Well, bloggers, it’s a brand new year. And there’s no better way to smartly close the first (partial) week of 2008 than with a fresh dose of…

This Week in History

December 30th, 1975: Golfer Tiger Woods was born.
Many would argue that Tiger Woods’ golf game is pure poetry on the green. Andy Brumer, author of The Poetics of Golf would agree. Check out his book, which explores the links between golf and life by way of art and literature, philosophy and psychology and includes portraits of various players—including Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Annika Sorenstam, and Arnold Palmer, among others.

December 31st, 1862: President Abraham Lincoln signed an act admitting West Virginia to the Union.
If you’re a fan of our nation’s log cabin-dwelling sixteenth president, you’ll definitely want to visit the UNP Web site to browse our excellent collection of Lincoln-related titles. Just click here for the list.

January 1st, 1797: Albany became the capital of New York state, replacing New York City.
Interested in New York state history and politics? Pick up a copy of New York Politics and Government: Competition and Compassion by Sarah F. Liebschutz.

January 2nd, 1920: Popular science fiction writer Isaac Asimov was born.
Calling all science fiction fans! You won’t want to miss the University of Nebraska Press’ thrilling array of reprinted science fiction classics. Click here to “beam up” the full list.

January 3rd, 1793: Lucretia Mott, an early American women’s rights activist, was born.
Read the story of another heroic female figure in American history by picking up a copy of The Life of Elaine Goodale Eastman by Theodore D. Sargent. Eastman left her comfortable New England home to travel west and open a school on the Great Sioux Reservation in South Dakota.

January 4th, 1960: Celebrated French author Albert Camus died in a tragic car accident at age forty-six.
For an intimate glimpse at the personal life and thoughts of this gifted author of The Stranger and winner of the 1957 Nobel Prize for Literature, delve into the pages of Correspondence,1932-1960, a collection of letters between Camus and Jean Grenier, his philosophy teacher, mentor, and friend, which span nearly thirty years.

That’s all for this installment of TWIH. Have a great weekend, everyone!