Arabs at War: Military Effectiveness, 1948-1991, by Kenneth M. Pollack, describes the military history of the key Arab states: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Syria. Pollack is a former Persian Gulf military analyst at the CIA and Director for Persian Gulf Affairs at the National Security Council. With the recent situation in Egypt, UNP has seen an uptick in sales of this book. Maybe in order to better understand the present, we must have more knowledge of the past. Today, President Hosni Mubarak prepared to address Egypt whose citizens have been protesting the governement the past three weeks. … Continue reading In the media today

Fans from all over the country are gearing up for Super Bowl XLV, Packers v. Steelers. The Steelers have won the most super bowls out of any team, at a total of six. Pittsburgh is not only rich in championships but also in history. Art Rooney founded the Steelers in 1933 and ever since it has been a family operation. The current team president is Art Rooney II, with his dad, Dan Rooney, still maintaining his chairman position. Soon to be in paperback, Rooney: A Sporting Life by Rob Ruck, Maggie Jones Patterson and Michael P. Weber is a biography … Continue reading Steelers’ family dynasty

A collection of our books honoring Black History Month are on Sale! Save 25 % on books like, The Rhythm Boys of Omaha Central, which debutes in March, tells a true story about high school basketball, black awakening and rebellion, and innocence lost in a watershed year. The drama of civil rights in 1968 plays out in this riveting social history of sports, politics, race, and popular culture in the American heartland. For other books on sale and to get the discount code, click here. Offer expires Feb. 28. Continue reading February sale

It’s that time of year when the stores seem to explode with boxes of chocolates and little stuffed bears holding hearts with the description of “I love you.” Celebrate Valentine’s Day a little differently this year with Ted Kooser’s book, Valentines. For Valentine’s Day 1986, Kooser wrote “Pocket Poem” and sent the tender, thoughtful composition to fifty women friends, starting an annual tradition that would persist for the next twenty-one years. This collection of valentine poems encompasses all the facets of the holiday: the traditional hearts and candy, the brilliance and purity of love, the quiet beauty of friendship, and … Continue reading The perfect valentine

Forthcoming from the University of Nebraska Press this spring is, Mondo and Other Stories by 2008 Nobel Laureate J. M. G. Le Clézio. Mondo is a collection of almost — but not quite — supernatural stories told through the eyes of children. Haunting and beautiful, these stories speak to a universal longing for a life beyond the confines and trappings of modern existence. Mondo is the third book by Le Clezio published by the University of Nebraska Press (the others are Onitsha and The Round and Other Cold Hard Facts) and we've been looking forward to this book for some … Continue reading Something to look forward to

The Press will be closed from Dec. 24 to Jan. 3, so postings will be light, as we will be busy seeing our families and catching up on some reading (maybe with a nice cup of hot chocolate?) We wish you a very happy holiday and hope that you are looking forward to more great reads in 2011!   Continue reading See you next year!

 The Wide Open reveals how some of the most interesting and accomplished writers and photographers in the country have met that challenge and given the genius of the prairie a vision and a voice. It contains poetry, prose and photographs of the prairie. ForeWord Magazine called it "A superb evocation of the prairie and its life." One of the contributing authors, Annick Smith, was featured in an article in the New York Times on Sunday, December 12. Smith and other writers are coming together with their love for the wild western prairies of Montana to try to stop Imperial Oil … Continue reading UNP author in the New York Times

1921: The Yankees, the Giants, and the Battle for Baseball Supremacy in New York by Lyle Spatz and Steve Steinberg tells the story of the New York baseball at the dawn of the roaring twenties and the first all–New York Series that resulted in the first American League pennant for the now-storied Yankees’ franchise.  Last Sunday, Steve Steinberg talked about 1921 on the blog talk radio show New York Baseball Digest, hosted by Mike Silva. Listen to their discussion at the blog site. Steinberg doesn't come on until about six minutes into the recording. Continue reading 1921 on air online

John James Audubon (1785–1851) is one of America’s premier wildlife artists. His monumental Birds of America, a collection of 435 life-sized prints, was published from 1826 to 1838 and is often considered the greatest picture book ever produced. The book huge — three feet long and two feet wide — because Audubon wanted to paint the birds as life sized.   One of the best preserved editions of the 19th century masterpiece was just sold for 7.3m GB in London this month, which makes it the most expensive book ever sold. If the book was sold in the United States, … Continue reading World’s most expensive book