Tuesday Trivia Travels South New this month from UNP, Venezuelan Bust, Baseball Boom: Andrés Reiner and Scouting on the New Frontier by Milton H. Jamail tells the story of the man who brought Venezuela into Major League Baseball. While other teams were looking to the Dominican Republic for new talent, Houston Astros’ scout Andrés Reiner saw an untapped niche in Venezuela. Venezuelan Bust, Baseball Boom recounts how, over the next fifteen years, Reiner signed nearly one hundred players, nineteen of whom reached the majors. Today’s “TT” tests our blog readers’ knowledge of all things Venezuelan. Think you know a fair … Continue reading Tuesday Trivia: April 15, 2008

An Interview with John E. Ikerd With a wealth of recent media attention focused on the concept of sustainable agriculture and the wild success of like-themed literature, such as Michael  Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, some of us may be left wondering, what is sustainable agriculture and why does it matter to me? John E. Ikerd, author of the eye-opening book Crisis and Opportunity: Sustainability in American Agriculture was kind enough to answer this agricultural amateur’s questions on the definition, importance, and implications of a sustainable form of food production. What is sustainable agriculture? How does it differ from our current … Continue reading The High Cost of “Cheap” Food

Nebraska’s Cowboy Trail: A User’s Guide by Keith Terry “Should prove an invaluable resource for Nebraskans and visitors to the state. . . . The reader will benefit from Terry’s vivid descriptions of the trail’s various segments. . . . Kudos to the University of Nebraska Press and Keith Terry for highlighting some of Nebraska’s most remarkable scenery.”—Omaha World-Herald Continue reading Praise for Nebraska’s Cowboy Trail

Venezuelan Bust, Baseball Boom by Milton H. Jamail “If you know nothing about Andrés Reiner—and chances are you don’t—know this: Without him, the best left-handed pitcher in baseball today would probably still be hidden high in the Venezuelan Andes. . . . It’s appropriate, then, that Milton H. Jamail’s long-overdue study . . . has Reiner not only in its title, but at its core as well.”—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times “The most welcomed arrival this spring . . . . It’s obvious once you start reading that Jamail . . . did indeed work on this book for almost … Continue reading Praise for Venezuelan Bust, Baseball Boom

Ed Barrow: The Bulldog Who Built the Yankees’ First Dynasty by Daniel Levitt Levitt revisits the vexed matter of Sox owner Harry Frazee’s motives in selling baseball’s greatest player to New York and, in so doing, debunks the previous debunking of Glenn Stout and Richard A. Johnson in 2000, in Red Sox Century. . . . Eight years ago Stout and Johnson convinced me of their views; today I am just as convinced by Levitt.”—Katherine A. Powers, Boston Globe Continue reading More Praise for Ed Barrow

Lyrically Linking Most of us don’t know the first thing about Sacred Harp singing. Bet you didn’t know, for example, that Sacred Harp singing doesn’t require any harps. In fact, there are no instruments involved whatsoever. Go figure. Essentially, this style of musical expression takes the form of a four-part, bellowing harmony, its tone deep and a bit dark—not your grandmother’s gospel music. Interested in learning more? Kathryn Eastburn has penned a fascinating account of the origins and modern-day incarnations of the Sacred Harp movement in A Sacred Feast: Reflections on Sacred Harp Singing and Dinner on the Ground, the … Continue reading Linking in Lincoln: March 10, 2008

Ed Barrow: The Bulldog Who Built the Yankees’ First Dynasty by Daniel R. Levitt “Substantive baseball history filtered through the career of one of the game’s overlooked titans.”—Wes Lukowsky, Booklist To read previous praise for Ed Barrow, please visit http://nebraskapress.typepad.com/university_of_nebraska_pr/2008/02/praise-for-ed-b.html. Continue reading More Praise for Ed Barrow

Chief Bender’s Burden: The Silent Struggle of a Baseball Star by Tom Swift “In Swift’s hands, Bender’s life unfolds gradually, as though he were a character in a novel, and the prejudice he experienced, though never justified, is set within the context of the times. Carefully researched—and documented—as well as stylishly written (uncommon in the genre), this belongs in most baseball collections.”—Wes Lukowsky, Booklist Earlier praise for Chief Bender’s Burden, including an excerpt from its starred review in Library Journal, can be found at http://nebraskapress.typepad.com/university_of_nebraska_pr/2008/02/starred-review.html. Continue reading It’s a Home Run for Tom Swift: Continued Praise for Chief Bender’s Burden