The weather outside is indeed frightful. Here in Lincoln, Nebraska we’re looking at the possibility of freezing rain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freezing_rain) on Saturday—a scary meteorological phenomenon which is essentially a mad hybrid of snow, rain, and ice. Sounds like the perfect excuse to stay inside with a fire roaring in the fireplace, curled up with a laptop (fully charged in case of a power outage due to aforementioned freezing rain) and read about…

This Week in History

November 25, 1914: The “Yankee Clipper,” Joe DiMaggio, was born in Martinez, California. DiMaggio led the Yankees to nine titles in thirteen years.

Are you a Yankees fan? If so (or if you just love baseball) stay tuned for the April 2008 publication of Ed Barrow: The Bulldog Who Built the Yankees’ First Dynasty by Daniel R. Levitt (University of Nebraska Press).

November 26, 1940: Nazis forced the half million Jews of Warsaw, Poland to live within a walled ghetto.

Want to know what life was like for Jews in Poland prior to the Holocaust, before their lives were changed forever by the horrors of the Nazi regime? Then you must read The Life of Jews in Poland before the Holocaust: A Memoir by Ben-Zion Gold (University of Nebraska Press, 2007).

November 27, 1874: The Zionist pioneer and first president of Israel, Chaim Weizmann, was born.
Pick up Essential Readings on Jewish Identities, Lifestyles, & Beliefs: Analyses of the Personal and Social Diversity of Jews By Modern Scholars edited by Stanford M. Lyman (University of Nebraska Press, 2003) for a convenient, single source for better understanding Jewish diversity in America, Israel, and other societies. The author explores, among other topics, the facets of Zionism.

November 28, 1895: The first automobile race took place, between Chicago and Waukegan in Illinois.

Do you have the need for speed? Sam Moses has you covered. Read his book, Fast Guys, Rich Guys, and Idiots: A Racing Odyssey on the Border of Obsession, published this year by the University of Nebraska Press. Also, check out his contribution to this blog at http://nebraskapress.typepad.com/university_of_nebraska_pr/2007/09/my-first-and-la.html.

November 29, 1963: President Lyndon B. Johnson named a commission to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

The assassination of President John F. Kennedy rocked our nation to its core. Why do such violent acts occur? Is there any escape from violence? What is its place in a civilized world? Marco Abel tackles these tough questions and more in Violent Affect: Literature, Cinema, and Critique after Representation, scheduled for publication in January 2008 by the University of Nebraska Press.

November 30, 1864: The Civil War’s Battle of Franklin took place as the Army of Tennessee, led by General John Bell Hood, mounted a hugely unsuccessful frontal assault on Union troops in Franklin, Tennessee.

Do you have a Civil War buff in your family? If so, you’ll want to pick up UNP’s latest Civil War title, Counter-Thrust: From the Peninsula to the Antietam by Benjamin Franklin Cooling. It would make an intelligent gift and show that you were listening when Uncle Stuart droned on endlessly over Thanksgiving about Richard E. Lee and the Battle of…um…something or other.