Book Alert / The Bill Cook Story

The Bill Cook Story -- Ready Fire Aim! by Bob Hammel, Indiana UP '08, $24.95, 411 pages, ISBN #0253352541. Index, source notes, no bibliography, b&w and color images sprinkled throughout text.

The Bill Cook Story is a lively tribute to the importance of university presses. A self-made businessman who has transformed the lives of many Hoosiers might not be of great interest to readers on either coast. But his story is compelling to current and future residents of Indiana.

It's told by Bob Hammel, a sport editor and columnist on Indiana newspapers for more than a half-century. The author explores Cook's ventures into medical devices, pharmaceuticals, genetics, real estate, retail management and travel services, which in their totality have made him a billionaire.

Through it all, Hammel writes, Cook "continues to lead a modest life, involving himself in a variety of philanthropic activities that have included historic preservation and even a marching band."