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Passages and transitions

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I was listening to NPR last night and heard a familiar name. Kurt Caswell’s essay collection, An Inside Passage, was reviewed on “All Things Considered.” Reviewer Alan Cheuse praised Caswell’s way of looking at – and writing about – nature, particularly nature observed while walking. The review is here. In other news, I read this weekend that Chastity Bono, daughter of singer Cher and the late Sonny Bono, is in the process of transitioning from a woman to a man. People Magazine reported that Cher has been very supportive throughout the process, which reminded me of our book What Becomes … Continue reading Passages and transitions

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Helen Boosalis, 1919-2009

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I’m back from vacation and return to some sad news: Helen Boosalis, former Lincoln mayor, and subject of a 2008 University of Nebraska Press biography, died this morning. She was 89 years old. Boosalis started in politics in the 1950s as a volunteer. In 1959, she was elected to Lincoln’s city council, and later, she served two terms as Lincoln’s mayor. In 1986, she ran against Kay Orr for Nebraska governor in a race that attracted national media attention. She lost the race but remained active in both state and local politics. Don Walton, in the Lincoln Journal Star, has … Continue reading Helen Boosalis, 1919-2009

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Off the Shelf: Mexicans in Revolution, 1910-1946 by William H. Beezley and Colin M. MacLachlan

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Beezley Read from the introduction of Mexicans in Revolution, 1910-1946: An Introduction by William H. Beezley and Colin M. MacLachlan:

"For Mexicans in general, but especially those in the capital city, the late summer of 1910 brought the inauguration of new buildings, monuments, and institutions (including an insane asylum) to commemorate independence. The grand national celebration was held on September 16, with parades and speeches that drew official and unofficial visitors from Europe, the United States, Latin America, and Asia, particularly Japan. The centennial parades highlighted the story of Mexico’s past, through the stages of ancient Aztec glories, colonial civilizing efforts, and the Porfirian creation of a cosmopolitan nation. Through it all, the elderly president remained remote; the patriarchal patriot had seemingly become detached from daily activities, serving only as the national symbol. As the Díaz regime basked in the afterglow of the centennial celebrations, on November 20 insurrectionary battles erupted in distant Chihuahua and the revolution sputtered to life.

Continue reading “Off the Shelf: Mexicans in Revolution, 1910-1946 by William H. Beezley and Colin M. MacLachlan”

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Bicycling Blogger

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 While our chief blogger Cara is still cycling across Nebraska this week, here's another University of Nebraska Press cycling memoir to check out: An American Cycling Odyssey, 1887 by Kevin J. Hayes. In 1887 a twenty-one-year-old newspaperman named George Nellis (1865–1948) rode a bicycle from Herkimer, New York, to San Francisco in seventy-two days, surpassing the transcontinental bicycle record by several weeks. He passed through Nebraska on his trip and he also managed to meet the legendary baseball player A. G. Spalding in Chicago, take in professional baseball games in Detroit and Chicago, participate in several bicycle races in Omaha, attend an opera … Continue reading Bicycling Blogger

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Running for Reading

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This past weekend, the University of Nebraska Press fielded a women's 10k team in our local Havelock Charity Run, and our charity funds went to the Lincoln Literacy Council. To top it all off, we also earned 3rd place in our division. UNP Runners from left to right: Erica Corwin (web sales coordinator and sometimes blogger), Tish Fobben (direct mail manager), Amy Lage (UNP facebook fan), Cara Pesek (Publicity Manager and chief blogger), Donna Shear (director), Joeth Zucco (Senior Project Editor) If you're a runner or you're interested in reading about running, check out Personal Record: A Love Affair with Running … Continue reading Running for Reading

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Off the Shelf: The Age of the Ship of the Line by Jonathan R. Dull

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Read from the Preface of The Age of the Ship of the Line: The British and French Navies, 1650-1815 by Jonathan R. Dull: "Between 1689 and 1815 the British (or initially the English allied with the Scots) fought seven wars against France. Their navies played an important, sometimes critical, role. The power of the rival navies was based chiefly on their ships of the line, great wooden warships carrying two or three tiers of iron or brass cannon. The age of the ship of the line is largely the story of the navies of Britain and France, the two powers … Continue reading Off the Shelf: The Age of the Ship of the Line by Jonathan R. Dull

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This Day in History, and three bicycling links

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It’s a lovely, lovely Friday here in Lincoln, and it’s also time for another round of This Day in History. The first anniversary doesn’t apply directly to literary history or to any University of Nebraska Press titles, but it is an important date as far as bloggers are concerned – on this day in 1977, Apple introduced the first practical home computer, the Apple II. And nerds everywhere rejoiced. Today is also the birthday of Pat Garrett, the American sheriff who shot Billy the Kid. Pat Garrett was the son of a wealthy plantation owner in the south, who, as … Continue reading This Day in History, and three bicycling links

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Happy birthday Dad! Happy publication day Alexander Cartwright! Happy upcoming Father’s Day!

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Every year, June 2, my dad’s birthday, sneaks up on me. Rarely do I have a gift for him (though it always serves as a reminder of Father’s Day, a few weeks later).  Had I been thinking, this year I would have given my dad a copy of Monica Nucciarone’s new book, Alexander Cartwright: The Life Behind the Baseball Legend. My dad (like many dads out there) loves both baseball and baseball history, and I’m sure he’d appreciate learning more of Cartwright’s very interesting life, which included founding the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York, joining the California Gold … Continue reading Happy birthday Dad! Happy publication day Alexander Cartwright! Happy upcoming Father’s Day!

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Photographic Review of BEA

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Here are a few shots from BookExpo America: More than 50 people attended BEA’s Independent Publishers Editors Buzz panel Saturday morning. Tom Swanson pitched Ted Kooser’s forthcoming book, Lights on a Ground of Darkness. ForeWord Magazine's Independent Publisher of the Year Award looks nice in the UNP booth. A wider view of the UNP booth after Thursday's setup. Continue reading Photographic Review of BEA