEVES FILMING LOCATIONS
May 8, 2019
Here's
a film I made about visiting filming locations in Rome where Vittorio
de Sica shot three of the key scenes in his 1948 classic Bicycle Thieves:
1) the street where Antonio’s bicycle is stolen; 2) the area where
Antonio and Bruno wander in the rain, searching for the lost bike (in
photo below); and 3) the alley where Antonio confronts the thief after
following him home. By a wonderful coincidence, when I was researching
locations, sitting in the AirBnB flat we rented in Rome, I discovered
that the tiny street where the thief lived was exactly where we
were staying! Antonio and Bruno walked right past our front door!
Here's
some footage I shot on the island of Malta of the mysterious cart ruts:
1)
"Malta's Mysterious Cart Ruts - Dingli / Clapham Junction"
2)
"Mysterious Malta Cart Ruts – running into the sea!"
3)
"Mysterious Malta Cart Ruts – up in the hills!"
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SHORT DOC: "THUNDERBOLT AND LIGHTFOOT": A TRUE STORY!
January 10, 2019
The
1974 film Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
starring Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges and written and directed by
Michael Cimino was based on fact! Here’s the true story of the 1965
Brinks heist in Syracuse, NY (using a cannon) that very likely inspired
the film.
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DOCUMENTARY: THE MAN INSIDE THE CAMERA
October 18, 2018
Here is a short
documentary I made about American inventor and film pioneer Enoch
Rector. It's called The Man Inside the
Camera.
Rector filmed the first feature-length movie in cinema history using a
camera he manually operated FROM THE INSIDE. Sounds weird? It's
absolutely true. Watch to find out.
This doc is based on my book The Fight That Started the Movies: The
World Heavyweight Championship, the Birth of Cinema and the First
Feature Film.
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ULTIMATE SPEED IS HERE!
October 2, 2018
My latest book is now
out: Ultimate Speed: The Fast Life
and Extreme Cars of Racing Legend Craig Breedlove
(Chicago Review Press, Oct. 2, 2018). This is Craig Breedlove's
authorized biography. It covers his entire life, all three of his land
speed jet car projects and a whole lot more. Twenty-four pages of
photos are included and a foreword written by Craig himself.
Ultimate Speed on Amazon
Utlimate Speed on Barnes and Noble
Ultimate Speed at Chicago Review
Press
Here's an excerpt, published on Hemmings.com: "A
chainsaw, a marriage, and lots of fiberglass: How Craig Breedlove
cleared a path for the Spirit of
America"
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WHAT IF SPAIN
CONQUERED CHINA?
July 31, 2018
Here's an interview I
recently did with Jonathan O'Callaghan on "What if...Spain Conquered
China?" (All About History,
April 26, 2018, pp. 74-77.) The Spanish plan to conquer China (and the
subsequent failed attempt to take Cambodia) was an interesting sidebar
I wrote about in my book The Imjin War. Here's the full story.
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COMING IN OCT. 2018: ULTIMATE SPEED, THE AUTHORIZED
BIOGRAPHY OF CRAIG BREEDLOVE
March 6, 2018
My next book, Ultimate Speed: The Fast Life and Extreme
Cars of Racing Legeng Craig Breedlove, will be coming out in
October 2018 from Chicago Review Press.
In the 120-year history of land speed racing, no name looms larger than
that of Craig Breedlove. An L.A. hot rodder with a high school
education, a family to support and almost no
money, he set out in the late 1950s to do something big with his life
and break the speed record. The car he designed was not powered by an
internal combustion engine like the British machines that had dominated
the LSR for decades. Craig planned instead to harness the thrust of a
jet. With a growing obsession that would cost him his marriage, he
started building the car in his dad's garage with the help of his
friends. Its name: Spirit of America.
Through perseverance and endless hard work, Craig completed Spirit and
broke the record on the Bonneville Salt Flats, setting a new mark of
407 mph in 1963 and bringing the LSR back to the USA after 36 years. He
then became locked in a speed duel with land speed rival Art Arfons.
Over the next two years Craig and Art would trade the LSR back and
forth in a series of whiteknuckle rides and experience some of the most
spectacular crashes in motorsport history, Craig wrecking his original Spirit and building a replacement, Spirit of America-Sonic I,
along the way. When it was over Craig had broken the record five times
and become the first person to drive 400, 500 and 600 mph. In the early
1970s he turned to rockets and set an acceleration record at Bonneville
that stands to this day, surviving another crash in the process. He was
repeatedly burned by the cutthroat nature of the motorsport business
and suffered financial ruination and repeated heartache in marriage,
including the tragic death of his third wife. And he built a new jet
car in the 1990s, Spirit of
America-Sonic Arrow, to go head-to-head against Britain's
massive ThrustSSC
to be the first to Mach One. Craig's subsequent crash at 675 mph
remains the fastest in history. Even today, at the age of 80, he is
still going strong with plans for yet another Spirit of America racer, this one
powered by a rocket. The ultimate goal: 1,000 mph. Ultimate Speed
is the authorized biography of Craig Breedlove, a complete and candid
revelation of one of motorsports' most interesting and elusive figures.
It is based primarily on countless hours of interviews that Hawley
conducted with Craig and dozens of people connected to his life. It is
an exciting and inspiring true story of ingenuity, perseverance, hard
work and courage—of what one man with a big dream and boundless drive
can achieve.
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"THE BIRTH OF THE
FEATURE FILM--120 YEARS AGO!"
March 27, 2017
Here is an
article I wrote for Bright Lights
Film Journal on "The
Birth of the Feature Film--120 Years Ago."
A weird fact about the world's first feature film is that Enoch Rector
and his team of assistants shot it from
inside the camera. Read the article to find out more. For the
full story, check out my book The
Fight That Started the Movies, available in paperback, hardcover
and ebook editions.
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ARTICLE: THE FIGHT THAT STARTED THE MOVIES: The
World Heavyweight Championship, the Birth of Cinema and the First
Feature Film
November 4, 2016
On March 17,
1897, in an open-air arena in Carson City, Nevada, “Gentleman” Jim
Corbett and Bob Fitzsimmons
fought for the heavyweight championship of the world. The
fourteen-round contest was recorded in its entirety by film pioneer
Enoch Rector from inside a huge, human-powered camera called the
“Veriscope.” Rector’s movie premiered in New York City two months
later. Known today as The Corbett-Fitzsimmons Fight, it was the world’s
first feature-length film.
The making of The Corbett-Fitzsimmons Fight was the culmination of
three years of rapid evolution in motion picture technology in which
boxing played a key role. It began in the summer of 1894, when West
Virginian Enoch Rector and his friends Otway and Gray Latham happened
upon a shop in New York City where Thomas Edison’s latest invention,
the Kinetoscope peephole machine, was introducing the public to moving
pictures. As the trio left the shop, Gray Latham had a brainstorm: Why
not show prizefights on this wonderful new Edison device, one round per
machine? Prizefighting was banned in most states of the Union, but the
law said nothing about showing a film of a prizefight. It would be a
sure moneymaker.
The trio immediately set to work. The first problem they encountered
was the fact that Edison’s Kinetograph movie camera and Kinetoscope
viewer could handle only twenty seconds of film. This was not nearly
long enough for a prizefight, which was made up of three-minute rounds.
Three full minutes of filming was not possible at this time, so the
trio settled for one minute. If they could film and exhibit a fight
comprised of one-minute rounds, it would convey an approximation of a
prizefight, enough to get the public excited and the nickels rolling in.
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THE FIGHT THAT STARTED THE MOVIES:
COVER REVEAL
May 1, 2016
The release of my next nonfiction book, The Fight That Started
the Movies: The World Heavyweight
Championship, the Birth of Cinema and the First Feature Film, is
set for October. Below is the final cover design. To read the back
cover blurb, go to my "Forthcoming" page.
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copyright
© Samuel Hawley 2020
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