University of Nebraska Press

Linking in Lincoln: January 31, 2008

Links to Help You "Feel the Love"...or Not

Well, it’s getting to be that time again. Christmas has come and gone and taken our money with it, and New Year's resolutions have found their way back into the deep recesses of our minds. Perhaps you’re looking for your next holiday fix. If that is the case, then it's time to once again indulge in the emotional cataclysm that we fondly refer to as Valentine's Day. Don't have a Valentine this year? No problem! Let UNP be your date! And in lieu of gushing profession-of-love cards, long-stemmed roses, and chocolate candies, we offer you, dear reader, this simple gift: Ted Kooser. 

New this month from the University of Nebraska Press, Valentines by Ted Kooser is a collection of Valentine poems that have already graced the mailboxes of 2,500 women across the United States. Beginning 22 years ago with only one poem sent to fifty lucky ladies, Kooser has since garnered the reputation that so called “romantic” men all over the country have been vying for. So while we contend that this book is guaranteed to bring a tear to even the most calloused eye, just in case you’re still a bit skeptical of the beloved holiday, here are a few links to help you "open your heart" to the idea of Valentine's Day.

Ever wonder what Valentine's Day is really about? History is always the best place to look! Valentine was a priest who defied a Roman Emperor in the name of love. For all the juicy details, check out "The History of Valentines Day" on History.com.

Sitting at home, curious as to whether everyone is in love but you? Perhaps also fuming over the capitalistic influences making prices on candy, teddy bears, and all things red and heart-shaped skyrocket? Well don’t just wonder, find out on the U.S. Census Bureau Web site.

Not feeling romantic this year? Well it turns out, neither were Al Capone and Bugs Moran on Valentine's Day, 1929. To read more about the Prohibition era St. Valentine's Day Massacre, check out Wikipedia for a quick synopsis.

Looking for that link between love and politics? (We're talking to you, bickering presidential candidates!) Well have no fear because Hallmark has found it!  Check out their Web site to view the new “Political Figures” Valentine's Day cards. They're a fun way to demonstrate your love and patriotism!

Finally, are you curious as to what kind of man sends Valentine's Day poems to women all over the United States? Find out more about the former U.S. poet laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner, Ted Kooser at his Web site and get ready to fall in love (with his poetry, that is).

We hope these links have helped you “feel the love” for Valentine’s Day. If not, we’ll try again on St. Patrick’s Day. ;-)

Happy Thursday, bloggers!

More Praise for Connie Mack and the Early Years of Baseball

Connie Mack and the Early Years of Baseball by Norman L. Macht

“[T]he tale Macht offers is often riveting.”—Library Journal

“[I]ncludes . . . many fascinating details of baseball from the 1880s to 1914.”—Boston Globe

Read earlier praise for Connie Mack and the Early Years of Baseball at http://nebraskapress.typepad.com/university_of_nebraska_pr/2007/07/praise-for-conn.html.

Tuesday Trivia: January 29, 2008

A Trivial Trip to Mexico City

In light of the recent publication of The Imagined Underworld: Sex, Crime, and Vice in Porfirian Mexico City by James Alex Garza, we’ve crafted today’s TT question set to test your knowledge of the unambiguously named Mexico City. Never been? Have no fear. You don’t have to be a frequent visitor to this capital city to fare well on this quiz. You just have to be un poco inteligente. However, if you have no idea what “inteligente” could mean, you might want to study up and try this quiz again another day.

Now, on to the trivia!

1. True or false?: Mexico City is the most populous city in Mexico.

2. In what year was Mexico City (then known as “Tenochtitlan”) founded?
A. 1276
B. 1352
C. 1325
D. 1412

3. Mexico City’s nickname is “Ciudad de los Palacios,” which translates to what in English?

4. Mexico City is located in a large valley called “Valley of Mexico,” originally built by which Native group?

5. Which Spanish conquistador first arrived in the area now occupied by Mexico City?

6. Mexico City was invaded by U.S. forces, forcing Mexico to cede what are today the states of California, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and parts of Utah and Wyoming in what year?
A. 1776
B. 1832
C. 1784
D. 1847

7. True or false?: The population of Mexico City is roughly 6,325,239.

8. In what year did Mexico City host the Olympic Games, which were tragically marked before the opening ceremony by the killing of hundreds of students in the “Tlatelolco Massacre?”

9. The September 19, 1985 earthquake in Mexico City registered as what magnitude on the Richter scale?
A. 8.1
B. 7.2
C. 9.0
D. 6.9

10. True or false: Mexico City has a higher GDP than all of Sweden.

Answers: 1-True; 2-C; 3-“City of Palaces”; 4-The Aztecs; 5- Hernán Cortés; 6-D; 7-False—it’s approximately 8,605,239; 8-1968; 9-A; 10-True

¿Es usted inteligente?
0-2: ¡Muy mal!
3-5: Más o menos
6-8: Bien
9-10: ¡Muy bueno!

Kathleen Flenniken Reading

Kathleen Flenniken, author of Famous (University of Nebraska Press, 2006) will be reading with Donna Miscolta on Monday, February 4th at 5:30 PM at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, WA.

Benaroya Hall
200 University St
Seattle, WA 98101-3428
Phone: (206) 215-4800

This event is free and open to the public and no tickets are required. The reading is part of a series celebrating the 20th anniversaries of two important arts organizations—Seattle Arts & Lectures and Artist Trust. A no-host reception will follow at the W Hotel before ticket-holders return to Benaroya for a reading by Mary Oliver.
 
For more information, visit http://www.lectures.org/preview.html.

For directions to Benaroya Hall, link to http://www.lectures.org/theater.html.

More Praise for Connie Mack and the Early Years of Baseball

Connie Mack and the Early Years of Baseball
by Norman L. Macht

“Maybe never in baseball history has one man labored for so long with such ultimate success. Norman Macht has brought us the true Connie Mack, and has done so in a most readable and informative style. How can you not love a book that begins, ‘The Irish had a bad year in 1846, finishing last in the international league. For the third straight year, the potato crop had failed like a staff of sore-armed pitchers.’? We should all spend the next 22 years turning out a triumph such as Connie Mack and the Early Years of Baseball,” clearly a major highlight of the 2007 baseball season.”—John Shiffert, “19 to 21” column at BaseballLibrary.com

Read the complete review online at http://www.baseballlibrary.com/columns/column.php?id=85.

For earlier praise for Connie Mack and the Early Years of Baseball, visit http://nebraskapress.typepad.com/university_of_nebraska_pr/2007/07/praise-for-conn.html.

A.J.B. Johnston at the Colchester Historical Society, Nova Scotia

A.J.B. Johnston, author of Endgame 1758: The Promise, the Glory, and the Despair of Louisbourg's Last Decade gave a presentation and signed copies of his book for the Colchester Historical Society in Truro, Nova Scotia on Thursday, January 24th. The event was well-received and enjoyed by all. Here is an excerpt from the CHS weekly board report:

"We had 47 people in attendance for the talk on Louisbourg. People will be talking about this presentation for a very long time. I grew up in the generation when history was not taught in schools and therefore knew next
to nothing about Louisbourg, but Dr. Johnston's description of the events, with all the personal and intimate details, brought it to life for me and many others in the audience."

Congratulations to A.J.B. Johnston on this successful event!

Author A.J.B. Johnston preparing for the post-event signing.

More Praise for Shantytown Kid

Shantytown Kid by Azouz Begag, edited and with an introduction by Alec G. Hargreaves, translated by Naïma Wolf and Alec G. Hargreaves

“[T]his autobiographic novel both charms and informs. . . . Strongly recommended.”—KLIATT

Read earlier praise for Shantytown Kid at http://nebraskapress.typepad.com/university_of_nebraska_pr/2007/04/praise_for_shan.html.

This Week in History: January 20-25, 2008

It’s the close of another work week and you know what that means. It’s time for another TWIH posting. Today’s TWIH features a myriad of subjects—from contemporary art and poetry to terrorism and the Holocaust. Without further ado, let’s look back at . . .

This Week in History

January 20, 1942: At a conference in Berlin, Nazi officials agreed upon a "final solution"—the systematic extermination of all the Jews in Europe.
For an up-close-and-personal take on what it was like to live in Germany during the Nazi era, pick up a copy of Mimi Schwartz’s Good Neighbors, Bad Times: Echoes of My Father’s German Village. In its pages, Schwartz charts her journey through the village her father grew up in to determine how descent people coped during such indecent times.

January 21, 1940: Golfer Jack Nicklaus was born.
If you think there’s no poetry in this sport on the green, give Andy Brumer’s The Poetics of Golf a try. He’ll have you comparing Tiger Woods’ swing to Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” in no time.

January 22, 1788: English poet Lord George Gordan Byron was born.
The poetically-inclined will want to take a gander at UNP’s selection of fine verse. Click here for a full list. Of particular interest is Valentines by Ted Kooser, former U.S. poet laureate and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry. This collection of Kooser’s valentines, sent to his female family members, friends, and acquaintances since 1986, is sure to delight anyone with a heart.

January 23, 1989: Famed surrealist painter Salvador Dali died in home country of Spain at age 84.
To view the stunning work of an inspired contemporary painter, grab a copy of Nomad by Enrique Martínez Celaya, whose work is in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, among others.

January 24, 1862: American novelist Edith Wharton was born.
Wharton was a close companion of author Henry James, whose complete collection of correspondence has been compiled in The Complete Letters of Henry James, available in a series of volumes from the University of Nebraska Press.

January 25, 1981: The 52 Americans held hostage by Iran for 444 days returned to the U.S.
These hostages undoubtedly suffered terrible psychological stress from their time in Iran. To read a wealth of information on the psychological effects of terrorism, check out Brian Trappler’s Modern Terrorism and Psychological Trauma.

Join us again on Monday for new reviews of UNP titles. Have a great weekend, bloggers.

Andy Brumer on the Radio

Andy Brumer, author of The Poetics of Golf, will take part in an interview this Saturday, January 26th on "Golf Innerview" with Ann Liguori on WLIU 88.3 FM Radio. The interview will air at 9:35 am EST in the Long Island and Connecticut areas. Located elsewhere? No problem. Anyone can catch the interview online at http://www.wliu.org/. Happy listening!

Linking in Lincoln: January 24, 2008

Links to "Sustain" You

New this month from the University of Nebraska Press, Remaking the North American Food System: Strategies for Sustainability edited by C. Clare Hinrichs and Thomas A. Lyson examines the resurgence of interest in rebuilding the links between agricultural production and food consumption as a way to overcome some of the negative implications of industrial and globalizing trends in the food and agricultural system. With food and agriculture issues in the news on a daily basis, this book is especially timely and relevant. Whether you're well-versed on the issue or wondering what in the world sustainable agriculture is, we have a link to suit your needs.

Want to know what sustainable agriculture is all about? Check out Wikipedia for a brief overview at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_agriculture.

If you're interested in learning what everyday consumers can do to support the efforts of the sustainable agriculture community, visit the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Web site for ideas.

How about supporting organic growers and vendors? Those looking for a directory of sellers carrying organic products should visit the Organic Consumers Association Web site where you can find a list of green and organic businesses selling everything from organic clothing to cosmetics.

Parents who want to get their children excited about sustainable agriculture efforts should visit sites like the one run by The Food Project of Massachusetts to learn how to educate their kids on the issue and sign up for volunteer projects.

Finally, the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service maintains an excellent site devoted to educating commercial agriculture professionals and the public on sustainable agriculture issues and current news.

That's all for this installment of LIL. Hope we've inspired you to learn more about the sustainable agriculture movement. And don't forget to check out Remaking the North American Food System for a wealth of information on the issue.