Yenne, Bill 1949- (William Yenne)

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Yenne, Bill 1949- (William Yenne)

PERSONAL:

Born October 1, 1949; son of William J. Yenne (a road and trails supervisor); married; wife's name Carol (in business); children: Azia, Annalisa. Education: Graduated from University of Montana and Stanford University.

ADDRESSES:

Home—San Francisco, CA. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Book producer, photographer, and writer. American Graphic Systems BookWorks, founder and president, 1983—. Also served as a consultant for various television programs.

MEMBER:

American Aviation Historical Society, American Society of Journalists and Authors, American Book Producers Association, St. Philip's Belfry Society (founding member).

WRITINGS:

The History of the U.S. Air Force, Bison Books (London, England), 1984.

McDonnell Douglas: A Tale of Two Giants, Crescent Books (New York, NY), 1985.

(And creator of design and maps) SAC: A Primer of Modern Strategic Airpower, foreword by Russell Dougherty, Presidio Press (Novato, CA), 1985.

Southern Pacific, Bonanza Books (New York, NY), 1985.

The Encyclopedia of North American Indian Tribes: A Comprehensive Study of Tribes from the Abitibi to the Zuni, Crescent Books (New York, NY), 1986.

Atlas of the Solar System, Simon & Shuster (New York, NY), 1987.

Lockheed, Crescent Books (New York, NY), 1987.

(With Curtis E. LeMay) Superfortress: The Story of the B-29 and American Air Power in World War II, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1988.

U.S. Air Power, photography by George Hall, Portland House (New York, NY), 1989.

Black '41: The West Point Class of 1941 and the American Triumph in World War II, Wiley (New York, NY), 1991.

(And designer) All the King's Things: The Ultimate Elvis Memorabilia Book, photography by Ming Louie, Bluewood Books (San Francisco, CA), 1993.

100 Events That Shaped World History, Bluewood Books (San Francisco, CA), 1993.

100 Inventions That Shaped World History, edited by Morton Grosser, Bluewood Books (San Francisco, CA), 1993.

(With Tom Debolski) The Ultimate Book of Beer Trivia, Bluewood Books (San Francisco, CA), 1994.

100 Men Who Shaped World History, Bluewood Books (San Francisco, CA), 1994.

100 Natural Wonders of the World, Bluewood Books (San Francisco, CA), 1995.

Into the Sunset: The Convair Story, Greenwich (Lyme, CT), 1995.

(With Robert Redding) Boeing: Planemaker to the World, revised and updated edition, Thunder Bay Press (San Diego, CA), 1997, revised and updated edition published as The Story of the Boeing Company, Zenith (St. Paul, MN), 2005.

Hidden Treasure: Where to Find It, How to Get It, Avon Books (New York, NY), 1997.

Legends of Flight: With the National Aviation Hall of Fame, foreword by Frank Borman, Publications International (Lincolnwood, IL), 1997.

San Francisco Then and Now, Thunder Bay Press (San Diego, CA), 1998, reissued, 2007.

(Reteller, with Timothy Jacobs) Favorite Bible Heroes, Tommy Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1999.

The Field Guide to Elvis Shrines, Renaissance Books (Los Angeles, CA), 1999.

Lost Treasure: A Guide to Buried Riches, Berkley Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Inside Boeing: Building the 777, MBI (St. Paul, MN), 2002.

(With Jack G. Real) The Asylum of Howard Hughes, Xlibris, 2003.

The American Brewery, MBI (St. Paul, MN), 2003.

Secret Weapons of World War II, Berkley Books (New York, NY), 2003.

San Francisco's Noe Valley, Arcadia (Charleston, SC), 2004.

(With Michael Johnson) Native Tribes of California and the Southwest, World Almanac Library (Milwaukee, WI), 2004.

Attack of the Drones: A History of Unmanned Aerial Combat, MBI (St. Paul, MN), 2004.

A Damned Fine War (novel), Berkley Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Great American Beers: Twelve Brands That Became Icons, MBI (St. Paul, MN), 2004.

The Missions of California, Thunder Bay Press (San Diego, CA), 2004.

Operation Cobra and the Great Offensive: Sixty Days That Changed the Course of World War II, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Indian Wars: The Campaign for the American West, Westholme Publishing, 2005.

Atlas of North American Railroads, MBI (St. Paul, MN), 2005.

Great Northern Empire Builder, MBI (St. Paul, MN), 2005.

On the Trail of Lewis and Clark: Yesterday and Today, MBI (St. Paul, MN), 2005.

Santa Fe Chiefs, MBI (St. Paul, MN), 2005.

Secret Gadgets and Strange Gizmos: High-Tech (and Low-Tech) Innovations of the U.S. Military, Zenith Press (St. Paul, MN), 2005.

Secret Weapons of the Cold War, Berkley Books (New York, NY), 2005.

The American Aircraft Factory in World War II, Zenith Press (St. Paul, MN), 2006.

B-17 at War, Zenith Press (St Paul, MN), 2006.

Glacier National Park, Arcadia (Charleston, SC), 2006.

Guinness: The 250-year Quest for the Perfect Pint, John Wiley (Hoboken, NJ), 2007.

Rising Sons: The Japanese American GIs Who Fought for the United States in World War II, Thomas Dunne Books (New York, NY), 2007.

U.F.O.: Evaluating the Evidence, Gramercy Books (New York, NY), 2007.

"RAPTOR FORCE" SERIES; NOVELS

Raptor Force, Berkley Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Holy Fire, Berkley Books (New York, NY), 2007.

Raptor Force: Corkscrew, Berkley Books (New York, NY), 2007.

PICTURE BOOKS

(Reteller, with Timothy Jacobs) David and Goliath, edited by Lynne Piade, illustrated by Pete Avdoulos and others, Nelson Regency (Nashville, TN), 1993.

(Reteller, with Timothy Jacobs) The Christmas Story, edited by Lynne Piade, illustrated by Pete Avdoulos and others, Nelson Regency (Nashville, TN), 1993.

(Reteller, with Timothy Jacobs) The Story of Jonah, edited by Lynne Piade, illustrated by Pete Avdoulos and others, Nelson Regency (Nashville, TN), 1993.

(Reteller, with Timothy Jacobs) Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors, T. Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1994.

(Reteller) The Story of Moses, T. Nelson Publishers (Nashville, TN), 1994.

(Reteller) Joshua and the Battle of Jericho, T. Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1994.

(Reteller) The Story of the First Easter, T. Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1994.

Contributor to periodicals, including Rolling Stone, All about Beer and International Air Power Review.

SIDELIGHTS:

Bill Yenne is an American book producer, photographer, and writer. Growing up in Montana, Yenne later settled in the San Francisco Bay area and founded his own book production company. American Graphic Systems BookWorks started in 1983 with Yenne serving as president, giving him unique access to publishing contacts. In his capacity as a writer, he has published nonfiction books on a number of topics, including warfare, airlines, natural sites, and rail transport. Yenne has published several picture books as well as a few novels. He is also the author of the "Raptor Force" series, which features an elite commando group that fights terrorism around the world.

In 2004 Yenne published Native Tribes of California and the Southwest with Michael Johnson. The book uses census figures to recreate the peoples who lived across California and the Southwest of the United States, describing their culture through drawings, photographs, and artifacts. S.K. Joiner, writing in School Library Journal, found "very little" useful information for school reports in the books, adding that additional readings lists were "biased." Joiner thought that at time the captions "can read like a fashion magazine at times."

San Francisco's Noe Valley was also published in 2004. As a resident, Yenne claimed insider knowledge while writing about the history of this area of the Bay City. Diane C. Donovan, writing in the Midwest Book Review, found the book contained "a rich compilation of images," making it a "powerful volume following the neighborhood's many changes." Donovan concluded that San Francisco's Noe Valley should be "essential for any California history collection."

Yenne published Atlas of North American Railroads in 2005. Starting with the Baltimore & Ohio rail line in 1830, Yenne covers the history of rails in the United States and Canada with a collection of maps and stories from the eighty companies that made their mark across the continent. Sayre C. Kos, writing in Trains Magazine, called Atlas of North American Railroads a "must-have," further describing it as "one-stop-shopping reference for rail historians."

That same year Yenne published Great Northern Empire Builder. Marking the life of James J. Hill, Yenne looks at how he took the Great Northern and used it to build a nation. Kathi Kube, writing in Trains Magazine, found the book's approach to be "interesting." Although Kube wrote that it "lacks some depth" in certain areas, it "makes up for it" in other areas, such as the photographs, charts, and period advertisements.

Yenne completed Santa Fe Chiefs in 2005. The title refers to rail cars that served as the pinnacle of rail travel comfort in their day. Jason Gallinger, writing in Trains Magazine, described the book as "a poignant trip," adding that it "makes us yearn for yesteryear."

B-17 at War was published in 2006. The book gives the account of crewmen and the flights that they made on these aircrafts, rather than outlining each make and model of the plane. The book contains rarely seen color photographs of missions flown in Europe and over the Pacific Ocean during World War II. Mike Machat, writing in Airpower, commented that "if you are a B-17 aficionado" or "a World War II buff," then "this informative new book is well worth" the purchase.

Yenne covered Glacier National Park in 2006. An annual visitor, Yenne actually grew up in the Montana section of the park as a young boy when his father worked there. Again Yenne includes archival photographs, period advertisements, and maps showcasing the park's history and grandeur. A contributor to Reference & Research Book News made note of Yenne's "personal perspective" in writing this book.

In 2007 Yenne published Guinness: The 250-year Quest for the Perfect Pint. Discussing what Yenne considers to be the greatest beer in the world, he outlines the history of the beer and the company created by Arthur Guinness. He also brings the book to the modern day practices of brewing and advertising. Jeremy Hatch, writing on the Curled Up with a Good Book Web site, described it as "a light, genial book," suitable for lazy days of reading or a long flight. Hatch thought that "the book really shines as a history of the Guinness company itself and how it grew spectacularly over those two and a half centuries." Hatch believed that "readers with an interest in economics, corporate histories, and branding will find much to provoke thought and even wonder in these pages."

Yenne also published Rising Sons: The Japanese American GIs Who Fought for the United States in World War II in 2007. The book examines the condi- tion of Japanese-American soldiers fighting against Japan during World War II and the sacrifices they and their families made during that time of racially based distrust. A contributor to Publishers Weekly noted that "Yenne highlights the good sense and good will that emerged" between Japanese-American soldiers and their Caucasian counterparts "without overlooking persistent racism." A contributor to Kirkus Reviews found the book to be "indifferently written but thorough." Booklist contributor Frieda Murray found Yenne's writing style to be both "readable" and "approachable." The fact that Yenne included interviews from these soldiers after receiving their Medals of Honor and Presidential Unit Citations in 2000 "raises both the cachet and the credibility of a book … of broad general interest."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Ad Astra, November, 1989, William Barton, review of Atlas of the Solar System, p. 21.

Airpower, March, 2006, Mike Machat, review of The Story of the Boeing Company, p. 60; September, 2006, Mike Machat, review of B-17 at War, p. 60.

Booklist, July 1, 2007, Frieda Murray, review of Rising Sons: The Japanese American GIs Who Fought for the United States in World War II, p. 24.

Business Horizons, July, 1986, review of McDonnell Douglas: A Tale of Two Giants, p. 84.

Chronicle, May, 2005, Don D'Ammassa, review of A Damned Fine War, p. 10.

Entertainment Weekly, February 5, 1999, review of The Field Guide to Elvis Shrines, p. 63.

Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2007, review of Rising Sons.

Library Journal, August, 1988, Mark R. Yerburgh, review of Superfortress: The Story of the B-29 and American Air Power in World War II, p. 157; November 15, 1991, Raymond L. Puffer, review of Black '41: The West Point Class of 1941 and the American Triumph in World War II, p. 95.

Midwest Book Review, November, 2006, review of The American Aircraft Factory in World War II; March, 2007, Diane C. Donovan, review of San Francisco's Noe Valley.

Noe Valley Voice (San Francisco, CA), December-January, 2004, review of San Francisco's Noe Valley.

Publishers Weekly, June 17, 1988, Genevieve Stuttaford, review of Superfortress, p. 55; May 14, 2007, review of Rising Sons, p. 45.

Reference & Research Book News, August, 2005, review of San Francisco's Noe Valley, p. 73; February, 2007, review of San Francisco Then and Now; November, 2007, review of Glacier National Park; November, 2007, review of Guinness: The 250-year Quest for the Perfect Pint.

School Library Journal, October, 1994, Shirley Wilton, review of 100 Men Who Shaped World History, p. 156; August, 2004, S.K. Joiner, review of Native Tribes of California and the Southwest, p. 138.

Science Books & Films, March, 1994, review of 100 Inventions That Shaped World History, p. 42.

Trains Magazine, September, 2005, Kathi Kube, review of Great Northern Empire Builder, p. 74; February, 2006, Jason Gallinger, review of Santa Fe Chiefs, p. 70; March, 2006, Sayre C. Kos, review of Atlas of North American Railroads, p. 74.

Wild West, August, 2006, Chrys Ankeny, review of Indian Wars: The Campaign for the American West, p. 72.