Lyle Spatz and Steven Steinberg, authors of 1921, received the Seymour Medal Award over the weekend. The award, named for baseball historians Harold Seymour and Dorothy Seymour Mills, is awarded each year by the Society for American Baseball Research to authors of the best book on baseball history published during the preceding year. Dorothy Seymour Mills spoke at the awards ceremony over the weekend and had the following to say about 1921: "In their book, 1921, Steinberg and Spatz have given us a snapshot of professional baseball as it was changing from the pitching-dominated game to one with much more … Continue reading 1921 receives 2011 Seymour Medal

Every step in spaceflight would be impossible without those who made previous advances in the field. This applies to NASA's shuttle Endeavour, as well, which took off on its final flight Monday morning. After Endeavour, Atlantis will take off this summer, the final American shuttle to be launched. The Outward Odyssey series, edited by Colin Burgess and published by the University of Nebraska Press, provides a popular history of spaceflight from the rocket scientists of the 1930s to today, focusing on the lives of astronauts, cosmonauts, technicians, scientists, and their families. The series brings to life experiences that shaped the … Continue reading Spaceflight: Present and Past

Fifty years ago this month, the Freedom Riders — a group of seven black and six white civil rights activists –embarked on a journey from Washington D.C. to New Orleans on a series of interstate busses. Along the way, they challenged segregation rules aboard busses, in restaurants, rest stops and elsewher. The riders faced threats, arrest and violence, but also drew national attention to their cause, and became an example to civil rights activists everywhere. Today NPR ran a story called “Remembering The 'Freedom Riders,' 50 Years Later” discussing this anniversary. A new documentary titled Freedom Riders will air this … Continue reading Freedom Riders

This season marks the 40th anniversaryof the Milwaukee Bucks’ one and only championship. One of the best-known players on that champion team was Oscar Robertson. The University of Nebraska Press is the publisher of Robertson's autobiography, The Big O: My Life, My Times, My Game. In the book, Robertson, who revolutionized basketball as a member of the Cincinnati Royals and with the Bucks, recounts his NBA struggles and triumphs. For more about Robertson, or to read an excerpt of the book, visit the book detail page on our website. Continue reading The one, the only, The Big O

Another May sale! This month at the University Nebraska Press you can save 25 percent off spaceflight books, like Footprints in the Dust: The Epic Voyages of Apollo, 1969-1975 edited by Colin Burgess. This book begins with the mission that sent Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin to the moon, then follows American spaceflight through the harrowing rescue of Apollo 13 before moving on to the successful joint Apollo-Soyuz mission in 1975. Click here for the rest of the sale titles and the discount code. Offer expires May 27.   Continue reading Spaceflight sale

A few quick mentions for some exciting UNP news: Field of Schemes: How the Great Stadium Swindle Turns Public Money into Private Profit by Neil deMause and Joanna Cagan was mentioned in the Washington Post by Norman Chad. Chad said “It’s a pretty good read, and I guarantee you it will save the city money,” in his article titled Los Angeles: the latest stop in the ‘No More Stadiums’ tour. To read the full article, click here. Paul VanDevelder’s book, Savages and Scoundrels: The Untold Story of America’s Road to Empire Through Indian Territory (Yale University Press) won a 2011 … Continue reading Thursday news