University of Nebraska Press

This Week in History: July 21-25, 2008

Well bloggers, it’s been awhile. You try and try, but sometimes life (or in this case summer classes) just gets in the way.  What’s important though, is that we’re together again and that even though we haven’t seen each other, history has prevailed. This week we’ve got everything from Jesse James to Praibha Patil, and a little Italian fascism just for fun.  Ready to pick up where we left off?

July 21, 1873: Jesse James and the James-Younger gang attempted and succeeded in pulling off the first successful train robbery in the American West.

Well I think it’s safe to say that Jesse James was a rebel of sorts (rebel, robber, murderer…you know) but if you’re interested in another kind of “bad boy” then please check out REBEL: The Life and Times of John Singleton Mosby by Kevin H. Siepel, which chronicles the life of this bipartisan Commander.

July 22, 1882: American Painter Edward Hopper was born today.
If you fancy yourself an art connoisseur   then please take a look at Beyond Madness: The Art of Ralph Blakelock by Norman A. Geske.

July 23, 1929: Fascist Italy bans the use of foreign words.
In the wake of a burgeoning bilingual culture, Americans are well versed in the foreign word controversy. If you find that you’re an advocate of words, regardless of their origin, then you may enjoy the book of poetry Modern Archaist by Osip Mandelstam.

July 24, 1783: Simon Bolivar, the South American liberator is born today.
There is so much to South American culture, the politics, literature, food, entertainment and sports. If the latter is what really appeals to you the please take a look at Venezualen Bust Baseball Boom: Andres Reiner scouting on the New Frontier by Milton H. Jamil.

July 25, 2007: Pratihba Patil is sworn in as the first women president in India.
The position of women in politics has risen considerably in the past 50 years. For a look at Lincolns first female mayor please take a look at Mayor Helen Boosalis: My Mother’s Life in Politics by Beth Boosalis Davis.

Ok, bloggers that’s enough history for today check out the UNP website for more titles.  Join us next week for a little Trivia and a few Links!

This Week in History: June 23-27, 2008

Well bloggers, it’s about that time again. Yep, it’s This Week in History! We’ve got the Battle of Okinawa, the Angora Fire, and Veronica Guerin.  Care to stick around?  I think we’ve got quite a week in front of us…..

June 23, 1945: The Battle of Okinawa ends when the Imperial Japanese Army forces fall apart on Mabuni.
The Battle of Okinawa was significant to WWII, as it was just weeks before the atomic bombings.

If you’re interested in this region of the world, wars aside, than please check out Genealogies of Orientalism: History, Theory, Politics, by Edmund Burke III for a close look.

June 24, 2007: Angora Fire starts near South Lake Tahoe, California destroying over two hundred buildings in the first two days alone.

Wildfire and Americans, by Roger G. Kennedy, is an appeal on behalf of the author to begin looking at natural disasters as possessing more of a human origination. How do we contribute as humans to the new face of wildfire?

June 25, 1966: Congolese basketball star, Dikembe Mutombo is born.

Mutombo won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award four times, and when he was 40 he was the oldest player in the league. To get a closer look on the modern African American basketball player please take a look at Young, Black, Rich, and Famous, by Todd Boyd.

June 26, 1996: Irish Journalist, Veronica Guerin, is shot in her car by drug dealers.

Guerin’s tireless fight against drug dealers in Ireland, ended up in her death, but left a significant mark on the Irish Parliament’s determent and punishment of criminals.  For another book about significant women in history please take a look at Give Me Eighty Men, by Shannon D. Smith

June 27, 1962: Paul Viding, Estonian poet dies today.

Viding was a significant writer who’s work had known influences of T.S. Eliot in it. If poetry is your thing, than you may be interested in Modern Archaist: Selected Poems by Osip Mandelstam  written by Osip Mandelstam.

Ok bloggers, you can find all these books and more at the University of Nebraska Press website. Please join us Tuesday for some more Trivia!

This Week in History: June 2-6, 2008

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY:  June 2-6, 2008

Ok, bloggers this is a big week. First off it’s “This Week in History” (requisite applause here…),  second as of yesterday Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination making him the first Black nominee, and thirdly it’s…. the first week of June? Well, I may have peaked at Obama, but all the same this could end up being a great week, lets go ahead and see….

June 2, 1692: Bridget Bishop is the first person to go to trial in the Salem Witch Trials in Salem Massachusetts.  She is found guilty and was then hanged on June 10.

Atrocities on Trial, by Patricia Heberer and Jurgen Matthaus  is a great new book taking a sharp look at criminal trials throughout history, including the infamous Nuremberg trials. Any person with an interest in the history of law and what constitutes a war crime should check it out.

June 3, 2008: President Barack Obama officially accepted the nomination for the Democratic Party. This makes him the first African American to do so, and regardless of political party I think this is something we can all celebrate.

For another book on  progressive movements in the political arena, please check out Mayor Helen Boosalis, by Beth Boosalis Davis. This inspiring story is about the first woman to become Mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska.

June 4, 1919: Congress approves the 19th amendment which guarantees suffrage to women everywhere.

Women may have been granted suffrage, but the plight of young girls is still in the works.
To see how this is playing out in some native communities and what is being done first hand; check out Empowerment of North American Indian Girls by Carol A. Markstrom.

June 5, 1851: Harriet Beecher Stowe’s classic Uncle Toms Cabin, starts its 10 month run in the National Era, an abolitionist newspaper.

For a first hand look at how this amazing struggle would continue, please read Marvin V. Arnett's book,  Pieces from Life’s Crazy Quilt, about growing up in Detroit during the heart  of the civil rights movement.

June 6, 1986: A 52 year old man in Auburn Washington dies after taking an Excedrin laced with cyanide.

Speaking of poison…..A Strange and Formidable Weapon, by Marion Girard, is about the advent of poison gas during World War I. The use of this gas would have affects on all aspects of British society, those foreseen and unforeseen.

Well, bloggers thanks for joining us for another installment of TWIH, see you again Tuesday for a little trivia!

This Week in History: May 26-30, 2008

Well bloggers, it’s about that time again, yep, This Week in History! Children’s stories, the holocaust, and we’ll catch back up with our favorite womanizer King Henry VIII. And now for the events…..

May 26, 1830: The Indian Removal Act is passes by Congress.

The Indian Removal Act suggested (strongly) that many Native Americans surrender their land. For a closer, more autobiographical look at the Native community today, please check out American Indian Autobiography by H. David Brumble III.

May 27, 1933: Walt Disney releases the Three Little Pigs, featuring the hit song “Who’s afraid of the Big Bad Wolf”

If kiddie tales is your idea of quality literature (and to all those with young children, then I understand that it may be…) then please check out the best UNP has to offer with Twinkle Tales by L. Frank Baum, renowned author of The Wizard of Oz.

May 28, 1952: The women of Greece are given the right to vote.

The independence of women has long been a hot issue, and reading Eight Women, Two Model T’s, and the American West, by Joanne Wilke is a perfect way to celebrate it.

May 29, 1940: The first prisoners arrive at a new concentration camp called Auschwitz.

The Holocaust is an appalling time in our history, yet there were moments of true goodness going on amidst it. Good Neighbors, Bad Times by Mimi Schwartz, chronicling the good deeds done by one village, may shed some light on this dark story.

May 30, 1536: King Henry VIII marries Jane Seymour preceding this execution of Anne Boleyn.

Oh, will his antics never end! King Henry VIII may be famous for falling in love (also for being crazy, ruthless, and violent), but having 8 wives and executing two of them has never made for an ideal man. If romance happens to be up your alley, then may I introduce Mr. Ted Kooser and his book of poetry, Valentines. Read it, and even a King won’t be able to hold a candle to him.

Well, bloggers thanks for checking us out! See you next week for Tuesday Trivia.

This Week in History: May 19-22, 2008

    From the death of Anne Boleyn, notorious throne chaser, to the  death of Clyde Barrow, notorious gangster, this has been quite a week in our history.  Have you seen the new movie The Other Boleyn girl? If so, then maybe you’ll agree that it makes you wonder what was going on behind the scenes in our histories biggest moments. Unfortunately for us This Week in History only provides the dates, but we can at least start there….

May 19, 1536: Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII of England is beheaded for adultery.
If high crime gets you going, then check out Atrocities on Trial, by Patricia Heberer and Jurgen Matthaus and see what constitutes a war crime, and how modern day courts deal with them.

May 20, 1932: Amelia Earhart takes off at Newfoundland to be the first woman ever to make a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
There is nothing like flying, is there? Well, for me there are plenty of other things to occupy my interest, but I’m not much of a thrill seeker. If you happen to be, then please check out Hard Air by W. Scott Olsen and see what flying adventures really look like!

May 21, 1951: Today the famous  9th Street Art Exhibition in New York opened, paving the way for artists everywhere to realize the legitimacy of their endeavors.
If art interests you, then you’ve come to the right spot. Just check out the entirety of the University of Nebraska Press website and see all we have to offer!

May 22, 2004: The entire city of Hallam, Nebraska was wiped out by a F4 tornado 2.5 miles wide.
This tragedy only reinforces the danger nature can inflict. If, despite this you still happen to be a fan then check out either Bicycling beyond the Divide by Daryl Farmer or Kayaking Alone by Mike Barenti to satisfy your craving.

May 23, 1951: Notorious Gangster Clyde Barrow was born today.
If you happen to be a fan of the name Barrow (and why wouldn’t you be, it just rolls right off the tongue) then check out another famous Barrow with Ed Barrow: The Bulldog who built the yankee’s First Dynasty by Daniel R. Levitt.

That’s it for this installment of This Week in History, join us next week for Tuesday Trivia. Have a great weekend bloggers!

This Week in History: May 12-16, 2008

Space, and Cowboys and, pioneers, Oh my! This weeks installment of TWIH is guaranteed to make you smile, laugh, cringe a bit (Ooh,  the Donner party) and perhaps make you cry as we remember the Virginia Tech shooting done this week, last year. Yet we all know the cathartic power of emotional upheaval, so if you’re ready to start this sentimental soirée we can begin…

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY:

April 12, 1961: Yuri Gagarin was the first human to travel into outer space in the Vostok 3JA-2.
Are you a space enthusiast?  I’m more of a stare at the big dipper kind of girl, but even I was swept away by the tales of mankind’s attempts to leave earth behind.  If this interests you at all, check out To a Distant Day: The Rocket Pioneers by Chris Gainor. 

April 13, 1866: American Outlaw Butch Cassidy was born.
There is no greater American hero than the cowboy. Good or bad, history has immortalized them in film and fiction. Curious as to what a modern day cowboy is busy doing? If so, than check out the Nebraska Cowboy Trail by Keith Terry and see if you have what it takes to well….. not follow in the footsteps of Butch Cassidy.  Maybe try The Lone Ranger?

April 14, 1846: The Donner Party of pioneers departs from Springfield, Illinois for California on their infamous year long journey.
Sustainable agriculture has been a huge issue in our modern day. The decline of family farms, rural communities and even the onslaught of Global Warming have resulted in adverse poverty all over the world. So by taking a look at the Donner Party, and their unfortunate demise, let’s see how we can avoid all manners of desperate acts by checking out Crisis and Opportunity by John E. Ikerd.

April 15, 1912: “God himself couldn’t sink this ship.”  Or could he….The RMS Titanic sinks in the North Atlantic after hitting an iceberg.
Read about another tragic arctic experience with Robert Falcon Scott’s expedition to Antarctic. The journey that ended with the death of him and his entire crew has many similar themes as the Titanic; such as unfortunate circumstance, or faulty planning? Find out more when you check out  Pilgrims on the Ice, by T.H. Baughman

April 16, 2007: Last year Seung- Hui Cho killed 32 people in deadliest shooting by a single gunman in all of U.S. History.
There is no link to the University of Nebraska Press for this event, all that we ask is a simple recognition for the lives lost, and the lives changed. To read a transcript of Professor Nikki Giovanni moving speech “We are Virginia Tech” then click here.

That’s it for today bloggers, we’ll see you next week for reviews, a little Tuesday Trivia, some Linking in Lincoln, and another escape into the past with This Week in History!!

This Week in History: April 13-18, 2008

Tax season is officially behind us and we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief. Did you know that the United States began taxing income in 1862 to help support the Civil War effort? However, it wasn’t made a permanent part of our tax system until 1913 when Congress passed the 16th Amendment. Hungry for more historical morsels? If so, you visited our blog on the right day of the week because it’s time for another installment of…

This Week in History

April 13, 1954: Hank Aaron made his major league debut with the Milwaukee Braves.
Attention all baseball enthusiasts! Don’t miss Center Field Shot: A History of Baseball on Television by James R. Walker and Robert V. Bellamy. This blend of baseball history and media studies examines the sometimes contentious but mutually beneficial relationship between baseball and television, from the first televised game in 1939 to the new era of Internet broadcasts, satellite radio, and high-definition TV.

April 14, 2002: Just two days after being removed from office and arrested by the Venezuelan military, Hugo Chavez returned to office as president.
Those interested in Venezuelan history and culture will want to pick up a copy of Venezuelan Bust, Baseball Boom: Andrés Reiner and Scouting on the New Frontier by Milton H. Jamail. Though Venezuela is sandwiched between two soccer-mad countries—Brazil and Colombia—baseball is its national pastime and passion. Yet until the late 1980s few professional teams actively scouted and developed players there. This book is about the man who changed all that and brought Venezuela into Major League Baseball in a major way.

April 15, 1980: Jean-Paul Sartre, the famed existentialist philosopher, died in Paris, France.
Philosophy fanatics—have you perused the fine selection of University of Nebraska Press philosophy titles? You haven’t???  I Kant believe it! Click here for the full list.

April 16, 1912: Harriet Quimby became the first woman to fly across the English Channel.
For stories of other aeronautical adventurers, check out W. Scott Olsen’s Hard Air: Adventures from the Edge of Flying.

April 17, 1951: Mickey Mantle made his major league debut with the New York Yankees.
Yes, more baseball. But, hey, it’s that time of year! Yankees fans who haven’t snagged a copy of Ed Barrow: The Bulldog Who Built the Yankees’ First Dynasty by Daniel R. Levitt will definitely want to check out this intriguing baseball biography about the Yankees general manager who transformed the team from a pennant-less enterprise into the winning organization we know today.

April 18, 2004: Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Prime Minister of Spain, withdrew Spanish troops from Iraq.
Interested in Spain? How about Spanish history and art? If so, you’ll find ample intellectual fodder in Spain in the Age of Exploration, 1492-1819, edited and with an introduction by Chiyo Ishikawa. This publication accompanies an exhibition of approximately 120 works of art and science loaned mostly from the Royal Collection of Spain (Patrimonio Nacional) to the Seattle Art Museum.

That’s enough history for one week. Be sure to join us again on Monday for reviews and other news!

This Week in History: April 6-11, 2008

Another Friday is upon us, and you know what that means! Yes, it’s time to take a look back at the major events—from the death of a famed abstract painter to the surrender of the Confederate army to Union forces—that occurred…

This Week in History

April 6, 1992: Isaac Asimov, the popular science fiction author, died at age 72.
Sci-fi fans will want to pick up a copy of The Great Romance: A Rediscovered Utopian Adventure by The Inhabitant, edited by Dominic Alessio, an exciting new offering from the Bison Frontiers of the Imagination series. This two-volume novella, published under the pseudonym “The Inhabitant,” was one of the outstanding late nineteenth-century works of utopian science fiction. This is one for the collectors’ shelves!

April 7, 2007: American billionaire Charles Simonyi was launched into space on a Russian rocket traveling to the international space station.
Ever dreamed of rocketing yourself into space? If so, you’re not alone. Throughout time, men and women have sought to explore the “great unknown.” For a detailed, evocative look at the history of rocket technology and the human drive and desire to explore the universe which has always inspired these innovations, check out To a Distant Day: The Rocket Pioneers by Chris Gainor.

April 8, 1973: Pablo Picasso died at his home in France at age 91.
Art lovers won’t want to miss Beyond Madness: The Art of Ralph Blakelock, 1847-1919 by Norman A. Geske. Representing over twenty years of study and the examination of several thousand works attributed to him, Beyond Madness reveals the unusual nature of Blakelock’s life story as it offers clear parallels to his painting.

April 9, 1865: General Robert E. Lee surrendered his confederate army to General Ulysses S. Grant.
Read the biography of the man considered “the last Confederate officer to surrender” in Rebel: The Life and Times of John Singleton Mosby by Kevin H. Siepel.

April 10, 1947: Branch Rickey, president of the Brooklyn Dodgers, announced the purchase of Jackie Robinson’s contract from the Montreal Royals.
If you are a baseball fan and haven’t read Branch Rickey: Baseball’s Ferocious Gentleman by Lee Lowenfish, what are you waiting for?!? Praised in the pages of the Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Kansas City Star, and Fortune, among other publications, Branch Rickey is a must-read for all players and patrons of America’s favorite pastime.

April 11, 1945: American soldiers freed the prisoners of the Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany.
Fascinated with World War II history and personal human interest accounts? Read Opa Nobody by Sonya Huber for a stirring and original memoir delving into the life and times of the author’s grandfather, Heina Buschman, an “average” anti-Nazi socialist trying to rebuild a broken world during World War II.

Hope you enjoyed today’s installment of TWIH. Please visit us again on Monday for new reviews and other musings and miscellany!

This Week in History: March 30-April 4, 2008

As we make our foray into April, I can’t help but think, “Where did the first quarter of this year go?” I can’t believe that the first part of this year is now, well, history. Before another month flies by, let’s take a look at what happened…

This Week in History

March 30, 1870: Texas was readmitted to the Union.
Interested in the Civil-War-era history of the rebel state of Texas? If so, you won’t want to miss Texas, the Dark Corner of the Confederacy by B. P. Gallaway. The book contains forty documents dating from the eve of the Civil War to the collapse of the Confederacy, by civilians as well as soldiers in all parts Texas, making up a lively and informative collection.

March 31, 1927: Migrant American farm worker leader Cesar Chavez was born.
Those seeking information on current challenges in the American farm community should pick up a copy of John Ikerd’s Crisis and Opportunity: Sustainability in American Agriculture. Ikerd, one of the most eloquent and influential proponents of sustainable agriculture, describes what sustainable agriculture is, why it began, and how it can succeed.

April 1, 1987: President Ronald Reagan declared AIDS “public health enemy number one.”
For a straightforward assessment of the effect of AIDS on young people, read Children, Adolescents, and AIDS edited by Jeffrey m. Seibert and Roberta A. Olson. A report of the American Psychological Association task force on pediatric AIDS, this pioneer work to addresses a wide range of medical, psychological, social, legal, and ethical issues confronting young patients and their families.

April 2, 1968: The hit sci-fi film 2001: A Space Odyssey premiered in Washington, D.C.
Don’t miss the great selections in the new and similarly-named UNP series, “Outward Odyssey: A People’s History of Spaceflight.” Click here for a list of titles in the series.

April 3, 1924: Actor Marlon Brando was born in Omaha, Nebraska.
Want to read about all of the other interesting people, places, and happenings of the great state of Nebraska? If you answered “yes,” you’ll want to grab a copy of Nebraska Moments, New Edition by Donald R. Hickey, Susan A. Wunder, and John R. Wunder, an updated edition of Hickey’s classic account of defining Nebraska moments. It showcases the triumph, tragedy, comedy, and accomplishments that could have happened nowhere else and that reveal the rich culture and history under the state’s deceptively quiet surface.

April 4, 1887: Susanna Medora Salter of Argonia, Kansas became the first woman elected mayor of a town in the U.S.
Following in Salter’s footsteps nearly a century later, Helen Boosalis became mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska’s capital city. In August of this year, UNP will publish Mayor Helen Boosalis: My Mother’s Life in Politics, an autobiography of Mayor Boosalis penned by her daughter, Beth Boosalis Davis. You won’t want to miss this intriguing life story of one of the most notable women in 20th-century American politics.

That brings this week’s TWIH to its conclusion. Join us again on Monday for reviews and other news. Enjoy your weekend, bloggers!

This Week in History: March 16-21, 2008

What do Sir Isaac Newton, Queen Latifah, and Philip Roth have in common? Yes, yes. They’re all famous. But besides that? They’re all featured in today’s installment of “This Week in History,” of course! So whether you’re a fan of physics, female rappers, or fiction, you’re in for a treat. Let’s check out what happened…

This Week in History

March 16, 1836: A constitution was approved by the Republic of Texas.
Those interested in early Texas history will want to check out A Journey through Texas: Or a Saddle-Trip on the Southwestern Frontier by Frederick Law Olmsted. In 1856–57, Olmsted (later to be known as America’s foremost landscape architect) took a saddle trip through Texas to see the country and report on its lands and peoples. His description of the Lone Star State on the eve of the Civil War remains one of the best accounts of the American West ever published.

March 17, 1902: American golfer Bobby Jones, the first winner of the Grand Slam, was born.
Golf enthusiasts won’t want to miss Andy Brumer’s The Poetics of Golf. In this series of essays, Brumer, one of the most insightful writers on golf, considers the game from unexpected and often surprising angles, exploring the links between golf and life by way of art and literature, philosophy and psychology.

March 18, 1970: Queen Latifah, the famous rapper and actress, was born.
Read the story of another strong, African American woman in the pages of Pieces from Life’s Crazy Quilt by Marvin V. Arnett. Part memoir and part urban social history, Arnett’s book is one African American woman’s personal account of her life during a racially turbulent period in a northern American city.

March 19, 1943: Celebrated American writer Philip Roth was born.
Roth has made a name for himself as a writer of the Jewish American condition. Enjoy a fine selection of Jewish American writing in American Jewish Fiction: A Century of Stories edited by Gerald Shapiro. This ambitious anthology includes selections by Philip Roth, Saul Bellow, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Grace Paley, Tillie Olsen, and Bernard Malamud, as well earlier works by important immigrant writers from the early twentieth century.

March 20, 1727: Famed physicist, mathematician, and astronomer Sir Isaac Newton died in London.
Read the intriguing biography of another notable physicist in Science at the American Frontier: A Biography of DeWitt Bristol Brace by David Cahan and M. Eugene Rudd.

March 21, 1963: The last inmates were removed from Alcatraz prison in San Francisco, CA.
Years after the final prisoner left Alcatraz, American Indian activists occupied the island, reclaiming it as Indian land and demanding equality and fairness for all American Indians. Read more about the nineteen-month occupation upon the December 2008 release of The American Indian Occupation of Alcatraz Island: Red Power and Self-Determination by Troy R. Johnson. Mark your calendars now!

And the rest, as they say, is history! Happy Friday, bloggers! Join us again on Monday for reviews and other news.