tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2328116376695929922024-03-18T09:43:37.037-04:00In the Service of ClioEssays on Career Management in the Historical ProfessionNick Sarantakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071764464888181459noreply@blogger.comBlogger273125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232811637669592992.post-38773616148715116322017-04-09T21:40:00.005-04:002017-04-09T21:46:57.314-04:00Blog CCXXXI (231): The State of Military History (Part 4)<b>Editorial Note: This posting is part of an exceptionally long essay on the status of military history. Since it is over 5,000 words in length, it has been divided into four parts. Click here to read </b><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2017/04/blog-ccxxvii-228-state-of-military.html"><b>part 1</b></a><b>, </b><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2017/04/blog-ccxxix-222-state-of-military.html"><b>part 2</b></a><b>, and <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2017/04/blog-ccxxx-230-state-of-military.html">part 3</a>.</b><br />
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All to the good, but I believe the piece never gets to some of the real strengths of military history. The popularity of the topic in book stores is not the strongest of these. (Few academics are ever going to write a book that sells 20 or 30 thousand copies—which in the commercial world of New York based publishing houses is still pretty small). The strength comes from the fact that the military needs military history and supports the field in many, many ways. (Some of what follows are points that Lynn made in his 2008 article.) <br />
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First, there is more money in the field than in many others within the history business. The private foundations associated with many military schools and history centers have book awards, article prizes, dissertation grants, fellowships, visiting professorships, and sabbaticals.<br />
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Another factor, perhaps the most important, is that there are a lot of non-academic jobs for military <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqI5JBV2dp32C1JUSaS3ChDp1nM6mpSgLpXl6vUh3DOyylivrickiUAtdad6W0kkkitDlsQ1ftV_Qa1O8WjzeYgqXDx_9LKM0Sz3sLdLJMZH6PQkFkA4xqG-AzmTeH5JD_MP7xHiIa-o/s1600/p10-cmh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>historians. Each branch of the U.S. armed services has a history center that employs history Ph.D.s to produce official histories. (This situation also exists to a lessor degree in other English-speaking countries). Although many historians might look at these as studies as propaganda, that view misleads more than it informs. These studies are honest efforts on the part of a large bureaucracy to learn lessons about its past performances that it can use in the future. These official studies do not preclude historians from asking other questions. There are probably going to be other issues that future historians will want to discuss, and the official histories do not foreclose these questions. In fact, in <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqI5JBV2dp32C1JUSaS3ChDp1nM6mpSgLpXl6vUh3DOyylivrickiUAtdad6W0kkkitDlsQ1ftV_Qa1O8WjzeYgqXDx_9LKM0Sz3sLdLJMZH6PQkFkA4xqG-AzmTeH5JD_MP7xHiIa-o/s1600/p10-cmh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqI5JBV2dp32C1JUSaS3ChDp1nM6mpSgLpXl6vUh3DOyylivrickiUAtdad6W0kkkitDlsQ1ftV_Qa1O8WjzeYgqXDx_9LKM0Sz3sLdLJMZH6PQkFkA4xqG-AzmTeH5JD_MP7xHiIa-o/s200/p10-cmh.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></a>many ways they help facilitate interest in the topic, and access to the documents. One final point, many units also have command historians who are part archivists, part on demand researcher, and part analyst. People working in these positions often have much more influence on events than professors sitting in an ivory tower.<br />
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These are also teaching jobs, like mine, at military schools like the Naval War College, or the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, and so on. The students you interact with, be they undergraduates at one of the academies or mid-career professionals at a staff college, are very, very good. They eagerly consume military history, not because they are history buffs—some are—but because it is a tool in their professional development. It is also worth noting that all of these jobs pay much, much better than the academic average.<br />
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The Society for Military History, the main academic organization in the United States for historians focusing on this field, is impressively run. Although it is scholarly outfit, it is very welcoming of those holding jobs outside of academia. My guess is that roughly a third of the people on the program have jobs outside of an academic history department. Although it is American organization it is globally minded. Its journal—<i>The Journal of Military History</i>—publishes articles and book reviews on all time periods and regions. So, you will probably see articles on both the Confederate States Army as well as the Mongol Horde, and reviews of books about military innovation under Louis XIV as well as the performance of various Arab armies in the 1960s. The journal has also published foreign scholars. What is more impressive is that SMH has held its annual meeting outside the continental United States and has had a foreign scholar serve as its president. The organization has a $00,000 budget and has a paid staff to manage its day-to-day operations.<br />
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Another factor is that military history has a constituency outside of academia. Politicians, journalists and big dollar donors like military history. During this public debate on military history, several people without a Ph.D. in history intervened and shaped decisions. There are two ways to look at these interventions, either: a) academics bent to this outside pressure, and did things they would not have done, like filling the Ambrose-Hesseltine professorship; or 2) academia responded to the attention that the debate was getting and gave the field more coverage in journals and conferences to explore an issue on which society had an interest. (In many ways, this influence has been exceptionally important, and is one of the reasons why I believe Logevall and Osgood might end up winning the debate they started in 2016 about political history).<br />
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Another strength is that there are a lot and I do mean a lot of venues for military history. By my count there are at the moment 22 peer-reviewed academic journals published in English that do military history: <br />
<ol>
<li><i>Air Power History</i></li>
<li><i>British Journal for Military History</i></li>
<li><i>Canadian Military History</i> </li>
<li><i>Civil War History</i></li>
<li><i>First World War Studies</i></li>
<li><i>International </i><span style="color: black;"><i>Journal</i></span><span style="color: black;"><i> of Military History</i></span><span style="color: #6a6a6a;"><i> </i></span><i>and Historiography </i></li>
<li><i>International Journal of Naval History</i></li>
<li><i>The Irish Sword</i></li>
<li><span style="color: black;"><i>Journal of the Australian War Memorial</i></span></li>
<li><i>Journal of Chinese Military History</i></li>
<li><i>Journal of the Civil War Era</i><b></b></li>
<li><i>Journal of Medieval Military History</i></li>
<li><i>The Journal of Military History</i></li>
<li><i>Journal of Slavic Military Studies</i></li>
<li><i>Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research</i> </li>
<li><i>Journal of Strategic Studies</i></li>
<li><span style="color: black;"><i>Military History Journal</i></span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;"><i>Military History of the West</i></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #ff6633;"><span class="title"><span style="color: black;"><i>Small Wars & Insurgencies</i></span></span><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></li>
<li><i>U</i><i>.S. Military History Review</i></li>
<li><i>War in History</i></li>
<li><i>War & Society</i></li>
</ol>
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There are more if you look at French-, Spanish- and/or German-language journals. There are at least six more if you look at the journals focused on diplomatic history; the realm of strategic history is <br />
often where military and diplomatic history meet, and these journals have often published articles that are part military, part diplomatic in nature. Those are just the academic journals. If one includes the professional, military periodicals that the various armed services produce, and/or the magazines aimed at the general public, this list could be very close to 100. That is a lot of venues to get your ideas out to an audience, and places to have your work reviewed.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuLOPa3bLmYhWNuV9zECxr5Emtrd_WjR_0M75ZdxDIR0CbB0KaimkZAE2J5PwQ9ITqNzzlVbdgTLqf9ECgxYD-8b-PlgnjgKH6YOsHHGAHusVEQQwS1Ti5R9aaTBjajXlr685TW1W6McM/s1600/p11-jmh.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuLOPa3bLmYhWNuV9zECxr5Emtrd_WjR_0M75ZdxDIR0CbB0KaimkZAE2J5PwQ9ITqNzzlVbdgTLqf9ECgxYD-8b-PlgnjgKH6YOsHHGAHusVEQQwS1Ti5R9aaTBjajXlr685TW1W6McM/s200/p11-jmh.png" width="136" /></a>It is possible to go too far with this argument. “Military history has always been marginal; unfortunately, the golden age of military history never existed,” Stone stated. <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Military history has been isolated in the academy for as long as there has been an academy.” Case in point, after he came to the Naval War College, Kansas State did not replace him. There is also still push back in academia. There was a prominent job search for a position in military history at a major university in 2016-2017 that apparently did not get filled. There is all sorts of gossip as to why. </span><br />
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While it is misleading to use the metaphor of a turning point, the public debate does suggest something has changed. The real questions to ask are: How much? Where? And for how long? </div>
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<b>Editorial Note: click here to read </b><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2017/04/blog-ccxxvii-228-state-of-military.html"><b>part 1</b></a><b>, </b><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2017/04/blog-ccxxix-222-state-of-military.html"><b>part 2</b></a><b>, </b><b>and </b><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2017/04/blog-ccxxx-230-state-of-military.html"><b>part 3</b></a><b>.</b></div>
<br />Nick Sarantakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071764464888181459noreply@blogger.com451tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232811637669592992.post-64962686966611367732017-04-07T07:05:00.000-04:002017-04-09T21:45:23.020-04:00Blog CCXXX (230): The State of Military History (Part 3)<b>Editorial Note: This posting is part of an exceptionally long essay on the status of military history. Since it is over 5,000 words in length, it has been divided into four parts. Click here to read <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2017/04/blog-ccxxvii-228-state-of-military.html">part 1</a>, <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2017/04/blog-ccxxix-222-state-of-military.html">part 2</a>, and <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2017/04/blog-ccxxxi-231-state-of-military.html">part 4</a>.</b><br />
<b></b><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike><br /></strike>
In many ways, the public debate on military history slowly started to simmer down in 2009 when Wisconsin hired a historian to fill the Ambrose-Hesseltine professorship in U.S. military history. The university either had enough funds to "top off" the accounts that fund the position, or the faculty in the history department realized they had to hire the position. My read of the situation is that it was probably both. I would give it a 60/40 division of responsibility, but which side you give 60 percent, and which you give 40 is something I will leave to the reader. <br />
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In several other ways military historians scored several substantial victories. Major venues in academic history began making concessions to military history. By my less than stringent count, the AHA had 30 sessions related to military history at its 2015 meeting. That same year the OAH held a roundtable on the status of military history. <a href="http://warhistorian.blogspot.com/2015/05/state-of-field-military-historyhistory.html">Mark Grimsley made his comments available on his blog</a>. He argued that the field was much stronger than when he wrote "Why Military History Sucks." He also agreed with the position that Lynn took that there were a number of different career paths for the military historian:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
PhDs who specialize in military history have four viable career tracks: civilian academe, to be sure; but also PME, public history (where there is considerable demand for expertise in military history), and national security research institutions such as RAND Corporation. I once pointed this out to a colleague of mine, who shrugged it off with a jibe about the 'military-industrial-academic complex.' The colleague, safely ensconced in a tenured berth, could afford to take such a view. My students can’t. Consequently, nor can I. As the anecdote suggests, in my view it remains a fact that military history lags badly in terms of its acceptance within academe. This does not mean that tenured radicals are driving military history out of the academy, as the <i>National Review</i> asserted in 2006; much less that it has been “purged” from the academy, as the <i>Wall Street Journal</i> declared in 2009. In fact, there are more graduate programs in military history that at any preceding time. However, I continue to find that historians outside of military history frequently look askance at the field, usually on the basis of unexamined assumptions. </blockquote>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>My take: this assessment is basically correct. My quibble is with the assumption that there are jobs for history Ph.D.s in the think tank world. These institutions want Ph.D.s but not historians. Other than that, he is basically correct. Academics look down upon military history and always have, except—according to some research I have done—during the 1942-1945 time period. <br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">In 2010 Stone of Kansas State wrote a short, but important article, “The Future of Military History: A Glass Half Full,” in <i>Historical Speaking</i> (April 2010), 33-34. He designed this essay as a rejoinder to the symposium that had taken place in the journal on military history. This piece is one of the most interesting contributions to this public debate, because it broke away from the "woe-upon-me" school of thought that had dominated so much of the public debate about military history's role in the profession. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">“There’s good reason to believe that military history is as strong as it has ever been for all the reasons listed in the symposium.” These factors included strong enrollments, public interest in the topic, and financial support from think tanks and foundations interested in the field. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The real acid test for military history or another sub-field is employment options. Here the evidence is ambiguous. Trying to find a job as a history professor, regardless of specialization, is amazingly difficult these days. Stone’s research of data from the American Historical Association found the percentage of faculty teaching military history ranged between 2 and 3 percent from 1975 to 2005. Departments offering courses in military history fluctuated between 30 and 35 percent. Those numbers are not particularly great, but neither are they as bad as many in the public debate had assumed. Another factor that Stone found is quite interesting. In absolute terms the number of military historians doubled from 1975 to 2005. “It is worth keeping in mind that far more military historians are practicing their craft in American universities now than thirty years ago.” </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4XCD0XK1mf0MNdiJ7kJLguxYRDdk1h6n6ZK1Do3WvJb_Z7so-94tJIbVMTy4zJ096NAGQgl7J9TtgFM5TRSd7GC20UivXvWxemPPg-NLuwBYni88uWSs6vPOv2luDtJ6nySDn-3ekc_U/s1600/p8-sandberg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4XCD0XK1mf0MNdiJ7kJLguxYRDdk1h6n6ZK1Do3WvJb_Z7so-94tJIbVMTy4zJ096NAGQgl7J9TtgFM5TRSd7GC20UivXvWxemPPg-NLuwBYni88uWSs6vPOv2luDtJ6nySDn-3ekc_U/s200/p8-sandberg.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sandberg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In 2012, Brian Sandberg of Northern Illinois University, <a href="http://www.smh-hq.org/smhblog/?p=59#comments">writing on the blog of the Society for Military History</a>, argued there had been a clear turning of the tide in the historiography: "In case you haven't notice, violence studies are <span style="text-decoration: underline;">in</span>. There has been a steady flood of publications on warfare and violence over the past decade". He cited the publication of major works, such as Peter H. Wilson’s <em>The Thirty Years’ War: Europe’s Tragedy</em>, Drew Gilpin Faust’s <em>This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War,</em> and Timothy Snyder’s <em>Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin</em>. His reasons for this change were fairly simple. "The shock of the September 2001 Attacks, the lengthy commitment of the Afghan War, and the polemics surrounding the Iraq War have all contributed to a massive growth in interest in the serious study of the history of violence and warfare." <br />
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The leadership of the SMH worked to take advantage of the turning of the tide with the release of its white paper: <a href="http://www.smh-hq.org/whitepaper.html"><span style="color: #5588aa;">"The Role of Military History in the Contemporary Academy.”</span></a> (I wrote about this document in <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2015/06/blog-cxciv-194-smh-white-paper-and.html">Blog CXCIV (194): The SMH White Paper and the Future of Military History</a>). The paper hit on a major strength of military history: "Our students’ desire for knowledge creates an important opportunity for Departments of History. The late recession has produced a drop in humanities majors as students seek courses that seem more likely to produce an immediate payoff in terms of jobs and wages. Legislative budget cuts have forced even state schools to conform to a tuition-driven model, and departments that cannot attract a sufficient number of students can expect hard times to get harder." All of that is true, but that fact that students often vote with their feet or their tuition is something that decision makers should consider. "University college administrators, particularly college deans and chairs of History Departments, may find some relief in the appeal of military history. Courses in military history tend to fill, not only with history majors and minors, but also with students from other disciplines who are interested in the field. And because military history intersects regularly with the profession’s other subfields, it can serve as an ideal gateway to the other specializations any given History Department has to offer. It may, as well, lure back some of the students who have been drawn away to political science, international relations, and public policy departments."<br />
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Because of this shift—which was subtle—critiques in journalistic venues went into hibernation for several years. In 2016 Robert Neer reopened the debate with an article in <i>Aeon</i>, the digital magazine of ideas and culture. In <a href="https://aeon.co/ideas/the-us-military-is-everywhere-except-history-books">"The US Military is Everywhere, Except History Books,"</a> Neer stated that "academic historians, especially those at the nation’s most richly endowed research universities, largely ignore the history of the US military."<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>
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Ann Little on her Historiann blog made her feelings clear with the title of a post on this topic entitled: <a href="https://historiann.com/2016/03/19/here-we-go-again-military-historian-complains-that-no-one-teaches-or-writes-about-military-history-any-more-part-eleventybillion/">"Here We Go Again: Military Historian Complains that No One Teaches or Writes about Military History Any More, Part Eleventybillion."</a> <span style="color: black;">She observed: "Yes, it’s a perennial complaint we hear about the absence of military history, although it’s usually part of a not-very-sophisticated political attack on the </span><em><span style="color: black;">other fields </span></em><span style="color: black;">history departments also represent these days." She makes another strong point: </span><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
If Neer were remotely curious about the world west of the Hudson River, he might discover that hundreds of state universities and colleges–Aggies, and the directionals, primarily, like North Texas, Texas A&M (two very prominent military history bastions he mentions in his article!), not to mention the University of Colorado and Colorado State University–hire in military history, teach military history classes, and promote colleagues who research and write in the field. But none of this matters because Harvard, Yale, and Columbia don’t! </blockquote>
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Although this point is a strong one, I am of two minds of it. First, I agree with Little; there is a lot more to the historical profession than the departments of eight private schools in the northeast. On <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVX9rASF_7Un8W31D22-_M5IDX27t4sMvYTxIDaff3xVtmhlV0iJdGHAhbmmR95gbH8A3Gv23dmYtasp6EhNmMB7GXFhyphenhyphenw_arddtVkxOBqPk6r2yWHoDuZyFYjVzLKT-Z2lho9yqzksw/s1600/P9-Little.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVX9rASF_7Un8W31D22-_M5IDX27t4sMvYTxIDaff3xVtmhlV0iJdGHAhbmmR95gbH8A3Gv23dmYtasp6EhNmMB7GXFhyphenhyphenw_arddtVkxOBqPk6r2yWHoDuZyFYjVzLKT-Z2lho9yqzksw/s200/P9-Little.jpg" width="118" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little</td></tr>
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the other hand, the Clauset, Arbesman, and Larremore, "Systematic Inequality" article that I spent so much time discussing on this blog makes it clear that eight schools (just not the eight in the Ivy League) are responsible for filling the majority of the good jobs in the profession and that kind of influence is significant. So, there might be sound reason for getting upset about what a small handful of schools are doing, or not doing. <br />
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Paul Huard wrote a news story on the defense news web site: War is Boring. The title of his article is interesting: <a href="https://warisboring.com/the-battle-over-u-s-military-history-94dc2c82c3d6#.uhfpvs3t3">"The Battle Over U.S. Military History Loved by Ordinary Americans, Hated by Scholars? The Answer is More Complicated Than You Might Think,"</a> but the piece fails to deliver on the complexity it suggests. Huard repeats the argument that military was dominated academia in the past—it did not—and the old argument that it is popular with the general public, just not academics. “I’m not going to criticize anyone’s interest in any kind of history,” Little is quoted in the story. “We need audiences to buy and read our books. But I will suggest that popular writers of the ‘battles, bullets and bios’ school underestimate their reading audience.” She also adds: “I think anyone who will buy and read serious nonfiction should be treated like a sentient and thoughtful adult who can handle the complexity or ambiguity of warfare. Many, if not all, are <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">not</em> necessarily looking for another heroic biography or another reflexively and stupidly patriotic treatment of military history.”<br />
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<a href="https://historiann.com/2016/04/30/the-battle-over-u-s-military-history-intellectual-limpieza-de-sangre-versus-intellectual-hybridity/#more-26652">Little appreciated the article</a>: "Interestingly, both in Huard’s article and in recent private correspondence between me and Neer, we probably agree on more than we disagree."<br />
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Neer and Huard were not the only ones advancing these views in 2016. Max Boot, wrote an article <a href="https://www.commentarymagazine.com/american-society/teaching-history-narrative-college/">"Teaching to the Narrative"</a> in <i>Commentary </i>magazine on the Logevall and Osgood debate on political history. He was sympathetic to their arguments, but tried to turn the conversation back to military history: "The failure is even more serious in the field of military history which has been all but drummed out of the prestigious universities."<br />
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<b>Editorial Note: click here to read <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2017/04/blog-ccxxxi-231-state-of-military.html">part 1</a>, <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2017/04/blog-ccxxxi-231-state-of-military.html">part 2</a>, and <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2017/04/blog-ccxxxi-231-state-of-military.html">part 4</a>.</b><br />
<b></b>Nick Sarantakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071764464888181459noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232811637669592992.post-47225021928418247772017-04-06T15:06:00.002-04:002017-04-09T21:49:38.472-04:00Blog CCXXIX (229): The State of Military History (Part 2)<b>Editorial Note: This posting is part of an exceptionally long essay on the status of military history. Since it is over 5,000 words in length, it has been divided into four parts. Click here to read <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2017/04/blog-ccxxvii-228-state-of-military.html">part 1</a>, <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2017/04/blog-ccxxx-230-state-of-military.html">part 3</a>, and <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2017/04/blog-ccxxxi-231-state-of-military.html">part 4</a>.</b><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />
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The wide-spread attention that these articles garnered had an impact among academic historians. Two of the main journals within history—<i>The Journal of American History</i> and the <i>American Historical Review</i>—published historiographical assessment of military history in 2007. These two articles were: <br />
<ul>
<li>Wayne E. Lee, “Mind and Matter—Cultural Analysis in American Military History: A Look at the State of the Field,” <i>Journal of American History,</i> 93 (March 2007), 1116-1160 </li>
<li>Robert M. Citino, “Military Histories Old and New: A Reintroduction,” <i>American Historical Review,</i> 112 (October 2007), 1070-1090. <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lee's article was the centerpiece of a roundtable in the <i>JAH</i> on the state of military history. Lee, a professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, examines the cultural turn in military <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lee</td></tr>
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history, which he sees as a different topic and approach from the social history approach that had been so central to the "war and society" view of military history. A number of historians: Sir Basil Liddell Hart, Russell Weigley, Victor Davis Hanson, and John Keegan have pushed the idea that there are cultural norms within the military and the larger society that shape a distinctive approach to war. This article was an interesting historiographical examination of work on the U.S. Army, and—to a much lesser degree—<i></i>the U.S. Air Force. “Cultural analysis in military history should connect that "idea template" to wartime behavior, while recognizing that there may be different templates at different levels with in the military and the political leadership,” he argued. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Four historians offered their assessments in the pages that followed. A trio of foreign scholars (Brian P. Farrell of the National University of Singapore, Marc Milner of the University of New Brunswick, and Brian Holden Reid of King’s College London) argued that there was a need for comparative studies of the U.S. and British Armies to see if there really was a distinct cultural approach to war as so many argue. Ronald H. Spector in his commentary added that ground power dominated military history and that scholars needed to look more at naval power. </span><br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The other major article of 2007 was </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Robert M. Citino’s “Military Histories Old and New: A Reintroduction,” a 20 page historiography. He starts the article with a tired observation: “Military <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Citino</td></tr>
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history today is in the same curious position it has been in for decades: extremely popular with the American public at large, and relatively marginalized within professional academic circles.” He also notes “its academic footprint continues to shrink, and it has largely vanished from the curriculum of many of our elite universities. It has been this way for a long time, and frankly, there seems little chance that things will change any time soon.” Fortunately, he does not spend the rest of this essay belaboring this point. He notes that there are three main subjects that military history explores: war and society; operational history; and the history of memory. His discussion of the literature goes back a hundred years to the work of English and German Medieval historians who tied changes in military technology to the rise of feudalism. (Historians since have disputed these views). He also discusses more recent military histories of Ancient Greece, Rome and then moves to Southwest, South, and East Asia before spending a good deal of time in early modern Europe, and then the United States. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Despite this wide ranging account, he did not get to everything. His analysis ignored accounts about the application of military power at sea and in the air. (Then again, not many people write on these topics. That probably has something to do with a larger unfamiliarity with the sea and the air as transportation venues among historians. There is plenty of scholarship on railroads and the auto industry; far less on maritime or aviation history). His study also tended to ignore strategic history—where military, political, and diplomatic history collide. (This field is one in which social scientists rather historians dominate, so there might have been good reasons for Citino to pull his punches). The long and short of it is this essay is an impressive, wide-ranging study that shows the diversity of military history. If one is looking for a quick introduction to the field, they would have a difficult time trying to find a better starting point.</span><br />
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As these articles were going into print, another venue of opinion journalism fired a shot in this debate. David A. Bell, a historian of Napoleonic France at Princeton University and a contributing editor for <i>The New Republic</i> entered the fray with his essay <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/64680/casualty-war-military-history-bites-the-dust">"Casualties of War: Military History Bites the Dust."</a> Bell argued the military history suffered because of the success of other fields. "Most historians pay scant attention to military history," he noted, "particularly the part that concerns actual military operations." That might be a luxury that universities could no longer afford as the United States was in the midst of a long fight in the shadows against terrorists organizations like Al-Qaeda. </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In the real world, nonintellectual concerns constantly impinge upon what professors teach and write, while the question of the university's civic—as opposed to intellectual—obligations is not easily put aside. During the cold war, the government and private institutions like the Ford Foundation provided impressive funding for various sorts of 'area studies,' so as to increase American understanding of the regions in which we might find ourselves confronting the Soviets. It was not a question of forcing existing professors to teach or write on new subjects, but of encouraging movement into the desired areas.</blockquote>
The issue even entered the presidential campaign of 2008 when Senator Fred Thompson of Tennessee, a candidate for the Republican nomination, blamed the decline of military history on the ideological nature of university faculty. "History that ignores the importance of warfare is not history," he remarked in a radio address.<br />
<br />
In 2008 Lynn wrote another article on the state of military history for <i>Academic Questions</i>, the journal of the National Association of Scholars. He argued in "<a href="https://www.nas.org/articles/Breaching_the_Walls_of_Academe_The_Purposes_Problems_and_Prospects_of_Milit">Breaching the Walls of Academe: The Purposes, Problems, and Prospects of Military History</a>" that there were three different kinds of military history: 1) popular; 2) academic; and 3) applied. With those three distinctions in mind, much <em>Military History</em>, which boasts eighty thousand readers; its own book clubs; and now its own television channels. There is a great deal of money to be made on popular military history." The problem with popular military history, he explains, is that to reach as wide an audience as possible it must take a superficial approach, which creates problems for academic military historians. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lynn</td></tr>
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of the criticism that had been fired in journalistic venues was aimed at the refusal of academic institutions to teach operational military history. One of the odd things about history Ph.D.s is that there is not much of a demand for that degree outside of academia compared to a Ph.D. in other fields like civil engineering, economics, or marketing. The military history Ph.D., as Lynn notes, is something of an exception: "Popular military history is, indeed, an industry. It fills bookracks in the United States and around the world. It has its own magazines and journals, for example, <br />
<br />
I am not sure that Lynn is entirely correct. What is popular with the public is the history of combat at the tactical and operational levels. A lot of what the public consumes is superficial, but that probably has more to do with the venue than anything else. (How much detail does a sixty minute documentary give compared to a book in even a best case scenario?)<br />
<br />
Lynn is on better ground in his discussions of applied military history. I should note that applied military history is basically what I do at the U.S Naval War College. Lynn describes applied military history as "the use of military history as part of the professional education of officers and as a guide in establishing doctrine and planning and waging war."<br />
<br />
From my experiences working at a military school, this point is basically correct. The study of the past is exceptionally important to most armed services. The military uses history as part of its professional development in a way few, if any, other professions do in contemporary American society. "Historical examples can provide warnings against poorly conceived actions on strategic, operational, and tactical levels or in weaponry and logistics, while also suggesting more effective courses to follow. In addition, knowledge of the past can serve as a kind of checklist pointing the way to important factors to be considered now and in the future." <br />
<br />
Lynn makes one final point that in many ways gives historians of this field more influence than those in other sub-fields: "Military historians should be cognizant and proud of the fact that we pursue one of the rare sub-specialties of historical scholarship that is actually regarded as important for training and guidance by real world practitioners."<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The debate even made the pages of the news magazine <i>U.S. News & World Report </i>when it was still a print publication. </span>In "<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2008/04/03/why-dont-colleges-teach-military-history">Why Don't More Colleges Teach Military History?</a>," Lee of UNC, Chapel Hill, offered the novel argument that the popularizers were actually a liability to military historians. <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">“They can make us look primitive in our approach to history,” he told the magazine. “The solution isn’t to complain about it, but to try and generate military historians who do good work and creative work and who can speak the same language their colleagues do.”</span><br />
<br />
In other ways, the article advanced the "woe-upon-me-as-the-honest-but-oppressed-military-historian" take on the field. "Each of us is pretty much a one-man shop,” Carol Reardon of Penn State University told the magazine. Russian military historian David R. Stone—then of Kansas State University, now a departmental colleague of mine—disputed this comment<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">: “While it is certainly true that military historians are often isolated within their departments, that’s true of most historians in most fields. I am part of a military history program at Kansas State, but when it comes to Russian and Soviet history here, it begins and ends with me.”</span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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The debate grew in force in 2009 when two major New York newspapers picked up on the topic. In May, <i>The Wall Street Journal</i> printed the comments of Lewis E. Lehrman <!--
-->at the New-York Historical Society. Lehrman, an investment banker who ran for governor of New York in 1982 as the Republican nominee, had played a role in establishing historical centers for the study of the U.S. Civil War at Yale University and Gettysburg College. "The study of military history has in fact been purged from many of the faculties and curriculums of the universities of the Western world," he stated. "How did this happen? Perhaps it is explicable by some form of political correctness; or, parochial specialization; or, the armchair unrealism of the faculty lounge; even ivory tower snobbery—among other related social diseases."<br />
<br />
A month later <i>The New York Times</i> entered the fray with a news article entitled:<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/11/books/11hist.html">"Great Caesar’s Ghost! Are Traditional History Courses Vanishing?"</a> The article had a tone and took sides: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Simply giving everyone a place at the table is just not affordable in an era of shrinking resources. “I’d love to let a hundred flowers bloom,” said Alonzo L. Hamby, a history professor at Ohio University in Athens, but “it’s hard for all but the largest departments or the richest.” In his own department of about 30 faculty members, a military historian recently retired, triggering a vigorous debate over how to advertise for a replacement. (A handful of faculty members had the view that “military history is evil,” Mr. Hamby said.) The department finally agreed to post a listing for a specialist in "U.S. and the world," he said, “the sort of mushy description that could allow for a lot of possibilities.”</blockquote>
Since this story was in <i>The New York Times</i>, it resulted in a flurry of commentary on blogs all over the internet. All of them in disagreement:<br />
<ul>
<li>Claire Potter, <a href="https://tenured-radical.blogspot.com/2009/06/lets-run-away-from-girls-and-other.html">"Let's Run Away from the Girls and Other Strategies to Make History Relevant to a Twenty-First Century Liberal Arts Education,"</a> Tenured Radical, June 11, 2009</li>
<li>Mary Dudziak, <a href="http://legalhistoryblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/another-slow-news-day-at-ny-times.html">"Another Slow News Day at the New York Times,"</a> Legal History, June 12, 2009</li>
<li>Timothy Burke, "<a href="http://blogs.swarthmore.edu/burke/blog/2009/06/16/history-as-it-was/">History As It Was,</a>" Easily Distracted, June 16, 2009</li>
<li>David Silbey, "<a href="https://edgeofthewest.wordpress.com/2009/06/17/never-mind-the-facts/">Never Mind The Facts…,</a>" The Edge of the American West, June 17, 2009</li>
</ul>
The Historical Society devoted several issues of its journal, <i>Historical Speaking</i>, to discussions on the status of "traditional fields." These included: intellectual history, military history, economic history, and naval history.<br />
<ul></ul>
My personal assessment is that these arguments are premised on the assumption that things were different in the days before Vietnam. My own research on this topic, suggests quite strongly, that military history has never been a popular topic among academia...ever. I wrote a paper on Theodore Roosevelt's tenure as president of the American Historical Association. He was AHA president after his stay in the White House. Needless to say, getting Roosevelt to serve in this position was a major coup for the organization. The details, though, were a little less impressive. Roosevelt decided to run for President again in 1912 and never attended any meetings of the AHA officers. Most of the work of the AHA president feel on the vice president for that year. Roosevelt did attend the 1913 annual meeting and gave the presidential address. He also attended a session and spoke on the status of military history. It was not a popular topic at the time, and many of the complaints people made in 1912 about the hostility of their colleagues towards their topics sound awful lot like those made a 100 years later.<br />
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<b>Editorial Note: click here to read <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2017/04/blog-ccxxvii-228-state-of-military.html">part 1</a>, <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2017/04/blog-ccxxx-230-state-of-military.html">part 3</a>, and <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2017/04/blog-ccxxxi-231-state-of-military.html">part 4</a>.</b><br />
<b></b>Nick Sarantakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071764464888181459noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232811637669592992.post-81174197185886176662017-04-05T00:09:00.000-04:002017-04-09T21:49:04.449-04:00Blog CCXXVIII (228): The State of Military History (Part 1)<b>Editorial Note: This posting is part of an exceptionally long essay on the status of military history. Since it is over 5,000 words in length, it has been divided into four parts. Click here to read <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2017/04/blog-ccxxix-222-state-of-military.html">part 2</a>, <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2017/04/blog-ccxxx-230-state-of-military.html">part 3</a>, and <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2017/04/blog-ccxxxi-231-state-of-military.html">part 4</a>.</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The X-Men</td></tr>
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In 1963 Marvel Comics created the X-Men series, which in 2000 spawned into an extremely successful film franchise. The X-Men characters are genetic mutations who have superhuman powers because of the presence of an extra gene. These powers makes the X-Men special, but it also engenders hostility from the rest of society. The irony of that situation makes the X-Men a very powerful metaphor to discuss a number of very different topics.<br />
<br />
Military history and its relationship to the rest of the profession is like the X-Men characters. In many ways the field is at the bottom of the professional hierarchy, at least in academia. In other ways, it is one of the strongest fields in the history business today. Reflecting both those apparently contradictory assessments, there has been a long public debate on the status of the field. Historians love to examine their fate and debate the state of their fields. These type of debates usually take place in academic journals where the main audience is a professional one. In this day and age, though, there are a number of other venues in which to advocate or commentate, and the debate on the fate of military history has often involved non-historians for better or for worse. <br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">This debate was not the first examination on the status of military history. There was a big one in the 1980s as the war and society approach grew in popularity. This exchange, though, was traditional in nature. It took place in academic journals and was aimed at specialists. For examples, see:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><div class="gmail-MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Richard H. Kohn, "The Social History of the American Soldier: A Review and Prospectus for Research," <i>American Historical Review</i>, 86 (June 1981), 553-567.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="gmail-MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Peter Karsten, "The 'New' American Military History: A Map of the Territory, Explored and Unexplored," <i>American Quarterly</i>, 36 (no. 3, 1984), 389-418</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="gmail-MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Edward M. Coffman, "The New American Military History," <i>Military Affai</i>rs, 48 (Jan. 1984), 1-5</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="gmail-MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">John Whiteclay Chambers II, "The New Military History: Myth and Reality," <i>Journal of Military History</i>, 55 (July 1991), 395-40</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
The public deliberation that I plan to discuss here focuses on the status of the field within the historical profession, and could easily be called the "Why Do They Hate Us So Much?" debate. It started in the mid-1990s when Mark Grimsley of The Ohio State University, published an essay on his blog that soon became famous: <a href="http://warhistorian.blogspot.com/2016/06/why-military-history-sucked.html">"Why Military History Sucks."</a> He argued that other historians turned a blind eye to the field of military history because its quality was not particularly good: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Indeed, I would argue that the best military history is usually done by people who were not trained as military specialists. And the fact that they <i>do</i> do it should suggest not only their interest in military affairs but also the fact that they have to do it—that when they pose a historical question related to military affairs, too often no military historian ever thought of the question before or thought it was worth exploring. We were too busy writing about our subject in a way that did not connect with the concerns of non-military historians.</blockquote>
Grimsley's argument, though, was one that a lot of other military historians rejected. For a good example, see: John A. Lynn II, “The Embattled Future of Academic Military History,” <i>Journal of Military History,</i> 61 (October 1997), 777-789. <br />
<br />
There things might have stood—a debate fought on the pages of academic journals and a specialized blog with a very small audience—had it not been for Stephen E. Ambrose. I have written about Ambrose and his many professional shortcomings, but one of the cooler things he decided to do was donate a big chunk of change to the University of Wisconsin to create an endowed position in military history. Depending on your view, one of two things happened: 1) Ambrose did not provide quite enough money to fund a chair and Wisconsin had to use its own funds and investment revenues to cover the hidden costs of a faculty position (pension contributions, health care costs, etc.), or 2) the faculty in the department rebelled and simply refused to fill the position.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miller</td></tr>
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John J. Miller, the director of the Dow Journalism Program at Hillsdale College, took the later view. He wrote an article in the <i>National Review</i>: <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/article/218838/sounding-taps-john-j-miller">"Sounding Taps: Why Military History is Being Retired."</a> He savaged the Wisconsin history department's refusal to fill the Ambrose professorship. Miller's take was dire, as his title suggests, and he contended that the leadership of the historical professional was marginalizing the field:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Military historians who try for a more conventional career, however, often confront the academic equivalent of urban warfare, with snipers behind every window and ambushes around every corner. “You shouldn’t go into this field unless you really love the work,” warns [Dennis] Showalter [of Colorado College]. “And you have to be ready, like Booker T. Washington, to cast down your bucket where you are.” Many talented scholars wind up taking positions at second-rate institutions because they don’t have other options.</blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7DWzSjcBsQ57PBuQ4BMTgtkCeI3Hn0orusXkl_sJb3SlrGS8Vn1ZFduPdnOU9lXv6nMTTLr034DmKQyDAOl22faWo6Ig1dL0uHSM_-C1Rd6iVZKJbFbKu95ddIMDR0eavLFWwmCUaW0/s1600/p1-grimsley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7DWzSjcBsQ57PBuQ4BMTgtkCeI3Hn0orusXkl_sJb3SlrGS8Vn1ZFduPdnOU9lXv6nMTTLr034DmKQyDAOl22faWo6Ig1dL0uHSM_-C1Rd6iVZKJbFbKu95ddIMDR0eavLFWwmCUaW0/s200/p1-grimsley.jpg" width="126" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grimsley</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This article got a good deal of attention, which is a bit of an understatement. It got reposted on the blog of the historical society: Randall J. Stephens, <a href="http://histsociety.blogspot.com/2009/06/which-history.html">"Which History?" The Historical Society Blog</a>. Other commentary followed and <a href="http://h-net.msu.edu/cgi-bin/logbrowse.pl?trx=vx&list=h-war&month=0610&week=a&msg=Du6AHH9cX4UlpmCvMzp%2bQA&user=&pw=">there was an exchange about it on the H-Net discussion group dedicated to military history: H-War.</a> <br />
<br />
At this point, <a href="http://historynewsnetwork.org/blog/30286">Mark Grimsley entered the debate again</a>. He pushed back on Miller's attack on both his blog and the History News Network. The <a href="http://historynewsnetwork.org/blog/31327">two had an e-mail exchange, which they both made public</a>, and came into agreement on the fact that Wisconsin had an obligation to fill the position, but disagreed on why the university had failed at that point to do so. "Yours are crocodile tears. You'd love to see us disappear, because it would make a nice talking point in the increasingly stupid culture wars."<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
Victor Davis Hanson joined in the fight with an article, “Why Study War?” that was published in <i>City Journal</i> (Summer 2007), the quarterly of the Manhattan Institute. A historian of ancient Greece and Rome, he was a Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. His take was similar to Miller's: <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">“The academic neglect of war is even more acute today. Military history as a discipline has atrophied, with very few professorships, journal articles, or degree programs.”</span><br />
<br />
<b>Editorial Note: click here to read <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2017/04/blog-ccxxix-222-state-of-military.html">part 2</a>, <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2017/04/blog-ccxxx-230-state-of-military.html">part 3</a>, and <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2017/04/blog-ccxxxi-231-state-of-military.html">part 4</a>.</b>Nick Sarantakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071764464888181459noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232811637669592992.post-69223845081965510812017-03-09T00:31:00.005-05:002017-03-09T00:33:09.516-05:00Blog CCXXVII (227) More of the Logevall and Osgood DebateThere has been more on the debate that Fredrik Logevall and Kenneth Osgood started last August on the pages of <i>The New York Times</i>. I suspect this debate will go on for quite a while and will probably be best measured in months and years rather than weeks and months. <br />
<br />
Some of what follows is stuff that I should have gotten in my first posting on this debate and some of it is fairly new. There will, of course, be more.<br />
<br />
James M. Perry, the former chief political correspondent for <i>The Wall Street Journal</i>, endorsed these views in a <a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/early-returns/ernational/2016/08/29/Perry-on-Politics-Political-illiteracy/stories/201608290133">column he wrote</a> for the <i>Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. </i>He attributed a lack of political literacy to the rise of Donald Trump.<br />
<br />
In September, K.C. Johnson, one of the very, very few historians that specializes on the Congress, wrote an essay <a href="http://www.mindingthecampus.org/2016/09/the-alarming-decline-of-u-s-political-history/">"The Alarming Decline of U.S. Political History"</a> on his blog and also posted on his <a href="https://twitter.com/kcjohnson9/status/771755852793516033">twitter feed</a> endorsing the views of Logevall and Osgood. <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20040225035702/http:/health.senate.gov/testimony/102_tes.html">He made similar points in 2003 when he testified to Congress.</a> His essays is much like Blog CCXXII, but is better in its argumentation. He also noted some of the same patterns in the negative reactions to the editorial. He is a bit skeptical that anything will come of the Logevall/Osgood essay, though. <br />
<br />
At the most recent meeting of the American Historical Association, a session was devoted to debating the state of political history. The fact that it occurred Sunday morning, when many people are heading to the airport or raiding the book display for the good deals, limited the turnout. (I know of what I speak; I have been in an AHA session on Sunday morning. There were a few more people in the audience than on the panel, but only a few.)<br />
<br />
Getting more attention is a exchange of essays in the January 2017 issue of <i>Perspectives on History. </i>Marc Stein, a historian at San Francisco State, published "Political History and the History of Sexuality." Stein, who writes on sexuality, decided to criticize the essay from the perspective of his specialization. "Here I want to offer a perspective rooted in my little corner of the world, which is filled with historians of sexuality who work on politics and historians of politics who work on sexuality." He began the essay by complaining about the language that the two used. "More problematic, from the perspective of my little corner of the world, was the fact that their formulation erased the work so many have done to integrate political history with the history of social movements and the history of race, gender, and sexuality." He began by listing the books on his shelves that were political history. Like many other critics, he confused political history with other topics. I noticed one book was about strategic bombing in World War II. He then discussed the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, which excluded, in the words of the act, "sexual deviations." Stein observes, "But in my little corner of the world, which includes a large number of US political historians, this law was also a political manifestation of larger dynamics that established, maintained, and strengthened the supremacy of family, heterosexuality, and marriage in the United States. And if we cannot recognize that this is and was political, the future of political history is dire indeed."<br />
<div class="aubio">
<br /></div>
<div class="aubio">
Logevall and Osgood responded with a lengthy essay—which is in fact, longer than their original <i>New York Times</i> piece—entitled: "US Political History—Alive and Well?" The two note: "Reasonable people can differ here, and Marc Stein is more apropos than perhaps he realizes with his repeated references to the view from his 'little corner of the world.' The challenge for us all is to take a broader perspective, to take stock of the good and the bad, and to have an open dialogue about the state of the field as seen from all points on the compass, not just our own."<br />
<div class="p">
<br />
They are clear on who and what political history should be studying: "Those who have held predominant power in American society—presidents, Congress, state governments—the elections that brought them to office, and the formulation and impact of policies that resulted from the exercise of that power." There reasons are fairly simple. "In our daily lives, we take for granted the importance of these manifestations of our politics, but—as several correspondents rightly noted—too often we lose sight of it in our research, at least pre-tenure, and in our decision making on matters of curriculum design and faculty hiring."<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="p">
A number of people have contacted them to either express support or disagreement. Many have argued there is little academic history on both Congress and state government. "We agree. To a large degree, we’ve ceded this territory to our colleagues in political science. For the past quarter century, history grad students who express an interest in pursuing a dissertation centered on high politics have usually been gently steered in other directions. It’s old-fashioned and elite-centered, they’ve been told, not sufficiently cutting edge, too—egad—'traditional.' And 'it won’t get you a job.'" <br />
<br />
That point is exceptionally important. After having been part of a couple of search committees, I can tell you that a dissertation topic can play a powerful role in determining who advances in the search. Letters of recommendation help, sure, but the dissertation topic is far more important. In the end, Logevall and Osgood candidly observe that "the savvy grad student who wants to maximize her chances on the job market would still be well-advised to steer clear of a topic on high politics."</div>
<div class="p">
<br /></div>
<div class="ah">
Stein responded with an essay that was longer and more insightful than his original piece. He noted, "<span class="dropcap-paft">S</span>elf-proclaimed guardians of political history have regularly issued jeremiads about the decline of our field." He is direct in his criticisms of Logevall and Osgood on this matter: "One clue about why they do so can be found in their discussion of my 'little corner of the world.' Apparently, they missed my sarcasm; my point was that my corner is actually pretty popular. Instead, they urge us to 'take a broader perspective' and examine 'all points on the compass, not just our own.' I couldn’t agree more." <br />
<br />
He then argues that historians writing history in his field are doing impressive work: "Sarcasm alert: I sure do wish that political historians who focus on class, gender, race, and sexuality would stop looking at things from provincial and parochial points of view and focus on larger political issues like capitalism, colonialism, democracy, equality, justice, war, and peace. As for their efforts to provide further evidence for the decline of political history, I am not convinced that their research methodology is up to the task, primarily because of the questions they are not asking."<br />
<br />
Stein's essay becomes quite powerful when he starts asking some significant questions: "First, do most US history textbooks and survey courses still privilege political history? If so, what is the relationship between this and the patterns that Logevall and Osgood have identified in history specializations and job advertisements?"</div>
<br />
<div class="p">
He get at a really important issue in his next point: "Second, how do we measure the changing popularity of political history." He notes that the boundaries between topic such as "diplomatic, legal, and military history" are nebulous. That point is particularly strong, but I would argue that the boundaries are clearer to people in the fields than those outside of them.</div>
<div class="p">
<br />
His next two points are interesting: "Third, is it possible that more and more dissertations integrate political history with other approaches? Has there been a generational shift whereby new historians are less invested in older field designations?" He follows with: "Fourth, while quantitative studies of job advertisements are interesting, is it possible that political historians are favored in job searches that do not mention politics (such as searches in US history, the American Revolution, the Civil War, and chronologically defined subfields)?" </div>
<br />
<div class="p">
Stein's last point is perhaps his best, "All of this begs the question of how we should define “the political.” It is sometimes said that if everything is political, the concept of politics as a distinct conceptual domain loses its utility. But surely we can come up with a definition that encompasses less than everything but more than national elections, political parties, and a small set of individuals and institutions." <br />
<br />
My response: that is a reasonable question. My assessment based on anecdotal evidence is a simple: no.<br />
<br />
Political history has serious issues to discuss that other fields are going to have a difficult time addressing. These include questions like:<br />
<ul>
<li>Why does the United States have a binary political system when most other industrial, democratic societies are multi-party?</li>
<li>Has the United States had a radical element in its political tradition? On the right? The left? Why? Why not?</li>
<li>Has Congress been an active force in national politics? Or is it more passive, responding to special interest groups and the executive branch? Does Congress initiate significant policy proposals, and national agendas?</li>
<li>Do people vote on the basis of issues? Partisanship? Or image/emotion?</li>
</ul>
<div>
I am sure someone could come up with even more, but these are kind of big.<br />
<br />
This point gets to another that I notice when I was writing Blog CCXXII (my first assessment of the Logevall and Osgood debate). There appears to be a lot of bait and switching going on among the critics of Logevall and Osgood. Historians often try to pass off one type of history as another particularly in job searches when they are having to fill a position in a field that they do not like. (You also see this phenomenon in fellowship applications). Put another way, if a political historian wrote a biography of Margret Chase Smith—she spent nine years in the U.S. House of Representatives and then was a U.S. Senator from Maine for four terms—would that individual be a viable candidate for a job teaching women's history? Probably not, but a lot of people think that if that historian specialized in gender studies and wrote the biography that he or she could pass them self off as a political historian. </div>
</div>
</div>
Nick Sarantakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071764464888181459noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232811637669592992.post-22203236098364210782017-01-27T22:41:00.000-05:002017-01-27T22:41:19.676-05:00Blog CCXXVII (227): Debate PrequelThis post is one that I really wish I had written before <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2016/12/blog-ccxxii-222-logevall-and-osgood.html">Blog CCXXII (222): The Logevall and Osgood Debate</a>. In May of 2011, <i>Perspectives on History</i> had a special issue on political history "Political History Today." There were seventeen articles that studied various aspects of the topic. In many ways, this special issue was a prequel to the Logevall/Osgood guest column in <i>The New York Times</i> last August. <br />
<br />
The articles are eclectic. Three articles are about teaching, and another three are about research resources available to historians interested in U.S. political history. Although it is clear the intention of the editors was to focus on U.S. political history, there are essays on South Asia and Early Modern Europe. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.historians.org/Images/Perspectives/per0511-CVR1(215x278).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="May 2011" border="0" height="259" src="https://www.historians.org/Images/Perspectives/per0511-CVR1(215x278).jpg" style="margin-top: 8px; vertical-align: middle;" title="May 2011" width="200" /></a>The more important articles in this issue are those that are "think pieces" on the direction of the field. Of these the one that is probably the most important is the one from Julian E. Zelizer of Princeton University. His article <a href="https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/may-2011/political-history-today/the-interdisciplinarity-of-political-history">"The Interdisciplinarity of Political History"</a> is a condensed version of the first part of his book <i>Governing America: The Revival of Political History</i> (2012). Political history is seeing a Renaissance, he argues, because it has become interdisciplinary. Historians<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
must be certain to explore the full range of scholarship that exists outside history departments to see and profit from all the possible partnerships. For example, in political science there are subfields like public opinion that have important findings for political historians, such as the difficulty presidents have encountered in actually changing public opinion. Larry Bartels has produced some intriguing findings using historical data to show that what matters most to voters—even in landmark elections like those of 1936—are the immediate economic conditions, which determine what happens at the ballot box. His work has also raised significant challenges to conventional history that we have on how working class whites abandoned the Democratic Party after the 1960s. Psychologists are producing stunning findings about how voters make their decisions based on first physical impressions rather than speeches or policy arguments. Sociologists have also been developing extremely important work on the role of networks in spreading information and shaping the reputations of particular actors. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The good news is that an interdisciplinary approach is in the bloodstream of any good political historian. </blockquote>
On the other hand, Steven Pincus of Yale University and William Novak of the University of Michigan in <a href="https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/may-2011/political-history-today/political-history-after-the-cultural-turn">"Political History after the Cultural Turn"</a> state: "Traditional political history is dead and is still dying. Over two decades ago, Lynn Hunt observed, 'Social history has overtaken political history as the most important area of research in history.'"
They also add: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Practitioners of both the new social history and the new cultural history have been at one in denouncing (and moving speedily past) the traditional techniques, narratives, and perspectives of the old political history. Tony Judt, certainly not an uncritical advocate of either the new social or the new cultural history, captured a widespread contempt for political history after the social-cultural turn. "Traditional political history continues on its untroubled way," he observed, "describing in detail the behaviour of ruling classes and the transformations which took place within them. Divorced from social history, this remains, as ever, a form of historical writing adapted to the preservation of the status quo; it concerns itself with activities peculiar to the ruling group, activities of an apparently rational and self-justifying nature." Whatever their internecine differences, practitioners of most new historical subdisciplines have come to view traditional political history as an essentially conservative and crabbed way of approaching an increasingly rich and diverse range of historical material.</blockquote>
All of this comes in the first paragraph. <br />
<br />
Pincus and Novak are not dismissing the study of public affairs. "Recent events have made the importance of 'the political' even more manifest," they concede. "Post 9/11, no one can seriously doubt any longer that state activities—domestic as well as international—deeply affect our everyday lives." They also issue a call for action:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
What we are calling for, then, is not a return to a political history of elites making decisions which affect other elites. The last generation of social and cultural history has successfully cut off the king's head, and the future history of the political refuses to be confined to the conventional terms of critical elections, high-profile politicians, and official action. The political history that we would like to see elevated in the next generation of historical scholarship is precisely a place of constant interaction and interconnection between state and society—a space where issues of national identity and belonging, democratic participation and exclusion, state-building and state-resistance, discrimination and equal protection, and competing visions of the good life are ceaselessly brought into focus, debate, and often coercive resolution. The political does not constitute itself independent of and external to society—but is a place of almost continuous sociopolitical interaction and conflict. It marks a distinctive site of collective action where the terms of the life in common—whether local, regional, national, or international—receive a particularly comprehensive (and not infrequently coercive) form of articulation (for better or for worse). </blockquote>
That is all well and good, but—and this is a big but—state activities are not always political. Pincus and Novak conflate law enforcement, military affairs and foreign policy with politics. There is overlap, but they are distinct topics. I also think there is an odd disconnect at play here in the dismissive attitude they hold towards historical investigation of high ranking politicians and elections, and the reactions in academia to the elections of 2008 and 2016. Scholars seem to care about who is in the White House—at least those during their lifetimes.<br />
<br />
Part of the problem with this debate is that many people are confused about what is and is not "political history." This reaction was clear in the early, negative reactions to the Logevall/Osgood op-ed. It also becomes clear in reading all the articles in this special issue. <br />
<br />
Case in point, four of the articles in this issue, focus on diplomatic history. While diplomatic history and political history might seem the same thing to people outside of the two fields, they are distinctly different. Diplomatic history has a been a well-defined sub-field of U.S. history for roughly a century, focusing on the making and execution of policy, or to be more specific, U.S. foreign policy. Although politicians play important roles in these studies—54 of our 66 secretaries of state have been lawyers/politicians. Many people outside of the field assume diplomatic history is limited to the activities of how diplomats talk to one another. Nothing could be further from the truth. Diplomatic historians often focus on professional diplomats, but they also look at pressure groups, businessmen, demographics, economics, and public opinion. They have also been "internationalizing" U.S. history for a very, very long time. <br />
<br />
All of these points become clear in looking at the career of Samuel Flagg Bemis (1891-1973). Bemis was president of the American Historical Association in 1961. He won his first Pulitzer for his book <i>Jay's Treaty: A Study in Commerce and Diplomacy</i> (1924), which was the product of research in archives in the United States, but also those in the United Kingdom and France—which was no easy thing to do in 1916; his ship was hit by a German U-boat. More to the point, his book and research makes it clear that politics and policy are distinctly different topics. There is no real reason for a political historian to look at developments in France or Britain, while there is a very strong reason for a diplomatic historian to do so. <br />
<br />
Bemis's career also shows how diplomatic and political history overlap. He won his second Pulitzer for the first volume of his biography of John Quincy Adams. That book focused on Adams and his diplomatic career. The sequel covered his presidency and post-White House life as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. <br />
<br />
Returning to the main topic of this essay, this special issue makes for interesting reading in light of the Logevall/Osgood debate. These articles show, for better or worse, what they two of them were pushing against when the went to <i>The New York Times</i> with their essay. In many ways the issue helps their cause. If you disagree with that assessment, despair not. I suspect there is a lot more coming in this debate.Nick Sarantakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071764464888181459noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232811637669592992.post-1512616257608355282017-01-13T21:59:00.001-05:002017-01-13T22:22:31.503-05:00Blog CCXXVI (226): Blast from the PastIt is a bit of an odd thing, but historians are basically clueless about the history of their own profession. In graduate school, we are taught the historiography of our field--the history of the literature--but not the history of the profession. With that point in mind, I spent some time looking at issues of <i>Perspectives </i>from the time I was an undergraduate and graduate student. In November of 1989--while I was struggling through my first semester, Richard H. Kohn, the Chief Historian of the United States Air Force, wrote this essay entitled, "The Future of the Historical Profession." Kohn holds a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin and is a professor emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. All the highlighting is mine, and I will offer a short assessment at the end of the essay:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
During the last few years, a sense of unease has been growing in the historical profession. From many sides come warnings of a profession in decline, part of a larger lament about the state of American learning. From Ernest Boyer, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, we hear of "undergraduate colleges" as "troubled" institutions that "have lost their sense of purpose," peopled by passive students and conflicted faculty, isolated from the schools below them and from the larger world beyond the campus. From critics E. D. Hirsch and Allan Bloom we hear of a university system hopelessly adrift and an educational system so deeply and genuinely flawed that it fails to impart the concepts and information that together constitute a shared culture. Closer to our concerns as historians, the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities tells us how neglectful this educational system is of history and literature. This point is confirmed in numbing detail by Diane Ravitch and Chester Finn in a longer work, and more recently, in terms of content and method in the curricula of the schools, by the Bradley Commission—and how arcane and disconnected from society scholarship in the humanities has become. Professors Gertrude Himmelfarb and Theodore Hamerow have focused specifically on how we historians pursue our profession, one arguing that some of our newest passions—particularly social history—are dangerously flawed and incomplete, the other that our field has diminished dramatically in importance and relevance in academe and society at large. All in all, few periods in memory can rival this last two years for the sheer volume and consistency of the attacks on higher education in general and on our discipline in particular.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Now, while much of this critique may be exaggerated or simply wrong, and while many of us might disagree in whole or in part with some of this literature, we still have a nagging sense that the criticism contains considerable truth. There is much evidence to support the interpretation that history has declined, whatever the reasons. The number of history majors graduating from American colleges dropped precipitously between 1970 and 1986—a whopping 62 percent, from over 43,000 to 16,500. Masters degrees awarded in our field suffered a similar drop, and Ph.D.s almost a 50 percent contraction. What this implies is a loss of audience both in a core clientele and in a prime source of jobs for our profession, college students, and faculty positions. At the same time, people seem to know less history. While we do not have a basis to compare Professors Ravitch's and Finn's work on what our 17-year-olds know with other periods of time, the results just by themselves are troubling to say the least, and the Bradley Commission has only reiterated what we have suspected for some time—a twenty-year trend of less history taught and required in our schools and colleges. Professor Hamerow would argue that history has given way to newer fields in the social sciences that seem to be more practical or useful in addressing today's social issues. But whatever the cause, the result is the same: history has declined dramatically in popularity as a field of knowledge in American education.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
At the same time, however, the interest of the American people in history seems to have moved in exactly the opposite direction. The humanities as a whole have flowered in the same twenty-year period, according to National Endowment Chairman Lynne V. Cheney: greater numbers of people are participating in State Humanities Council's sponsored programs; more library reading programs; there is more spending on admission to cultural events in comparison to spectator sports; there is increased attendance at the National Gallery of Art in Washington; and other evidence, statistical and anecdotal. Cheney points out that there are nearly "10,000 historical associations...in this country, more than half of them...organized in the last twenty years." The amount of history on television and on movie screens shows no sign of decline. Hundreds of corporations have apparently undertaken in recent years to have their histories written, either to orient and inspire their own employees; to market their goods and services; or as necessary to provide context and support for planning and decision-making at the topmost management levels.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In the realm of fiction, the American public's appetite for historical novels from such authors as James Michener, Gore Vidal, and John Jakes seems insatiable. The topic of World War II, whether in the form of novels, memoirs, battle and campaign histories, biographies, or budget-busting television extravaganzas like <i>War and Remembrance</i> has become something of a cottage industry all its own.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Interest in historical museums and reconstructions and the preservation of historic buildings and sites has skyrocketed. Beginning in 1966, under the stimulation of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981, over 50,000 places have come to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Public history—the related activities of archives, cultural resource management, and policy analysis or support in government and business—has also emerged in the last decade to become a major source of employment for historians, archaeologists, archivists, and others.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The decline—the crisis—does not seem to reside in the discipline or in the demand for, and interest in, the study of the past but in the profession itself. The fundamental problem lies in ourselves, in the way we conceive our role and the way we orient our professional interest and activity; specifically our narrowness and specialization.</i> Our narrowness comes in many forms; it pervades not only what we do, but how we do it, and how we identify ourselves and our role in society. We define ourselves by the Ph.D. and while we recognize that there are historians doing legitimate work who do not possess the degree, and that there are historians doing quality work in government, business, cultural institutions, and elsewhere, <i>when we speak of "the profession" we really mean the professoriate.</i> Even then it is restricted to people with Ph.D.s teaching in four-year, postsecondary institutions. We define ourselves not as a body of individuals with common training and expertise, devoted corporately to a common purpose, but as a field of knowledge or a subject matter.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Our work has grown increasingly narrow in scope and technical in character, written to advance knowledge in small segments and addressed to other scholars rather than to a broad audience. Most of our work is so technical that it is even unsuitable for assignment to our own undergraduates. Our graduate training which focuses on original research, rigor of method, and the dissertation rather than on training, has become the standard by which we judge not simply the quality but the worth, or usefulness, of almost all historical writing.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Our reward structure is based almost exclusively on such writing; our very concept of productivity is writing. We have as a profession come to see our purpose as adding new knowledge to the base, rather than advancing an understanding of the past in society. <i>We have come to confuse our product with our purpose</i>. <i>Certainly, we have forfeited the public audience for our writing to those writers and journalists who are skilled at repackaging the scholarship of others into broad syntheses, readable narratives, or exciting biographies.</i> In short, we have succeeded in largely divorcing ourselves and professionally-done history from the public, both in the schools and in the general population at large.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Now, I do not want to overstate our crisis or draw a completely negative picture, for there are hopeful signs amidst these problems. The attention paid to the decline of history in the schools is itself a positive development and between the efforts of the NEH, the Bradley Commission, and the National Commission on Social Studies, there seems to be gathering a wave of reform. In 1987, the California State Board of Education revised its "history framework" to emphasize and increase history and geography (instead of "social studies") and late last year the <i>The Atlantic Monthly</i> magazine sensed enough interest in the subject to devote a long article to a critique of our high school history texts. At the college level, the number of majors and graduate degrees awarded seems to have bottomed, and on some campuses students seem to be coming back to history. At the University of New Mexico, to cite one example, history enrollments have undergone a dramatic increase. Public history seems steadily to be expanding its clientele, with government agencies opening new history offices, more businesses contracting for histories or establishing archives, historic preservation continuing to boom, and a general sense in the public prints that history possesses practical usefulness not only as a tool for transmitting culture and informing decision-makers, but as a virtual necessity of citizenship in a democracy and, in inchoate ways, a fundamental measure of our health as a civilization. Even in the Soviet Union, where history has long been abused as a tool of propaganda and control, there seems to be a recognition that an honest rendering of the past must accompany glasnost and perestroyka if those progressive initiatives are to have any lasting effect and the Soviet Union as a nation and society is to modernize.</blockquote>
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But whatever the signs, our narrowness remains an obstacle. The issue is whether professional historians can or will respond to the interest of our citizenry in the past and the demand for more and better history in the schools. The consequences of failure are immense. If we do not reconnect the profession to the schools, the reading public, and the diverse historical activity that has burgeoned in our communities, we run the risk of being further displaced by amateur history buffs and other social scientists, with the result that the history Americans receive will be inaccurate, misleading, politically-biased, or useful only for civic celebration or mass entertainment. Most corporate histories, for example, are authored by writers or company insiders rather than by professionals rigorously trained in historical method and committed to our standards of veracity, balance, objectivity, and interpretation.</blockquote>
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Extraordinary sums of money are devoted in America today to primary and secondary education, to television and to movies, to museums, to historic reconstruction, and to decision-making in business and government. Should not these enterprises have history every bit as professionally sound as the instruction our college students receive and our research monographs contain? The audiences to be reached far outnumber those in our classrooms and those who read our monographs. If we are shrewd about it and attempt to mold our own future instead of experiencing it passively, we have the opportunity to improve our nation and advance our society far in excess of present efforts. If we as a profession want more and better historical understanding of the United States, we had better take the steps necessary to make that occur ourselves.<i><br /></i></blockquote>
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Our first task is to reconnect the profession with our clientele in the educational world and amongst the public—those reading books and imbibing history from media, museums, and local and regional historical organizations across the country. </blockquote>
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<i>Historians in our colleges ought to get involved more in film and television production, with museums, as consultants to historic preservation, in school curriculum planning, and in writing sound, interpretative works in a style and on topics that the public wants to read.</i> None of this requires prostitution of our standards or values. Quite the opposite; it is precisely to spread our standards of balanced, accurate history that such initiatives are needed. </blockquote>
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One effort needed at the local level is for academic historians to take the lead in connecting together primary and secondary school history instructors with the historic sites and organizations nearby. History can be more lively if it is interactive and relevant to everyday life, if it can be seen and touched as well as read. In <em>What Do Our 17-Year-Olds Know</em>, Professors Ravitch and Finn point out that of their sample of 7,812 high school juniors, fully 93 percent never visited museums or exhibits with their history classes and 44.5 percent never used documents or other original sources. But 84.2 percent watched films or listened to oral histories, one-third of them once a week! Almost 60 percent used a history textbook daily! Why could not historians at colleges publish through the medium of history texts, lesson materials, videos, and films? Why could not history departments connect school teachers and curricula designers with the curators of local museums, the administrators of historic sites and buildings, local individuals who have relevant oral history experiences to relate, and archivists with documents that could be used to create innovative units and lessons to supplement traditional classroom methods?</blockquote>
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If we want to influence history we must assert our leadership and make the first effort, for it is we who have defined ourselves as "the profession." It is we who differentiate ourselves from others who teach below the college level; who do not possess the Ph.D.; or who cannot or do not choose to study or disseminate history within the framework similar to that of the university professoriate. Until we reach out, the other groups will continue to ignore us.</blockquote>
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<i>Our second task must consist of a concerted effort to broaden the economic base of the profession beyond college and university teaching. The rise of public or applied history—its expansion in business and government—indicates there may be a market for history beyond the classroom and publishing.</i> Mostly we historians see ourselves as teachers or writers, iconoclastic individualists even though most work as salaried employees of large institutions. However, an enterprising few, exercising imagination and inventiveness, have managed to make a living selling historical service to the public. Perhaps history could break out of its academic mold and, like psychology and economics some decades ago, develop a client or customer base for individual or group practitioners. The only way to find this out is to undertake a detailed and systematic market analysis of the American economy to see if significant numbers of historians could make a living in such a manner. As former chairman of the National Council for Public History Neil Stowe has put it, "We are not, after all, a growth industry, but we have growth opportunities."</blockquote>
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Historian Shelley Bookspan, writing in the February 1989<em> OAH Newsletter</em>, has noted a tremendous opportunity open to historians created by recent environmental legislation, which has caused there to be "site assessments" on virtually "all property transactions." Courts use history often; perhaps historians could be employed full-time or on a fee basis to give our judges and lawyers professional history. Newspapers employ art, film, TV, architecture, and theater critics. Perhaps media could be induced to employ historians to review the history content not only of art, film, and books, but of the use of history by politicians running for office. Bookspan believes the OAH ought immediately to establish a marketing committee, but that is only a first step and it ought to be underwritten by all of our professional groups or by the AHA acting for all. The possibilities are only limited by what is economically viable and by our imaginations. </blockquote>
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<i>Such a future requires significant change in the way we define the profession; how we train historians; how we see our role in society; and how we organize and operate our professional organizations.</i></blockquote>
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To begin with, we must define the profession inclusively rather than exclusively, to include everyone who makes their living researching, writing, teaching, or otherwise advancing or disseminating historical knowledge regardless of their place of employment or source of income. At the same time that we reach out, we ought to work as hard as possible to insure that all of these practitioners, where at all appropriate, have at least college, and quite likely, graduate education in history. Such a step may well require us to insist on certification, as a way of protecting the public against biased, inaccurate, or otherwise shoddy work.</blockquote>
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Our present system—essentially footnotes and peer review—is utterly inadequate to cover historical work in museums where history is not presented in written formats and in the media or in government and business where the results of research are not usually disseminated very widely. Nor have we any adequate procedures, as recent cases of alleged plagiarism or other unethical behavior reveal, to identify malfeasance and enforce sanctions against professional malpractice.</blockquote>
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Certification or licensing will be difficult to establish and will undoubtedly elicit charges of elitism. But a test of basic field knowledge; of writing competency; of familiarity with research techniques and methodologies and other expertise we take for granted (but which many amateurs and publicly-accepted practitioners lack or ignore) may be more just, fair, equitable, and democratic—and less elitist, exclusive, and restrictive—than requiring a Ph.D. By not acting to enforce standards or to require a level of education or expertise, the historical profession tells the public that quality history is not important and that the analysis of the past is not a profession which requires special training, knowledge, expertise, or method.</blockquote>
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A broadening of our role will also require a change in the training of graduate students along with the reward structure in colleges, universities, and the profession generally. If we are to engage the schools and extend our activity in American life, we are going to have to recognize the disseminating of history on an equal basis with the creation of new historical knowledge. In other words, a concerted effort will be needed to alter the "culture" of the profession, to make respectable and even desirable the practice of history beyond the classroom as a service activity for individual profit and social betterment. Graduate students will thus need training not just in historiography, a chronological or national specialty, and research, but in "applying" history in a wide variety of settings with a diverse set of methodologies. Masters and doctoral programs need to introduce students to the profession as well as the discipline, with one or more courses in applied history that teach the use, uses, and practice of history in all its diversity in American society.</blockquote>
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In short, we must both prepare our successors and encourage many of them to pursue history as a service or product activity. Whether we modify the Ph.D. substantially remains to be seen, but certainly the period of timing will need to be regularized and made more standard. And colleges and universities will have to develop ways of measuring and recognizing excellence and productivity that will reward faculty for advancing historical knowledge and understanding in ways other than classroom teaching and archival research.</blockquote>
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<i>Lastly, if the profession decides to break out of its isolation and broaden beyond its academic base, our professional groups, particularly the AHA, will have to provide leadership. </i>In almost every instance, our organizations were founded and continue to operate as associations of scholars—oriented primarily toward original investigation of sources, issuing research reports, publishing scholarly journals, meeting annually to share the results of specialized research, awarding prizes for the publication of archival discoveries, devoting attention to access to archives and issues of academic publishing, and other such activities for college teachers who have the time, support, and inclination for research and publication. Only a handful of our organizations make any effort to include history activity beyond the academy, and even those have hardly made a dent in becoming attractive to, serving, or including teachers in schools and community colleges, much less colleagues in other work settings. There is no program underway to establish criteria for competence in our discipline or to enforce professional standards of education, entry, or practice for the various work settings in which historians are employed. Our entire profession possesses but one full-time lobbyist. Efforts at the state and local level, in school curricula battles, textbook publishing and selection, historic preservation, and other issues outside postsecondary education are haphazard and inconsistent at best. Membership drives focus on academicians, not a wider clientele. Little thought or effort is being made to study the economics of a client-base rather than a classroom- or salary-based profession. Our organizations are not engaged in any systematic efforts to promote the utility or image of the discipline in such a manner that will broaden our role in American life or our opportunities for employment, with the exception of a recent push to strengthen and advance precollege history education.</blockquote>
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When all is said and done, our organizations are not as much professional associations as they are learned societies, pursuing overwhelmingly the same programs and activities as did their predecessors at the turn of the century. The difference, as Leonard D. Goodstein of the American Psychological Association recently explained, is that professional organizations "actively intervene in the development of the discipline and work to advance and protect the interests of the discipline in any and all arenas."</blockquote>
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Our profession stands today at a critical juncture. For generations, in order to achieve rigor and increase knowledge of the past, we have narrowed ourselves, to the detriment of advancing historical study as widely in American society as possible. <i>Other alternatives exist, and the present loud complaints about the state of the profession and state of historical learning in America present us with an unusual opportunity to reevaluate ourselves, and if we wish, to extend our influence and strengthen our effectiveness. But we must seize control of our own future in order to do so. Roughly, the choice is between developing a broader base and expanded role in society, like the psychologists and economists, or continuing to talk primarily to ourselves within the confines of the academic world, like the philosophers. </i>In either case, we ought to confront the choices openly, and debate them. It is after all our own future that is at stake, and perhaps more important, the quality of historical understanding in the United States as a whole.</blockquote>
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My assessment: this article was in many ways a bold call for action. For better or worse--probably worse--it still describes the historical profession in 2017 as much as it did 28 years ago in 1989. It is clear that the historians of the 1990s failed to innovate. Most probably saw little need. There were studies predicting a shortage of faculty, as a generation of baby boomers hit retirement. As a result, graduate schools exploded in size, admitting dozens and dozens of students. The problem was the baby boomers did not boom and the numbers of undergraduates were simply not there to require one to one replacement of faculty. As a result, the situation the profession faces is actually far worse today than it was in the days of the first President Bush. Makes me wonder about the future. Where will things be in 2038? </div>
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Nick Sarantakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071764464888181459noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232811637669592992.post-1907415654184847932017-01-06T00:17:00.000-05:002017-01-06T00:17:16.386-05:00Blog CCXXV (225): Author's Corner<span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">John Fea has an interesting series on his blog called the "Author's Corner" For the record, I should note that Fea states, "The Way of Improvement Leads Home is more than just a blog (or a </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Way-Improvement-Leads-Home-Enlightenment/dp/0812220595/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482609839&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Way+of+Improvement+LEads+Home"><span style="color: black;">book</span></a><span style="color: black;">). It is a multi-faceted effort to bring history and historical thinking to the public." There is a lot to this view. The site has a number of correspondents that contribute and it uses all the media formats (text, audio, visual) that the internet has to offer. The "Author's Corner" series is part of this larger undertaking. In these author interviews, Fea and/or one of his contributors ask the authors of new books questions about their work, its origins, and its importance. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">The series started in 2014, but really took off in 2016. Although the series tends to lean in the direction of Fea's teaching and research interests (religious history, 19th Century U.S. history), it reflects an impressive effort to diversify. The topics investigated include religious, economic, urban, political, diplomatic, native American, African American, military and intellectual histories. The time periods go as far back as the 17th Century, and come forward into the 20th and 21st Centuries. Fea has also done a good job of interviewing authors from a number of different professional backgrounds and stages in their careers. Most of the authors are historians, but some are theologians, and journalists.</span></span><br />
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The series grabbed my attention when it interviewed Jon Scott Logel, a colleague of mine here at the NWC, and a former office mate of mine. (We arrived within a week of each other and were both tying to figure out a new institution and our new teaching duties. He was also trying to finish his dissertation.) </div>
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Long story made short, I cannot recommend the series enough. (<a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2012/06/14/8-questions/">I should also note that when this blog was running the "Eight Questions" series, </a><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2012/06/14/8-questions/">Fea</a><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2012/06/14/8-questions/"> had a post on his blog pointing his viewers towards In the Service of Clio, so this is an opportunity to repay the favor.)</a> Fea states that "Author's Corner" is one of the more popular features on his blog. If you take a look at the interviews, you will see why.<span style="color: red;"><br />
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<a href="http://www.drphilliplukesinitiere.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="salvationwithasmile" class=" wp-image-51173 alignleft" data-attachment-id="51173" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="salvationwithasmile" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/salvationwithasmile.jpg?w=233&h=350?w=676" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/salvationwithasmile.jpg?w=233&h=350?w=200" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/salvationwithasmile.jpg?w=233&h=350" data-orig-size="1707,2560" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/11/14/the-authors-corner-with-phillip-luke-sinitiere/salvationwithasmile/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 233px) 100vw, 233px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/salvationwithasmile.jpg?w=233&h=350" width="133" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
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<a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/11/14/the-authors-corner-with-phillip-luke-sinitiere/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Phillip Luke Sinitiere</span></span></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Salvation with a Smile: Joel Osteen, Lakewood
Church, and American Christianity</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (New York: New York University Press, 2015).</span></span></div>
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<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="acloudofwitnessesfromtheheartofthecity" class=" wp-image-50844 alignleft" data-attachment-id="50844" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="acloudofwitnessesfromtheheartofthecity" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/acloudofwitnessesfromtheheartofthecity.jpg?w=274&h=425?w=322" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/acloudofwitnessesfromtheheartofthecity.jpg?w=274&h=425?w=193" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/acloudofwitnessesfromtheheartofthecity.jpg?w=274&h=425" data-orig-size="322,500" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/11/10/the-authors-corner-with-glenn-jonas/acloudofwitnessesfromtheheartofthecity/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 274px) 100vw, 274px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/acloudofwitnessesfromtheheartofthecity.jpg?w=274&h=425" width="128" /></span></div>
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<a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/11/10/the-authors-corner-with-glenn-jonas/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Glenn Jonas</span></span></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">A Cloud of Witnesses from the Heart of the City:
First Presbyterian Church, Raleigh, 1816-2016</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Macon, Georgia: Mercer
University Press, 2016).</span></span></div>
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<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="portraitofawomaninsilk" class=" wp-image-50751 alignleft" data-attachment-id="50751" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="portraitofawomaninsilk" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/portraitofawomaninsilk.jpg?w=217&h=329?w=395" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/portraitofawomaninsilk.jpg?w=217&h=329?w=198" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/portraitofawomaninsilk.jpg?w=217&h=329" data-orig-size="395,600" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/11/07/the-authors-corner-with-zara-anishanslin/portraitofawomaninsilk/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 217px) 100vw, 217px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/portraitofawomaninsilk.jpg?w=217&h=329" width="131" /></span></div>
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<a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/11/07/the-authors-corner-with-zara-anishanslin/"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Zara Anishanslin</span></span></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Portrait of a Woman
in Silk: Hidden Histories of the British Atlantic World</span></span></i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2016).</span></span></div>
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<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="johnadamsandthefearofoligarchy" class=" wp-image-50699 alignleft" data-attachment-id="50699" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="johnadamsandthefearofoligarchy" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/johnadamsandthefearofoligarchy.jpg?w=244&h=371?w=329" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/johnadamsandthefearofoligarchy.jpg?w=244&h=371?w=197" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/johnadamsandthefearofoligarchy.jpg?w=244&h=371" data-orig-size="329,500" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/11/03/the-authors-corner-with-luke-mayville/johnadamsandthefearofoligarchy/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 244px) 100vw, 244px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/johnadamsandthefearofoligarchy.jpg?w=244&h=371" width="131" /></span></div>
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<a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/11/03/the-authors-corner-with-luke-mayville/"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Luke Mayville</span></span></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"><i>John Adams and the
Fear of American Oligarchy</i></span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Princeton: Princeton
University Press, 2016).</span></span></div>
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<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="aluminousbrotherhood" class=" wp-image-50690 alignleft" data-attachment-id="50690" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="aluminousbrotherhood" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/aluminousbrotherhood.jpg?w=224&h=342?w=670" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/aluminousbrotherhood.jpg?w=224&h=342?w=196" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/aluminousbrotherhood.jpg?w=224&h=342" data-orig-size="1600,2444" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/10/31/the-authors-corner-with-emily-clark/aluminousbrotherhood/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 224px) 100vw, 224px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/aluminousbrotherhood.jpg?w=224&h=342" width="130" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/10/31/the-authors-corner-with-emily-clark/"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Emily Clark</span></span></a></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">A Luminous
Brotherhood: Afro-Creole Spiritualism in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans</span></span></i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2016).</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="DesigningGotham.jpg" class=" wp-image-50471 alignleft" data-attachment-id="50471" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="designinggotham" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/designinggotham.jpg?w=233&h=350?w=676" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/designinggotham.jpg?w=233&h=350?w=200" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/designinggotham.jpg?w=233&h=350" data-orig-size="1707,2560" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/10/27/the-authors-corner-with-jon-scott-logel/designinggotham/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 233px) 100vw, 233px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/designinggotham.jpg?w=233&h=350" width="133" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/10/27/the-authors-corner-with-jon-scott-logel/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Jon
Scott Logel </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/10/27/the-authors-corner-with-jon-scott-logel/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Designing
Gotham: West Point Engineers and the Rise of Modern New York, 1817-1898</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="americanenlightenments" class=" wp-image-50371 alignleft" data-attachment-id="50371" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="americanenlightenments" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/americanenlightenments.jpg?w=213&h=357?w=600" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/americanenlightenments.jpg?w=213&h=357?w=179" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/americanenlightenments.jpg?w=213&h=357" data-orig-size="600,1008" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/10/24/the-authors-corner-with-caroline-winterer/americanenlightenments/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 213px) 100vw, 213px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/americanenlightenments.jpg?w=213&h=357" width="119" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/10/24/the-authors-corner-with-caroline-winterer/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Caroline
Winterer </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/10/24/the-authors-corner-with-caroline-winterer/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">American
Enlightenments: Pursuing Happiness in the Age of Reason</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="CharlestonandtheEmergenceofMiddleClassCultureintheRevolutionaryAmerica.jpg" class=" wp-image-49637 alignleft" data-attachment-id="49637" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="charlestonandtheemergenceofmiddleclasscultureintherevolutionaryamerica" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/charlestonandtheemergenceofmiddleclasscultureintherevolutionaryamerica.jpg?w=206&h=331?w=311" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/charlestonandtheemergenceofmiddleclasscultureintherevolutionaryamerica.jpg?w=206&h=331?w=187" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/charlestonandtheemergenceofmiddleclasscultureintherevolutionaryamerica.jpg?w=206&h=331" data-orig-size="311,500" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/10/20/the-authors-corner-with-jennifer-goloboy/charlestonandtheemergenceofmiddleclasscultureintherevolutionaryamerica/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 206px) 100vw, 206px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/charlestonandtheemergenceofmiddleclasscultureintherevolutionaryamerica.jpg?w=206&h=331" width="124" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/10/20/the-authors-corner-with-jennifer-goloboy/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Jennifer
Goloboy </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/10/20/the-authors-corner-with-jennifer-goloboy/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Charleston
and the Emergence of Middle-Class Culture in the Revolutionary Era</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 8;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="thundersticks" class=" wp-image-49298 alignleft" data-attachment-id="49298" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="thundersticks" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/thundersticks.jpg?w=223&h=338?w=329" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/thundersticks.jpg?w=223&h=338?w=197" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/thundersticks.jpg?w=223&h=338" data-orig-size="329,500" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/10/17/the-authors-corner-with-david-silverman/thundersticks/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 223px) 100vw, 223px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/thundersticks.jpg?w=223&h=338" width="131" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/10/17/the-authors-corner-with-david-silverman/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">David
Silverman </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/10/17/the-authors-corner-with-david-silverman/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Thundersticks:
Firearms and the Violent Transformation of Native America</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 9;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="jacket-image-framers%27-coup" class=" wp-image-49308 alignleft" data-attachment-id="49308" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="jacket-image-framers%27-coup" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/jacket-image-framers27-coup.jpg?w=216&h=328?w=674" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/jacket-image-framers27-coup.jpg?w=216&h=328?w=197" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/jacket-image-framers27-coup.jpg?w=216&h=328" data-orig-size="987,1500" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/10/13/the-authors-corner-with-michael-klarman/jacket-image-framers%27-coup/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 216px) 100vw, 216px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/jacket-image-framers27-coup.jpg?w=216&h=328" width="131" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/10/13/the-authors-corner-with-michael-klarman/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Michael
Klarman</span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/10/13/the-authors-corner-with-michael-klarman/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">The
Framers’ Coup: The Making of the United States Constitution </span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">(New York: Oxford University Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 10;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="the-end-of-days" class="alignleft wp-image-48047" data-attachment-id="48047" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="the-end-of-days" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/the-end-of-days.jpg?w=676" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/the-end-of-days.jpg?w=234&h=353" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/the-end-of-days.jpg" data-orig-size="1600,2416" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/10/10/the-authors-corner-with-matthew-harper/the-end-of-days/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 234px) 100vw, 234px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/the-end-of-days.jpg?w=234&h=353" width="132" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/10/10/the-authors-corner-with-matthew-harper/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Matthew
Harper </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/10/10/the-authors-corner-with-matthew-harper/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">The
End of Days: African American Religion and Politics in the Age of
Emancipation</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina
Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 11;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="slaverys-metropolis" class=" wp-image-47828 alignleft" data-attachment-id="47828" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="slaverys-metropolis" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/slaverys-metropolis.jpg?w=254&h=387?w=329" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/slaverys-metropolis.jpg?w=254&h=387?w=197" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/slaverys-metropolis.jpg?w=254&h=387" data-orig-size="329,500" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/10/06/the-authors-corner-with-rashauna-johnson/slaverys-metropolis/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 254px) 100vw, 254px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/slaverys-metropolis.jpg?w=254&h=387" width="131" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/10/06/the-authors-corner-with-rashauna-johnson/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Rashauna
Johnson </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/10/06/the-authors-corner-with-rashauna-johnson/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Slavery’s
Metropolis: Unfree Labor in New Orleans during the Age of Revolutions</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 12;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="thedutchmoment" class=" wp-image-47699 alignleft" data-attachment-id="47699" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="thedutchmoment" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/thedutchmoment.jpg?w=225&h=332?w=338" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/thedutchmoment.jpg?w=225&h=332?w=203" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/thedutchmoment.jpg?w=225&h=332" data-orig-size="338,499" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/10/03/the-authors-corner-with-willem-klooster/thedutchmoment/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/thedutchmoment.jpg?w=225&h=332" width="135" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/10/03/the-authors-corner-with-willem-klooster/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Willem
Klooster </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/10/03/the-authors-corner-with-willem-klooster/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">The
Dutch Moment: War, Trade, and Settlement in the Seventeenth-Century Atlantic
World</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 13;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="ThisVastSouthernEmpire.jpg" class=" wp-image-47833 alignleft" data-attachment-id="47833" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="thisvastsouthernempire" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/thisvastsouthernempire.jpg?w=232&h=353?w=329" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/thisvastsouthernempire.jpg?w=232&h=353?w=197" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/thisvastsouthernempire.jpg?w=232&h=353" data-orig-size="329,500" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/09/29/the-authors-corner-with-matthew-karp/thisvastsouthernempire/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 232px) 100vw, 232px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/thisvastsouthernempire.jpg?w=232&h=353" width="131" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/09/29/the-authors-corner-with-matthew-karp/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Matthew
Karp</span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/09/29/the-authors-corner-with-matthew-karp/"><span style="color: #0563c1;"><i>This
Vast Southern Empire: Slaveholders at the Helm of American Foreign Policy </i>(Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2016)</span></a></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 14;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="TheHeartofDeclaration.png" class=" wp-image-47535 alignleft" data-attachment-id="47535" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="theheartofdeclaration" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/theheartofdeclaration.png?w=244&h=367?w=255" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/theheartofdeclaration.png?w=244&h=367?w=200" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/theheartofdeclaration.png?w=244&h=367" data-orig-size="255,383" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/09/26/the-authors-corner-with-steven-pincus/theheartofdeclaration/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 244px) 100vw, 244px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/theheartofdeclaration.png?w=244&h=367" width="132" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/09/26/the-authors-corner-with-steven-pincus/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Steven
Pincus</span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/09/26/the-authors-corner-with-steven-pincus/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">The
Heart of the Declaration: The Founders’ Case for an Activist Government</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 15;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="villageatheists.gif" class=" wp-image-47546 alignleft" data-attachment-id="47546" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="villageatheists" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/villageatheists.gif?w=300&h=447?w=300" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/villageatheists.gif?w=300&h=447?w=201" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/villageatheists.gif?w=300&h=447" data-orig-size="300,447" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/09/22/the-authors-corner-with-leigh-eric-schmidt/villageatheists/" height="200" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/villageatheists.gif?w=300&h=447" width="134" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/09/22/the-authors-corner-with-leigh-eric-schmidt/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Leigh Eric Schmidt</span></span></a></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"><i>Village
Atheists: How America’s Unbelievers Made Their Way in a Godly Nation </i>(Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2016)</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 16;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="The Making of a Working Class Religion.jpg" class=" wp-image-47463 alignleft" data-attachment-id="47463" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="the-making-of-a-working-class-religion" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/the-making-of-a-working-class-religion.jpg?w=252&h=378?w=333" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/the-making-of-a-working-class-religion.jpg?w=252&h=378?w=200" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/the-making-of-a-working-class-religion.jpg?w=252&h=378" data-orig-size="333,499" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/09/19/the-authors-corner-with-matthew-pehl/the-making-of-a-working-class-religion/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 252px) 100vw, 252px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/the-making-of-a-working-class-religion.jpg?w=252&h=378" width="133" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/09/19/the-authors-corner-with-matthew-pehl/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Matthew
Pehl </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/09/19/the-authors-corner-with-matthew-pehl/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">The
Making of Working-Class Religion</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Champaign: University
of Illinois Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 17;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="insurgent-democracy" class=" wp-image-46490 alignleft" data-attachment-id="46490" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="insurgent-democracy" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/insurgent-democracy.jpg?w=268&h=404?w=183" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/insurgent-democracy.jpg?w=268&h=404?w=183" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/insurgent-democracy.jpg?w=268&h=404" data-orig-size="183,276" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/09/15/the-authors-corner-with-michael-lansing/insurgent-democracy/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 268px) 100vw, 268px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/insurgent-democracy.jpg" width="132" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/09/15/the-authors-corner-with-michael-lansing/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Michael
Lansing </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/09/15/the-authors-corner-with-michael-lansing/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Insurgent
Democracy: The Nonpartisan League in North American Politics</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2015).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 18;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="american-revolutions" class=" wp-image-46518 alignleft" data-attachment-id="46518" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="american-revolutions" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/american-revolutions.jpg?w=271&h=411?w=228" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/american-revolutions.jpg?w=271&h=411?w=198" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/american-revolutions.jpg?w=271&h=411" data-orig-size="228,346" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/09/12/the-authors-corner-with-alan-taylor/american-revolutions/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 271px) 100vw, 271px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/american-revolutions.jpg" width="131" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/09/12/the-authors-corner-with-alan-taylor/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Alan
Taylor</span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/09/12/the-authors-corner-with-alan-taylor/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">American
Revolutions: A Continental History, 1750-1804</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">
(New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 19;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Troubled Refuge" class=" wp-image-45831 alignleft" data-attachment-id="45831" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Troubled Refuge" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/troubled-refuge.jpg?w=259&h=383?w=338" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/troubled-refuge.jpg?w=259&h=383?w=203" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/troubled-refuge.jpg?w=259&h=383" data-orig-size="338,500" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/09/08/the-authors-corner-with-chandra-manning/troubled-refuge/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 259px) 100vw, 259px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/troubled-refuge.jpg?w=259&h=383" width="135" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/09/08/the-authors-corner-with-chandra-manning/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Chandra
Manning</span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/09/08/the-authors-corner-with-chandra-manning/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Troubled
Refuge: Struggling for Freedom in the Civil War</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">
(New York: Knopf, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 20;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Apostle of Union.jpg" class=" wp-image-45634 alignleft" data-attachment-id="45634" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Apostle of Union" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/apostle-of-union.jpg?w=226&h=343?w=329" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/apostle-of-union.jpg?w=226&h=343?w=198" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/apostle-of-union.jpg?w=226&h=343" data-orig-size="329,499" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/09/05/the-authors-corner-with-matthew-mason/apostle-of-union/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 226px) 100vw, 226px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/apostle-of-union.jpg?w=226&h=343" width="131" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/09/05/the-authors-corner-with-matthew-mason/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Matthew
Mason </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/09/05/the-authors-corner-with-matthew-mason/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Apostle
of Union: A Political Biography of Edward Everett </span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">(Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 21;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Ye that Are Men Now Serve Him" class=" wp-image-45576 alignleft" data-attachment-id="45576" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Ye that Are Men Now Serve Him" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/ye-that-are-men-now-serve-him.jpg?w=279&h=419?w=333" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/ye-that-are-men-now-serve-him.jpg?w=279&h=419?w=200" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/ye-that-are-men-now-serve-him.jpg?w=279&h=419" data-orig-size="333,500" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/09/01/the-authors-corner-with-colin-chapell/ye-that-are-men-now-serve-him/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 279px) 100vw, 279px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/ye-that-are-men-now-serve-him.jpg?w=279&h=419" width="133" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/09/01/the-authors-corner-with-colin-chapell/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Colin
Chapell </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/09/01/the-authors-corner-with-colin-chapell/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Ye
That Are Men Now Serve Him: Radical Holiness Theology and Gender in the South</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 22;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Pujara" class=" wp-image-44853 alignleft" data-attachment-id="44853" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="Pujara" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/pujara.jpg?w=233&h=345?w=200" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/pujara.jpg?w=233&h=345?w=200" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/pujara.jpg?w=233&h=345" data-orig-size="200,296" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/08/29/the-authors-corner-with-christy-clark-pujara/pujara/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 233px) 100vw, 233px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/pujara.jpg" width="135" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/08/29/the-authors-corner-with-christy-clark-pujara/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Christy
Clark-Pujara </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/08/29/the-authors-corner-with-christy-clark-pujara/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Dark
Work: The Business of Slavery in Rhode Island </span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">(New York: New
York University Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 23;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="God Hates" class="alignleft wp-image-44836" data-attachment-id="44836" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="God Hates" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/god-hates.jpg?w=676" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/god-hates.jpg?w=252&h=381" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/god-hates.jpg" data-orig-size="1828,2763" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/08/25/the-authors-corner-with-rebecca-barrett-fox/god-hates/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 252px) 100vw, 252px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/god-hates.jpg?w=252&h=381" width="132" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/08/25/the-authors-corner-with-rebecca-barrett-fox/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Rebecca
Barrett Fox </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/08/25/the-authors-corner-with-rebecca-barrett-fox/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">God
Hates: Westboro Baptist Church, American Nationalism, and the Religious Right</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 24;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Edwards and Print" class=" wp-image-43954 alignleft" data-attachment-id="43954" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Edwards and Print" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/edwards-and-print.jpg?w=235&h=358?w=180" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/edwards-and-print.jpg?w=235&h=358?w=180" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/edwards-and-print.jpg?w=235&h=358" data-orig-size="180,274" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/08/18/the-authors-corner-with-jonathan-yeager/edwards-and-print/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 235px) 100vw, 235px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/edwards-and-print.jpg" width="131" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/08/18/the-authors-corner-with-jonathan-yeager/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Jonathan
Yeager </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/08/18/the-authors-corner-with-jonathan-yeager/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Jonathan
Edwards and Transatlantic Print Culture</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">
(New York: Oxford University Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 25;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Holcomb" class="alignleft wp-image-43574" data-attachment-id="43574" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Holcomb" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/holcomb.jpg?w=662" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/holcomb.jpg?w=233&h=352" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/holcomb.jpg" data-orig-size="662,1000" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/08/15/the-authors-corner-with-julie-holcomb/holcomb/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 233px) 100vw, 233px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/holcomb.jpg?w=233&h=352" width="132" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/08/15/the-authors-corner-with-julie-holcomb/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Julie
L. Holcomb </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/08/15/the-authors-corner-with-julie-holcomb/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Moral
Commerce: Quakers and the Transatlantic Boycott of the Slave Labor Economy </span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">(Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 26;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="history-and-presence-199x300" class=" wp-image-42006 alignleft" data-attachment-id="42006" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="history-and-presence-199×300" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/history-and-presence-199x300.jpg?w=217&h=327?w=199" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/history-and-presence-199x300.jpg?w=217&h=327?w=199" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/history-and-presence-199x300.jpg?w=217&h=327" data-orig-size="199,300" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/08/04/the-authors-corner-with-robert-orsi/history-and-presence-199x300/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 217px) 100vw, 217px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/history-and-presence-199x300.jpg" width="132" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/08/04/the-authors-corner-with-robert-orsi/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Robert
Orsi </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/08/04/the-authors-corner-with-robert-orsi/"><span style="color: #0563c1;"><i>History
and Presence</i> (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2016).</span></a></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 27;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://history.uwo.ca/people/faculty/shire.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Shire" class=" wp-image-41601 alignleft" data-attachment-id="41601" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Shire" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/shire.jpg?w=237&h=358?w=265" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/shire.jpg?w=237&h=358?w=199" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/shire.jpg?w=237&h=358" data-orig-size="265,400" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/08/01/the-authors-corner-with-laurel-shire/shire/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 237px) 100vw, 237px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/shire.jpg?w=237&h=358" width="132" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/08/01/the-authors-corner-with-laurel-shire/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Laurel
Clark Shire </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/08/01/the-authors-corner-with-laurel-shire/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">The
Threshold of Manifest Destiny: Gender and National Expansion in Florida</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 28;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Woodrow" class=" wp-image-41468 alignleft" data-attachment-id="41468" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Woodrow" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/woodrow.jpg?w=236&h=358?w=180" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/woodrow.jpg?w=236&h=358?w=180" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/woodrow.jpg?w=236&h=358" data-orig-size="180,273" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/07/28/the-authors-corner-with-barry-hankins/woodrow/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 236px) 100vw, 236px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/woodrow.jpg" width="131" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/07/28/the-authors-corner-with-barry-hankins/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Barry
Hankins </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/07/28/the-authors-corner-with-barry-hankins/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Woodrow
Wilson: Ruling Elder, Spiritual President</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (New York: Oxford
University Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 29;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.towson.edu/cla/departments/history/facultystaff/adiemer.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Politics of Black Citizenship" class=" size-full wp-image-41357 alignleft" data-attachment-id="41357" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Politics of Black Citizenship" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/politics-of-black-citizenship.jpg?w=676?w=265" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/politics-of-black-citizenship.jpg?w=676?w=199" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/politics-of-black-citizenship.jpg?w=676" data-orig-size="265,400" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/07/25/the-authors-corner-with-andrew-diemer/politics-of-black-citizenship/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 265px) 100vw, 265px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/politics-of-black-citizenship.jpg" width="132" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/07/25/the-authors-corner-with-andrew-diemer/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Andrew
Diemer </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/07/25/the-authors-corner-with-andrew-diemer/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">The
Politics of Black Citizenship: Free African-Americans in the Mid-Atlantic
Borderland, 1817-1863</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Athens: University of
Georgia Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 30;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Preacher-Girl-Uldine-Utley-and-the-Industry-of-Revival-by-Thomas-A.-Robinson" class="alignleft wp-image-41033" data-attachment-id="41033" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Preacher-Girl-Uldine-Utley-and-the-Industry-of-Revival-by-Thomas-A.-Robinson" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/preacher-girl-uldine-utley-and-the-industry-of-revival-by-thomas-a-robinson.png?w=437" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/preacher-girl-uldine-utley-and-the-industry-of-revival-by-thomas-a-robinson.png?w=254&h=381" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/preacher-girl-uldine-utley-and-the-industry-of-revival-by-thomas-a-robinson.png" data-orig-size="437,655" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/07/21/the-authors-corner-with-thomas-robinson/preacher-girl-uldine-utley-and-the-industry-of-revival-by-thomas-a-robinson/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 254px) 100vw, 254px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/preacher-girl-uldine-utley-and-the-industry-of-revival-by-thomas-a-robinson.png?w=254&h=381" width="133" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/07/21/the-authors-corner-with-thomas-robinson/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Thomas
Robinson </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/07/21/the-authors-corner-with-thomas-robinson/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Preacher
Girl: Uldine Utley and the Industry of Revival </span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">(Waco: Baylor
University Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 31;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Fitz" class=" size-full wp-image-40351 alignleft" data-attachment-id="40351" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="Fitz" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/fitz.jpg?w=676?w=250" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/fitz.jpg?w=676?w=197" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/fitz.jpg?w=676" data-orig-size="250,380" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/07/18/the-authors-corner-with-caitlin-fitz/fitz/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/fitz.jpg" width="131" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/07/18/the-authors-corner-with-caitlin-fitz/https:/thewayofimprovement.com/2016/07/18/the-authors-corner-with-caitlin-fitz/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Caitlin
Fitz </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/07/18/the-authors-corner-with-caitlin-fitz/https:/thewayofimprovement.com/2016/07/18/the-authors-corner-with-caitlin-fitz/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Our
Sister Republics: The United States in an Age of American Revolutions</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (New York: Liverlight/W.W. Norton, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 32;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Robert Parkinson" class=" wp-image-38959 alignleft" data-attachment-id="38959" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Robert Parkinson" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/robert-parkinson.jpg?w=674" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/robert-parkinson.jpg?w=221&h=335" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/robert-parkinson.jpg" data-orig-size="1600,2432" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/07/11/the-authors-corner-with-robert-parkinson/robert-parkinson/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 221px) 100vw, 221px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/robert-parkinson.jpg?w=221&h=335" width="131" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/07/11/the-authors-corner-with-robert-parkinson/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Robert
Parkinson </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/07/11/the-authors-corner-with-robert-parkinson/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">The
Common Cause: Creating Race and Nation in the American Revolution</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press,
2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 33;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Sara PAretsky" class="alignleft wp-image-38926" data-attachment-id="38926" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Sara PAretsky" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/sara-paretsky.jpg?w=676" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/sara-paretsky.jpg?w=238&h=359" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/sara-paretsky.jpg" data-orig-size="848,1280" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/07/07/the-authors-corner-with-sara-paretsky/sara-paretsky/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 238px) 100vw, 238px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/sara-paretsky.jpg?w=238&h=359" width="132" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/07/07/the-authors-corner-with-sara-paretsky/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Sara
Paretsky </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/07/07/the-authors-corner-with-sara-paretsky/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Words,
Works, and Ways of Knowing: The Breakdown of Moral Philosophy in New England
Before Civil War</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Chicago: University of Chicago
Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 34;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="City of Gods" class=" wp-image-38698 alignleft" data-attachment-id="38698" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="City of Gods" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/city-of-gods.jpg?w=243&h=365?w=180" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/city-of-gods.jpg?w=243&h=365?w=180" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/city-of-gods.jpg?w=243&h=365" data-orig-size="180,270" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/07/04/the-authors-corner-with-r-scott-hanson/city-of-gods/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 243px) 100vw, 243px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/city-of-gods.jpg" width="133" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/07/04/the-authors-corner-with-r-scott-hanson/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">R.
Scott Hanson</span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/07/04/the-authors-corner-with-r-scott-hanson/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">City
of Gods: Religious Freedom, Immigration, and Pluralism in Flushing, Queens</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (New York: Fordham University Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 35;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://touro.academia.edu/ZevEleff/CurriculumVitae" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Zev" class=" wp-image-38673 alignleft" data-attachment-id="38673" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Zev" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/zev.jpg?w=204&h=311?w=180" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/zev.jpg?w=204&h=311?w=180" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/zev.jpg?w=204&h=311" data-orig-size="180,274" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/06/30/the-authors-corner-with-zev-eleff/zev/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 204px) 100vw, 204px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/zev.jpg" width="131" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/06/30/the-authors-corner-with-zev-eleff/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Zev
Eleff </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/06/30/the-authors-corner-with-zev-eleff/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Who
Rules the Synagogue?: Religious Authority and the Formation of American
Judaism</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (New York: Oxford University Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 36;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Moniz" class=" wp-image-38641 alignleft" data-attachment-id="38641" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Moniz" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/moniz.png?w=290&h=418?w=512" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/moniz.png?w=290&h=418?w=208" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/moniz.png?w=290&h=418" data-orig-size="512,739" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/06/27/the-authors-corner-with-amanda-moniz/moniz/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/moniz.png?w=290&h=418" width="138" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/06/27/the-authors-corner-with-amanda-moniz/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Amanda
Moniz </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/06/27/the-authors-corner-with-amanda-moniz/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">From
Empire to Humanity: The American Revolution & the Origins of
Humanitarianism </span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">(New York: Oxford University
Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 37;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Longley" class=" wp-image-38635 alignleft" data-attachment-id="38635" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Longley" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/longley.jpg?w=277&h=396?w=243" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/longley.jpg?w=277&h=396?w=211" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/longley.jpg?w=277&h=396" data-orig-size="243,346" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/06/23/the-authors-corner-with-max-longley/longley/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 277px) 100vw, 277px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/longley.jpg" width="139" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/06/23/the-authors-corner-with-max-longley/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Max
Longley </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/06/23/the-authors-corner-with-max-longley/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">For
the Union and the Catholic Church: Four Converts in the Civil War </span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">(Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2015).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 38;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Alpert" class="alignleft wp-image-38484" data-attachment-id="38484" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Alpert" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/alpert.jpg?w=331" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/alpert.jpg?w=241&h=363" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/alpert.jpg" data-orig-size="331,499" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/06/13/the-authors-corner-with-rebecca-alpert/alpert/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 241px) 100vw, 241px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/alpert.jpg" width="132" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/06/13/the-authors-corner-with-rebecca-alpert/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Rebecca
T. Alpert </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/06/13/the-authors-corner-with-rebecca-alpert/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Out
of Left Field: Jews and Black Baseball</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">
(New York: Oxford University Press, 2011).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 39;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeAwLjytbtyvMXsgQ3a_b2RQq5Y-MX_-o8qRTNHhADkvBH6kyIgrcimgO4DmQutUfqZoDacyxQQQu2UdSD4Qrv_ZQZURAVLpAZwMDqtKaW_rCAmN1_dZV_CISssQFAcqmxObA5mKh2e74/s1600/GW1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeAwLjytbtyvMXsgQ3a_b2RQq5Y-MX_-o8qRTNHhADkvBH6kyIgrcimgO4DmQutUfqZoDacyxQQQu2UdSD4Qrv_ZQZURAVLpAZwMDqtKaW_rCAmN1_dZV_CISssQFAcqmxObA5mKh2e74/s200/GW1.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br /></div>
</div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/06/09/the-authors-corner-with-stephen-howard-browne/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Stephen
H. Browne </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/06/09/the-authors-corner-with-stephen-howard-browne/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">The
Ides of War: George Washington and the Newburgh Crisis</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 40;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="A New Gospel for Women" class=" wp-image-38211 alignleft" data-attachment-id="38211" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="A New Gospel for Women" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/a-new-gospel-for-women.jpg?w=274&h=412?w=231" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/a-new-gospel-for-women.jpg?w=274&h=412?w=200" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/a-new-gospel-for-women.jpg?w=274&h=412" data-orig-size="231,346" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/06/06/the-authors-corner-with-kristin-kobes-du-mez/a-new-gospel-for-women/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 274px) 100vw, 274px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/a-new-gospel-for-women.jpg" width="133" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/06/06/the-authors-corner-with-kristin-kobes-du-mez/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Kristin
Kobes Du Mez </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/06/06/the-authors-corner-with-kristin-kobes-du-mez/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">A
New Gospel for Women: Katherine Bushnell and the Challenge of Christian Feminism</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (New York: Oxford University Press, 2015).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 41;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Huebner" class="alignleft wp-image-38100" data-attachment-id="38100" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="Huebner" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/huebner.jpg?w=676" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/huebner.jpg?w=232&h=350" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/huebner.jpg" data-orig-size="1838,2775" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/06/02/the-authors-corner-with-timothy-huebner/huebner/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 232px) 100vw, 232px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/huebner.jpg?w=232&h=350" width="132" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/06/02/the-authors-corner-with-timothy-huebner/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Tim
Huebner </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/06/02/the-authors-corner-with-timothy-huebner/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Liberty
and Union: The Civil War Era and American Constitutionalism </span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">(Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 42;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Mislin" class="alignleft wp-image-37712" data-attachment-id="37712" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Mislin" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/mislin.jpg?w=655" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/mislin.jpg?w=216&h=330" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/mislin.jpg" data-orig-size="655,1000" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/30/the-authors-corner-with-david-mislin/mislin/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 216px) 100vw, 216px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/mislin.jpg?w=216&h=330" width="130" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/30/the-authors-corner-with-david-mislin/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">David
Mislin </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/30/the-authors-corner-with-david-mislin/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Saving
Faith: Making Religious Pluralism an American Value at the Dawn of a Secular
Age</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 43;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://history.nd.edu/faculty/directory/john-t-mcgreevy/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="McGreevy" class=" wp-image-37683 alignleft" data-attachment-id="37683" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="McGreevy" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/mcgreevy.gif?w=254&h=385?w=300" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/mcgreevy.gif?w=254&h=385?w=197" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/mcgreevy.gif?w=254&h=385" data-orig-size="300,456" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/26/the-authors-corner-with-john-mcgreevy/mcgreevy/" height="200" originalh="385" originalw="254" scale="1.5" src-orig="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/mcgreevy.gif?w=254&h=385" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/mcgreevy.gif?w=381&h=579" width="131" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/26/the-authors-corner-with-john-mcgreevy/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">John
T. McGreevy </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/26/the-authors-corner-with-john-mcgreevy/"><span style="color: #0563c1;"><i>American
Jesuits and the World: How an Embattled Religious Order Made Modern Catholicism
Global </i>(Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2016)</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">.</span></span></a></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 44;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Concord" class=" wp-image-37512 alignleft" data-attachment-id="37512" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Concord" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/concord.jpg?w=270&h=417?w=323" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/concord.jpg?w=270&h=417?w=194" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/concord.jpg?w=270&h=417" data-orig-size="323,499" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/23/the-authors-corner-with-j-l-bell/concord/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 270px) 100vw, 270px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/concord.jpg" width="129" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/23/the-authors-corner-with-j-l-bell/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">J.L.
Bell </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/23/the-authors-corner-with-j-l-bell/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">The
Road to Concord: How Four Stolen Cannon Ignited the Revolutionary War</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Yardley, Pennsylvania: Westholme Publishing, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 45;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="LincolnandthePoliticsofSlavery.jpg" class=" wp-image-36540 alignleft" data-attachment-id="36540" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="LincolnandthePoliticsofSlavery" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/lincolnandthepoliticsofslavery.jpg?w=278&h=423?w=180" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/lincolnandthepoliticsofslavery.jpg?w=278&h=423?w=180" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/lincolnandthepoliticsofslavery.jpg?w=278&h=423" data-orig-size="180,274" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/19/the-authors-corner-with-daniel-w-crofts/lincolnandthepoliticsofslavery/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 278px) 100vw, 278px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/lincolnandthepoliticsofslavery.jpg" width="131" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/19/the-authors-corner-with-daniel-w-crofts/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Daniel
W. Crofts </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/19/the-authors-corner-with-daniel-w-crofts/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Lincoln
and the Politics of Slavery: The Other Thirteenth Amendment and the Struggle
to Save the Union</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Chapel Hill: The University of North
Carolina Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 46;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="TheVoyageoftheSlaveShipHare.jpg" class="alignleft wp-image-36344" data-attachment-id="36344" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="TheVoyageoftheSlaveShipHare" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/thevoyageoftheslaveshiphare.jpg?w=290&h=441?w=329" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/thevoyageoftheslaveshiphare.jpg?w=290&h=441?w=198" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/thevoyageoftheslaveshiphare.jpg?w=290&h=441" data-orig-size="329,499" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/16/the-authors-corner-with-sean-kelley/thevoyageoftheslaveshiphare/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/thevoyageoftheslaveshiphare.jpg" width="131" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/16/the-authors-corner-with-sean-kelley/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Sean
Kelley </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/16/the-authors-corner-with-sean-kelley/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">The
Voyage of the Slave Ship Hare: A Journey into Captivity from Sierra Leone to
South Carolina</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Chapel Hill: The University of North
Carolina Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 47;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="thesacredmirror" class=" wp-image-36257 alignleft" data-attachment-id="36257" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="thesacredmirror" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/thesacredmirror.jpg?w=244&h=375?w=325" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/thesacredmirror.jpg?w=244&h=375?w=195" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/thesacredmirror.jpg?w=244&h=375" data-orig-size="325,499" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/12/the-authors-corner-with-robert-elder/thesacredmirror/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 244px) 100vw, 244px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/thesacredmirror.jpg" width="130" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/12/the-authors-corner-with-robert-elder/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Robert
Elder </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/12/the-authors-corner-with-robert-elder/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">The
Sacred Mirror: Evangelicalism, Honor, and Identity in the Deep South,
1790-1860 </span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">(Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina
Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 48;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="BindusApart.jpg" class=" wp-image-35661 alignleft" data-attachment-id="35661" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="BindusApart" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/bindusapart.jpg?w=264&h=401?w=329" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/bindusapart.jpg?w=264&h=401?w=198" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/bindusapart.jpg?w=264&h=401" data-orig-size="329,499" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/09/the-authors-corner-with-nicholas-guyatt/bindusapart/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 264px) 100vw, 264px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/bindusapart.jpg" width="131" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/09/the-authors-corner-with-nicholas-guyatt/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Nicholas
Guyatt </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/09/the-authors-corner-with-nicholas-guyatt/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Bind
Us Apart: How Enlightened Americans Invented Racial Segregation</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (New York: Basic Books, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 49;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="thepressandslaveryinamerica" class=" wp-image-34849 alignleft" data-attachment-id="34849" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="thepressandslaveryinamerica" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/thepressandslaveryinamerica.jpg?w=269&h=404?w=183" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/thepressandslaveryinamerica.jpg?w=269&h=404?w=183" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/thepressandslaveryinamerica.jpg?w=269&h=404" data-orig-size="183,275" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/05/the-authors-corner-with-brian-gabrial/thepressandslaveryinamerica/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 269px) 100vw, 269px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/thepressandslaveryinamerica.jpg" width="133" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/05/the-authors-corner-with-brian-gabrial/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Brian
Gabrial </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/05/the-authors-corner-with-brian-gabrial/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">The
Press and Slavery in America 1791-1859: The Melancholy Effect of Popular
Excitement</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Columbia: University of South Carolina
Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 50;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="TomPaineIronBridge" class=" wp-image-34840 alignleft" data-attachment-id="34840" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="TomPaineIronBridge" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/tompaineironbridge.jpg?w=276&h=419?w=329" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/tompaineironbridge.jpg?w=276&h=419?w=198" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/tompaineironbridge.jpg?w=276&h=419" data-orig-size="329,499" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/03/the-authors-corner-with-edward-gray/tompaineironbridge/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 276px) 100vw, 276px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/tompaineironbridge.jpg" width="131" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/03/the-authors-corner-with-edward-gray/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Edward
Gray </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/05/03/the-authors-corner-with-edward-gray/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Tom
Paine’s Iron Bridge: Building a United States</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">
(New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 51;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="hardesty front.jpg" class="alignleft wp-image-34858" data-attachment-id="34858" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="hardesty front" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/hardesty-front.jpg?w=268&h=402?w=676" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/hardesty-front.jpg?w=268&h=402?w=200" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/hardesty-front.jpg?w=268&h=402" data-orig-size="1800,2700" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/04/28/the-authors-corner-with-jared-hardesty/hardesty-front/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 268px) 100vw, 268px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/hardesty-front.jpg?w=268&h=402" width="133" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/04/28/the-authors-corner-with-jared-hardesty/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Jared
Hardesty </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/04/28/the-authors-corner-with-jared-hardesty/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Unfreedom:
Slavery and Dependence in Eighteenth-Century Boston</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (New York: New York University Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 52;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="GrandForage" class=" wp-image-34557 alignleft" data-attachment-id="34557" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="GrandForage" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/grandforage.jpg?w=230&h=354?w=324" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/grandforage.jpg?w=230&h=354?w=195" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/grandforage.jpg?w=230&h=354" data-orig-size="324,499" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/04/25/the-authors-corner-with-todd-braisted/grandforage/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 230px) 100vw, 230px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/grandforage.jpg?w=230&h=354" width="129" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/04/25/the-authors-corner-with-todd-braisted/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Todd
Braisted </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/04/25/the-authors-corner-with-todd-braisted/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Grand
Forage 1778: The Battleground Around New York City</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Yardley, Pennsylvania: Westholme Publishing, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 53;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Invisible Sovereign.jpg" class=" wp-image-34298 alignleft" data-attachment-id="34298" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Invisible Sovereign" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/invisible-sovereign.jpg?w=226&h=339?w=333" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/invisible-sovereign.jpg?w=226&h=339?w=200" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/invisible-sovereign.jpg?w=226&h=339" data-orig-size="333,499" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/04/21/the-authors-corner-with-mark-guenther-schmeller/invisible-sovereign/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 226px) 100vw, 226px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/invisible-sovereign.jpg?w=226&h=339" width="133" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/04/21/the-authors-corner-with-mark-guenther-schmeller/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Mark
Guenther Schmeller </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/04/21/the-authors-corner-with-mark-guenther-schmeller/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Invisible
Sovereign: Imagining Public Opinion from the Revolution to Reconstruction</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2015).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 53;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicBY-2Vy-x-F4CDg1MVdEhloTo-ZlLONgrnZjVZuSIYsoH9J9Wa2ZHPSNHrUmGckDWoVEJsl2ZUTvhNuA6RtLJ96A6s-7ukr6NlPHnPlba0FiPqcwE0n9DqUxDKt9101m9WR1JRbyJ3eM/s1600/MJ1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicBY-2Vy-x-F4CDg1MVdEhloTo-ZlLONgrnZjVZuSIYsoH9J9Wa2ZHPSNHrUmGckDWoVEJsl2ZUTvhNuA6RtLJ96A6s-7ukr6NlPHnPlba0FiPqcwE0n9DqUxDKt9101m9WR1JRbyJ3eM/s200/MJ1.png" width="131" /></a></div>
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/04/18/the-authors-corner-with-john-turner/">John Turner</a></span> </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/04/18/the-authors-corner-with-john-turner/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">The Mormon Jesus: A Biography</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 54;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"><br /></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 55;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="The-Genesis-of-Liberation.jpg" class=" wp-image-33415 alignleft" data-attachment-id="33415" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="The-Genesis-of-Liberation" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/the-genesis-of-liberation.jpg?w=279&h=417?w=235" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/the-genesis-of-liberation.jpg?w=279&h=417?w=200" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/the-genesis-of-liberation.jpg?w=279&h=417" data-orig-size="235,352" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/04/14/the-authors-corner-with-emerson-powery/the-genesis-of-liberation/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 279px) 100vw, 279px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/the-genesis-of-liberation.jpg" width="133" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/04/14/the-authors-corner-with-emerson-powery/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Emerson
Powery </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/04/14/the-authors-corner-with-emerson-powery/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">The
Genesis of Liberation: Biblical Interpretation in the Antebellum Narratives
of the Enslaved</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press,
2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 56;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="AfricansintheOldSouth" class=" wp-image-32678 alignleft" data-attachment-id="32678" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="AfricansintheOldSouth" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/africansintheoldsouth.jpg?w=258&h=392?w=329" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/africansintheoldsouth.jpg?w=258&h=392?w=198" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/africansintheoldsouth.jpg?w=258&h=392" data-orig-size="329,499" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/04/11/the-authors-corner-with-randy-j-sparks/africansintheoldsouth/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 258px) 100vw, 258px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/africansintheoldsouth.jpg?w=258&h=392" width="131" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/04/11/the-authors-corner-with-randy-j-sparks/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Randy
J. Sparks </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/04/11/the-authors-corner-with-randy-j-sparks/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Africans
in the Old South: Mapping Exceptional Lives across the Atlantic World</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 57;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="41R1ZBvPo1L._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_" class=" wp-image-32339 alignleft" data-attachment-id="32339" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="41R1ZBvPo1L._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/41r1zbvpo1l-_sx331_bo1204203200_.jpg?w=279&h=418?w=333" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/41r1zbvpo1l-_sx331_bo1204203200_.jpg?w=279&h=418?w=200" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/41r1zbvpo1l-_sx331_bo1204203200_.jpg?w=279&h=418" data-orig-size="333,499" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/04/07/the-authors-corner-with-carl-richard/41r1zbvpo1l-_sx331_bo1204203200_/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 279px) 100vw, 279px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/41r1zbvpo1l-_sx331_bo1204203200_.jpg?w=279&h=418" width="133" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/04/07/the-authors-corner-with-carl-richard/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Carl
Richard</span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/04/07/the-authors-corner-with-carl-richard/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">The
Founders and the Bible </span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">(Lanham, Maryland: Rowman &
Littlefield Publishers, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 58;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="cadwalladercolden" class=" wp-image-32326 alignleft" data-attachment-id="32326" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="cadwalladercolden" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/cadwalladercolden.jpg?w=277&h=416?w=333" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/cadwalladercolden.jpg?w=277&h=416?w=200" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/cadwalladercolden.jpg?w=277&h=416" data-orig-size="333,499" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/03/31/the-authors-corner-with-john-dixon/cadwalladercolden/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 277px) 100vw, 277px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/cadwalladercolden.jpg?w=277&h=416" width="133" /></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/03/31/the-authors-corner-with-john-dixon/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">John
Dixon </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/03/31/the-authors-corner-with-john-dixon/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">The
Enlightenment of Cadwallader Colden: Empire, Science, and Intellectual
Culture in British New York</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Ithaca: Cornell
University Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 59;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="bondsofunion" class="wp-image-31369 alignleft" data-attachment-id="31369" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="bondsofunion" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/bondsofunion.jpg?w=268&h=402?w=332" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/bondsofunion.jpg?w=268&h=402?w=200" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/bondsofunion.jpg?w=268&h=402" data-orig-size="332,499" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/03/24/the-authors-corner-with-bridget-ford/bondsofunion/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 268px) 100vw, 268px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/bondsofunion.jpg?w=268&h=402" width="133" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/03/24/the-authors-corner-with-bridget-ford/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Bridget
Ford </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/03/24/the-authors-corner-with-bridget-ford/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Bonds
of Union: Religion, Race, and Politics in a Civil War Borderland</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 60;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="FamilyValues" class=" wp-image-31236 alignleft" data-attachment-id="31236" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="FamilyValues" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/familyvalues.jpg?w=285&h=430?w=331" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/familyvalues.jpg?w=285&h=430?w=199" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/familyvalues.jpg?w=285&h=430" data-orig-size="331,499" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/03/21/the-authors-corner-with-seth-dowland/familyvalues/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 285px) 100vw, 285px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/familyvalues.jpg?w=285&h=430" width="132" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/03/21/the-authors-corner-with-seth-dowland/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Seth
Dowland </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/03/21/the-authors-corner-with-seth-dowland/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Family
Values and the Rise of the Christian Right: Politics and Culture in Modern
America</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press,
2015).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 61;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.warmuseum.ca/about/contact-us/staff-directory/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="McLeod" class="alignleft wp-image-31061" data-attachment-id="31061" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="McLeod" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/mcleod.jpg?w=339" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/mcleod.jpg?w=258&h=379" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/mcleod.jpg" data-orig-size="339,499" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/03/17/the-authors-corner-with-peter-macleod/mcleod/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 258px) 100vw, 258px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/mcleod.jpg?w=258&h=379" width="136" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/03/17/the-authors-corner-with-peter-macleod/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Peter
Macleod </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/03/17/the-authors-corner-with-peter-macleod/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Northern
Armageddon: The Battle of the Plains of Abraham and the Making of the
American Revolution</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (New York: Knopf, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 62;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Informed Power" class=" wp-image-30677 alignleft" data-attachment-id="30677" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Informed Power" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/informed-power.jpg?w=255&h=384?w=331" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/informed-power.jpg?w=255&h=384?w=199" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/informed-power.jpg?w=255&h=384" data-orig-size="331,499" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/03/14/the-authors-corner-with-alejandra-dubcovsky/informed-power/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 255px) 100vw, 255px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/informed-power.jpg?w=255&h=384" width="132" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/03/14/the-authors-corner-with-alejandra-dubcovsky/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Alejandra
Dubcovsky </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/03/14/the-authors-corner-with-alejandra-dubcovsky/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Informed
Power: Communication in the Early American South</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">
(Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 63;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="A Notorious Woman.jpg" class=" wp-image-30218 alignleft" data-attachment-id="30218" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="A Notorious Woman" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/a-notorious-woman.jpg?w=259&h=393?w=329" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/a-notorious-woman.jpg?w=259&h=393?w=198" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/a-notorious-woman.jpg?w=259&h=393" data-orig-size="329,499" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/03/10/the-authors-corner-with-elizabeth-clapp/a-notorious-woman/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 259px) 100vw, 259px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/a-notorious-woman.jpg?w=259&h=393" width="131" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/03/10/the-authors-corner-with-elizabeth-clapp/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Elizabeth
J. Clapp </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/03/10/the-authors-corner-with-elizabeth-clapp/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">A
Notorious Woman: Anne Royall in Jacksonian America</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 64;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="A Grizzly in the Mail" class=" wp-image-29733 alignleft" data-attachment-id="29733" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="A Grizzly in the Mail" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/a-grizzly-in-the-mail.jpg?w=302&h=452?w=231" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/a-grizzly-in-the-mail.jpg?w=302&h=452?w=200" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/a-grizzly-in-the-mail.jpg?w=302&h=452" data-orig-size="231,346" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/03/07/the-authors-corner-with-tim-grove/a-grizzly-in-the-mail/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 302px) 100vw, 302px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/a-grizzly-in-the-mail.jpg" width="133" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/03/07/the-authors-corner-with-tim-grove/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Tim
Grove </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/03/07/the-authors-corner-with-tim-grove/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">A
Grizzly in the Mail and Other Adventures in American History</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2014).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 65;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="ThePewandthePicketLine" class=" wp-image-28187 alignleft" data-attachment-id="28187" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="ThePewandthePicketLine" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/thepewandthepicketline.jpg?w=271&h=411?w=329" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/thepewandthepicketline.jpg?w=271&h=411?w=198" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/thepewandthepicketline.jpg?w=271&h=411" data-orig-size="329,499" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/02/25/the-authors-corner-with-christopher-cantwell-heath-carter-and-janine-giordano-drake/thepewandthepicketline/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 271px) 100vw, 271px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/thepewandthepicketline.jpg?w=271&h=411" width="131" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/02/25/the-authors-corner-with-christopher-cantwell-heath-carter-and-janine-giordano-drake/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Christopher
D. Cantwell</span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/02/25/the-authors-corner-with-christopher-cantwell-heath-carter-and-janine-giordano-drake/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Heath
W. Carter </span></a></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/02/25/the-authors-corner-with-christopher-cantwell-heath-carter-and-janine-giordano-drake/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Janine
Giordano Drake</span></a></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/02/25/the-authors-corner-with-christopher-cantwell-heath-carter-and-janine-giordano-drake/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">The
Pew and the Picket Line: Christianity and the American Working Class</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 66;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="TheSlaveCause" class=" wp-image-24000 alignleft" data-attachment-id="24000" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="TheSlaveCause" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/theslavecause.jpg?w=249&h=377?w=329" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/theslavecause.jpg?w=249&h=377?w=198" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/theslavecause.jpg?w=249&h=377" data-orig-size="329,499" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/02/01/the-authors-corner-with-manisha-sinha/theslavecause/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 249px) 100vw, 249px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/theslavecause.jpg?w=249&h=377" width="132" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/02/01/the-authors-corner-with-manisha-sinha/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Manisha
Sinha </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/02/01/the-authors-corner-with-manisha-sinha/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">The
Slave Cause: A History of Abolition</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (New Haven: Yale
University Press, 2016).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 67;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Lipman" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-20330" data-attachment-id="20330" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="Lipman" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/lipman.jpg?w=395" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/lipman.jpg?w=198&h=300" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/lipman.jpg" data-orig-size="395,600" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/01/07/the-authors-corner-with-andrew-lipman/lipman/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 198px) 100vw, 198px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/lipman.jpg?w=198&h=300" width="132" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/01/07/the-authors-corner-with-andrew-lipman/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Andrew
Lipman </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/01/07/the-authors-corner-with-andrew-lipman/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">The
Saltwater Frontier: Indians and the Contest for the American Coast</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2015).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 68;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/8d708-loyalprotestantsanddangerouspapists.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: black; float: left; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/8f419-loyalprotestantsanddangerouspapists.jpg?w=266&h=400" width="133" /></span></a></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2015/12/28/the-authors-corner-with-antoinette-sutto/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Antoinette
Sutto </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2015/12/28/the-authors-corner-with-antoinette-sutto/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Loyal
Protestants & Dangerous Papists: Maryland and the Politics of Religion in
the English Atlantic, 1630-1690</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Charlottesville: University
of Virginia Press, 2015).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 69;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/1c2c2-slaveryandthedemocraticconscience.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/1c2c2-slaveryandthedemocraticconscience.jpg?w=263&h=400" width="131" /></a></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2015/12/24/the-authors-corner-with-padraig-riley/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Padraig
Riley </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2015/12/24/the-authors-corner-with-padraig-riley/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Slavery
and the Democratic Conscience: Political Life in Jeffersonian America</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2015).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 70;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/gardner.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/gardner.jpg?w=211&h=320" width="131" /></a></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2015/09/03/the-authors-corner-with-eric-gardner/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Eric
Gardner </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2015/09/03/the-authors-corner-with-eric-gardner/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Black
Print Unbound: The Christian Recorder, African American Literature, and
Periodical Culture</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (New York: Oxford University Press, 2015).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 71;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/4f67e-vella.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/4f67e-vella.jpg?w=265&h=400" width="132" /></a></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2015/08/27/the-authors-corner-with-christina-vella/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Christina
Vella </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2015/08/27/the-authors-corner-with-christina-vella/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">George
Washington Carver: A Life</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2015)</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 72;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/bed14-rael.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/bed14-rael.jpg?w=266&h=400" width="133" /></a></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2015/07/20/the-authors-corner-with-patrick-rael/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Patrick
Rael </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2015/07/20/the-authors-corner-with-patrick-rael/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Eighty-Eight
Years: The Long Death of Slavery in the United States, 1777-1865</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2015).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 73;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="ProfessionalIndian" class=" wp-image-32768 alignleft" data-attachment-id="32768" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="ProfessionalIndian" data-large-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/professionalindian.jpg?w=298&h=448?w=230" data-medium-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/professionalindian.jpg?w=298&h=448?w=199" data-orig-file="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/professionalindian.jpg?w=298&h=448" data-orig-size="230,346" data-permalink="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/04/04/the-authors-corner-with-michael-oberg/professionalindian/" height="200" sizes="(max-width: 298px) 100vw, 298px" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/professionalindian.jpg" width="133" /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/04/04/the-authors-corner-with-michael-oberg/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Michael
Oberg </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/04/04/the-authors-corner-with-michael-oberg/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Professional
Indian: The American Odyssey of Eleazer Williams</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">
(Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2015).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 74;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/9d9a8-thebusinessofslavery.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/9d9a8-thebusinessofslavery.jpg?w=241&h=400" width="120" /></a></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2015/05/18/the-authors-corner-with-calvin-schermerhorn/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Calvin
Schermerhorn </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2015/05/18/the-authors-corner-with-calvin-schermerhorn/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">The
Business of Slavery and the Rise of American Capitalism, 1815-1860</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2015).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 75;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/6b52e-lincoln.jpg'sLastSpeech.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/6b52e-lincoln.jpg?w=263&h=400'sLastSpeech.jpg" width="131" /></a></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2015/04/09/the-authors-corner-with-louis-p-masur/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Louis
Masur </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2015/04/09/the-authors-corner-with-louis-p-masur/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Lincoln’s
Last Speech: Wartime Reconstruction and the Crisis of Reunion</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (New York: Oxford University Press, 2015).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 76;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/a7f1a-empirebycollaboration.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/a7f1a-empirebycollaboration.jpg?w=263&h=400" width="131" /></a></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2015/04/06/the-authors-corner-with-robert-michael-morrissey/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Robert
Morrissey </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2015/04/06/the-authors-corner-with-robert-michael-morrissey/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Empire
by Collaboration: Indians, Colonists, and Governments in the Colonial Illinois
Country </span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">(Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania
Press, 2015).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 77;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/8a477-theorigins.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/8a477-theorigins.jpg?w=265&h=400" width="132" /></a></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2015/03/16/the-authors-corner-with-sam-haselby/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Sam
Haselby </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2015/03/16/the-authors-corner-with-sam-haselby/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">The
Origins of American Religious Nationalism</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (New York: Oxford
University Press, 2015).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 78;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/22a3e-thelifeofwilliamapess.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/22a3e-thelifeofwilliamapess.jpg?w=263&h=400" width="131" /></a></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2015/03/02/the-authors-corner-with-philip-f-gura/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Philip
F. Gura </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2015/03/02/the-authors-corner-with-philip-f-gura/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">The
Life of William Apess, Pequot</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Chapel Hill: The
University of North Carolina Press, 2015).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 79;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/0f5cb-mourninglincoln.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/0f5cb-mourninglincoln.jpg?w=263&h=400" width="131" /></a></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2015/03/09/the-authors-corner-with-martha-hodes/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Martha
Hodes </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2015/03/09/the-authors-corner-with-martha-hodes/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Mourning
Lincoln</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2015).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 80;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/d19a7-tyrannicide.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/d19a7-tyrannicide.jpg?w=240&h=400" width="120" /></a></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2014/11/10/the-authors-corner-with-emily-blanck/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Emily
Blanck </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2014/11/10/the-authors-corner-with-emily-blanck/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Tyrannicide:
Forging an American Law of Slavery in Revolutionary South Carolina and
Massachusetts</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2014). </span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 81;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/0ca23-raggedroadtoabolition.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/0ca23-raggedroadtoabolition.jpeg?w=263&h=400" width="131" /></a></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2014/09/29/the-authors-corner-with-james-gigantino/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Jim
Gigantino </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2014/09/29/the-authors-corner-with-james-gigantino/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">The
Ragged Road to Abolition: Slavery and Freedom in New Jersey, 1775-1865 </span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">(Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2014).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 82;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/20f7b-thecrossofwar.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/20f7b-thecrossofwar.png?w=214&h=320" width="133" /></a></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2014/08/21/the-authors-corner-with-matthew-mccullough/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Matthew
McCullough</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> </span></span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2014/08/21/the-authors-corner-with-matthew-mccullough/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">The
Cross of War: Christian Nationalism and U.S. Expansion in the
Spanish-American War </span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;">(Studies in American
Thought and Culture) (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2014).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 83;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/08fd0-cameron_plead-hr-192x300.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/08fd0-cameron_plead-hr-192x300.jpg?w=204&h=320" width="127" /></a></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2014/06/09/the-authors-corner-with-christopher-cameron/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Christopher
Cameron </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2014/06/09/the-authors-corner-with-christopher-cameron/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">To
Plead Our Own Cause: African Americans in Massachusetts and the Making of the
Antislavery Movement</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Kent, Ohio: Kent State
University Press, June 2014)</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 84;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/14297-white.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/14297-white.jpg?w=267&h=400" width="133" /></a></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2014/05/29/the-authors-corner-with-jonathan-white/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Jonathan
White </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2014/05/29/the-authors-corner-with-jonathan-white/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Emancipation,
the Union Army, and the Reelection of Abraham Lincoln</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2014).</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 85; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 98.75pt;" width="132"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/d0c28-counterrevolutionof1776.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://thewayofimprovement.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/d0c28-counterrevolutionof1776.jpg?w=266&h=400" width="133" /></a></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 202.5pt;" width="270"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2014/03/27/the-authors-corner-with-gerald-horne/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Gerald
Horne </span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2014/03/27/the-authors-corner-with-gerald-horne/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">The
Counter Revolution of 1776: Slavery Resistance and the Origins of the United
States of America</span><span style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0563c1;"> (New York: New York University Press, 2014)</span></span></a></span></i></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
Nick Sarantakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071764464888181459noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232811637669592992.post-4654960467884415542017-01-01T00:41:00.000-05:002017-01-01T00:43:20.470-05:00Blog CCXXIV (224): Reflections on a BlogWhen this blog started in 2009, I never thought I would be going into my eighth year with this endeavor. The start of this new year is also a good time to reflect on what we have done and where we will go. <br />
<br />
The first thing is to thank everyone that reads this blog. There is a joke that I heard once, and have referenced before on postings that most blogs have an audience of one. There were times when I thought this quip was not too far from the truth. Every time some one makes a reference to me on their blog, sends an e-mail, has their visit counted on the page view counter, follows the blog, or makes a comment in the discussion section I am grateful, because it means people are listening.<br />
<br />
The second thing worth noting is that this blog is time consuming. I wrote a lot of the early postings for this blog in 2006<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">—</span>three years before I actually started the blog. I had things I wanted to say, I just was not sure where, when or how I would say them. I am pretty proud of those postings, but as time went on I went through those essays, but other issues developed that I wanted to address. The postings that I am most proud of are those that have generally taken the most time to produce. Some of them are:<br />
<ul>
<li>The Whole "Eight Questions" Series</li>
<li>The Whole "The History Ph.D. as..." Series</li>
<li><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2010/03/xlvi-history-phd-as-public-historian.html">Blog XLVI (46): The History Ph.D. as Public Historian</a></li>
<li><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2011/11/blog-cii-102-history-phd-as-novelist.html">Blog CII (102): The History Ph.D. as Novelist</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2011/11/blog-ciii-103-history-phd-as-novelist.html">Blog CIII (103): The History Ph.D. as Novelist</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2011/12/blog-civ-104-history-phd-as-novelist.html">Blog CIV (104): The History Ph.D. as Novelist</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2015/01/blog-clxviii-168-job-hunting-tips.html">Blog CLXVII (167): Job Hunting Tips: Before Hand</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2015/01/blog-clxviii-168-job-hunting-tips.html">Blog CLXVIII (168): Job Hunting Tips: The Application</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2015/02/blog-clxix-169-job-hunting-tips-know.html">Blog CLXIX (169): Job Hunting Tips: Know Yourself</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2015/02/blog-clxx-170-job-hunting-tips-be.html">Blog CLXX (170): Job Hunting Tips: Be Prepared</a></li>
<li><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2015/02/blog-clxxi-171-job-hunting-tips.html">Blog CLXXI (171): Job Hunting Tips: The Interview(s)</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2015/02/blog-clxxii-172-job-hunting-tips-follow.html">Blog CLXXII (172): Job Hunting Tips: Follow Up</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2015/04/blog-clxxxii-182-i-want-my-history-tv.html">Blog CLXXXII (182): "I Want My History TV!"</a></li>
<li><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2015/10/blog-cxcvii-197-reviewing-official.html">Blog CXCIX (199): Reviewing the Official Historian</a></li>
<li><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2016/11/blog-ccviii-208-ten-greatest-television.html">Blog CCVIII (208): Ten Greatest Television and Film College Professors</a></li>
</ul>
Not all of these have been the most popular essays on In the Service of Clio. (That the "Job Hunting Tips" series did not get a gazillion hits really did surprise me.) The most popular individual essays have been:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2009/05/blog-xii-sex-in-grad-school.html">Blog XII (12): Sex in Grad School<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">—</span></span></a>1288 visits at last counting</li>
<li><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2009/05/blog-xiii-marriage-and-grad-school.html">Blog XIII (13): Marriage and Grad School</a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">—w</span>ith 12 comments</li>
<li><a href="https://www.blogger.com/">Blog XXVII (27): The History Ph.D. in the Military School System</a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">—</span>1376 visits at last counting</li>
<li><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2009/10/blog-xxx-history-phd-as-foregin-service.html">Blog XXX (30): The History Ph.D. as a Foreign Service Officer</a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">—</span>2005 visits at last counting</li>
<li><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2009/10/blog-xxxi-history-phd-as-libarian.html">Blog XXXI (31): The History Ph.D. as a Librarian</a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">—</span>16 comments and 2607 visits at last counting</li>
<li><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2009/11/blog-xxxiv-plight-of-adjunct.html">Blog XXXIV (34): The Plight of the Adjunct</a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">—9</span> comments and 1263 visits at last counting</li>
<li><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2010/03/xlvi-history-phd-as-public-historian.html">Blog XLVI (46): The History Ph.D. as Public Historian</a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">—7</span> comments and 2673 visits at last counting</li>
</ul>
<div>
It is also worth noting that two essays on this blog became articles in the American Historical Association's newsletter <i>Perspectives on History</i>: Mike Creswell's <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2009/04/blog-vi-getting-in-door-graduate.html">Blog VI: Getting in the Door: The Graduate Admissions Process</a> became Michael H. Creswell, "Navigating the Graduate Admissions Process, <i>Perspectives on History</i> (December 2009) and <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2013/05/blog-cxlix-149-reform-time-part-iii.html">Blog CXLIX (149): "Reform Time" Part III</a> and Nicholas Evan Sarantakes, "<span class="ct">Reform Time: </span><span class="h2-headline">Some Proposals to Help Solve the Job Crisis" <em>Perspectives on History</em>, vol. 54, no. 4 (April 2013), 38-39 are the same essay. </span>The blog has also led to my participation in three different conferences panels on the job market.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
All of that is a roundabout way of getting to my third point, I think the blog has done some good work. I want to be realistic about that point. I have watched other blogs get much bigger audiences for any number of reasons. I also realized that I had a bigger readership as an undergraduate when I wrote for <i>The Daily Texan</i>, the school paper of the University of Texas. Of course, I was doing daily reporting whereas I am writing about a pretty narrow. professional topic here, but it still makes you take a deep breath and pause for a second.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Final and perhaps the most important point: I am optimistic for the blog about the coming year. I took a lot of time off in 2016 to work on my next book<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">—</span>you might notice that I have not had one published in five years<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">—</span>and for a time considered giving up the ghost and shutting down the blog, but time away has also been a good thing. I have got a lot more to say about the history business. We will have two new entries in "The History Ph.D. as..." series, some more on the Logevall and Osgood debate, more information on non-academic employment, a long essay on another public debate similar to the new one on political history, and some commentary on the blogs of other historians. It should make for some good professional reading.<br />
<br />
Let's Blog! </div>
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</div>
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</div>
Nick Sarantakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071764464888181459noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232811637669592992.post-37267434317336197052016-12-23T23:17:00.001-05:002017-01-01T00:44:54.609-05:00Blog CCXXIII (223): The Quit LittersApparently there is a whole new genre called "academic quit lit." Basically these are essays from college professors--usually younger ones--who have decided to leave the profession in which they explain their reasons why. Colleen Flaherty of <i>Inside Higher Ed</i> wrote an article on the genre:
<a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/09/09/essays-academics-fed-higher-ed-mark-resurgence-quit-lit">"Public Good-byes: Recent Dear John Letters from Academics Leaving Higher Education Signal a Resurgence in 'Quit Lit.'"</a>
They were not the only media outlet interested in the topic. <i>The Atlantic</i> published several essays on this topic. Ian Bogost's article makes his position clear with his title: <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2015/09/no-one-cares-that-you-quit-your-job/404467/">"No One Cares That You Quit Your Job."</a> It is a short, but strong easy and well worth the read. Megan Garber wrote another article on the topic: <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/09/dont-quit-your-day-job/404671/">"The Rise of 'Quit Lit.'"</a> She notes that there is a strong theme in this literature: "'I quit,' goes the text. 'And you should, too,' goes the subtext."<br />
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All of these articles referenced an article that Oliver Lee, an assistant professor of history at the University of Texas at Arlington, wrote the Vox news and opinion website: <a href="http://www.vox.com/2015/9/8/9261531/professor-quitting-job">"I Have One of the Best Jobs in Academia. Here's Why I'm Walking Away."</a> <br />
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I spent six and a half years living in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex; I have been to UT Arlington; I even spent some time looking up Lee's background, and I would never agree with his title. But it is probably a bit unfair to pick on one professor, even if his essay got a lot of attention. The Flaherty article makes it clear that a lot of others are quitting academia, and writing about it. My read of the article is that the people who are going public often have very good options. Lee, for example, has a law degree, and is apparently starting a legal career. Others are going into the corporate world where they make much more than a college professor, even one at a very good school. <br />
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Bogost in his article noted: "Why should anyone be impressed that somebody can quit something? Much more impressive is figuring out is how to live with it. More staypieces please." </div>
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That request was easy to fulfill. James Nikopoulos, an assistant professor of languages and literature at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan--which is probably no easy gig--wrote in <i><a href="http://www.chronicle.com/article/It-s-Just-a-Job-Right-/234794">The Chronicle of Higher Education</a></i> that the authors of "quit lit" remind him of Arsenio Hall's character in <i>Coming to America</i> objecting to doing manual labor: "I’m badly in need of a manicure." He offers an important observation: "The fact is that no profession is perfect. Young architects dream of erecting museums but spend more time redesigning kitchens. Even the 'dream' professions are not immune: Aren’t movie stars always complaining about having to answer inane questions in pointless interviews?"</div>
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Matthew Pratt Guterl, a professor of American studies at Brown University, wrote a post on his blog entitled: <a href="https://matthewprattguterl.com/2015/10/06/what-to-love/">"What to Love."</a> He decides to take a the-glass-is-half-full approach: "Other realities are out there. Other landscapes for you to inhabit. Or to create. These other landscapes feature faculty who are supportive colleagues and even friends. Students who have big brains and bigger hearts, who are peers and not subjects, consumers, or products. Administrators who spend every single waking moment trying to make everyone’s life easier." Don't quit. "Stick around. Fix the place. For others.</div>
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You have to build this idyll."</div>
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<a href="https://historiann.com/2015/10/07/tired-of-academic-quit-lit-another-view-on-academic-labor/#more-26025">Ann Little responded on her blog as well</a>: "Here’s what I tell myself when I get frustrated: I work in what used to be called a 'helping profession.' That is, <em>my job isn’t ripping people off or selling them garbage they don’t need.</em> My job is offering education and critical thinking skills to students."</div>
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Those are good rejoinders to the quit litters. The basic idea behind the In the Service of Clio blog is trying to offer some advice to younger scholars on how to do things better, and that mostly rejects quit lit. People quite for all sorts of reason. A lot of it happens in grad school, where it should happen: "This just isn't for me," etc. Reading the Flaherty article, I get the impression that the reasons for leaving are often quite petty. I know of one case where a younger scholar received an AHA book prize, but hated working and living in a small, provincial city like New Orleans, and quit. On the other hand, life is short and if you are not happy, you only get one shot at life. Nor should those of us that remain behind dismiss the reasons people have for leaving an academic career: if they have an opportunity to make a lot of money, or do something that is also fun, exciting, and rewarding all to the good. Those are very understandable reasons that can pull someone into something else, rather than getting pushed out of academia. </div>
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The simplest piece of advice I can offer if you are considering quitting comes in the form of some questions: </div>
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<li>Why did you want a Ph.D.? </li>
<li>What do you want to do with your career? </li>
<li>Can you do that using a university as a platform? </li>
<li>Can you use another career as a platform for those objectives? </li>
<li>Are these objectives worth the opportunity costs?</li>
<li>Will another career make things better? Will it resolve the grievances/shortcomings you are facing in academia?</li>
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Nick Sarantakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071764464888181459noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232811637669592992.post-31382919008784175942016-12-20T23:45:00.000-05:002016-12-29T00:48:11.255-05:00Blog CCXXII (222): The Logevall and Osgood Debate<span class="byline-author" data-byline-name="FREDRIK LOGEVALL" itemprop="name">Earlier this year, Fredrik Logevall</span> of Harvard University and <span class="byline" itemprop="author creator" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span class="byline-author" data-byline-name="KENNETH OSGOOD" itemprop="name">Kenneth Osgood of the Colorado School of the Mines started a public debate about the status of political history. They published an editorial in <i>The New York Times</i>: </span></span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/29/opinion/why-did-we-stop-teaching-political-history.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FHistory&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=3&pgtype=collection">"Why Did We Stop Teaching Political History?"</a> Neither of these guys is a slouch, complaining about how the profession has passed them and their field by. Logevall won the Pulitzer Prize for his book on the French war in Vietnam, and Osgood's book on Eisenhower's propaganda campaigns won the Herbert Hoover Book Award, which is less well-known but still quite difficult to receive. They noted that at one time political history had real influence and pull with those that ran for office. That has changed in the years since. The two also argued:<br />
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Perceived “traditional” types of history that examined the doings of governing elites fell into disfavor, and political history suffered the effects (as did its cousins, diplomatic and military history). The ramifications extend well beyond higher education. The drying up of scholarly expertise affects universities’ ability to educate teachers—as well as aspiring lawyers, politicians, journalists and business leaders—who will enter their professions having learned too little about the nation’s political history. Not least, in this age of extreme partisanship, they’ll be insufficiently aware of the importance that compromise has played in America’s past, of the vital role of mutual give-and-take in the democratic process.</blockquote>
One measure of the decline in political history is the decline in the number of jobs advertised as political history. <br />
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Although Logevall and Osgood are historians, neither teaches in a history department. (I should clarify a bit; Logevall has a joint appointment with the Kennedy School; how much time he devotes to each probably varies from semester to semester). They did not publish in <i>The New York Times</i> for its prestige. Their recommendations for reform make that clear:<br />
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Change will not be easy, and will not come from history departments facing tight budgets and competing demands. What is needed, to begin with, is for university administrators to identify political history as a priority, for students and families to lobby their schools, for benefactors to endow professorships and graduate fellowships and for lawmakers and school boards to enact policies that bolster its teaching—and without politicizing the enterprise.</blockquote>
Since many universities in the United States are public institutions—think of schools like the University of Michigan, the University of Virginia, or Florida State University—and receive their funding from states run by politicians and you might start to realize what a powerful call to action Logevall and Osgood are making.<br />
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Days later—actually two—Julian Zelizer of Princeton University fired back with an essay on the blog of the Organization of American Historians: <a href="http://www.processhistory.org/zelizer-political-history/">"Political History is Doing AOK."</a> He argues: "Over the past twenty years the field has experienced nothing short of a renaissance." It is a very diverse field with many new approaches. He also adds: "While there was a period in the 1970s when we did move away from 'elections, elected officials, policy and policymaking, parties and party politics,' this is not the case today." He also disputes many of the arguments made by Logevall and Osgood: "In terms of the lack of jobs, that is a different story. The meager number of jobs in political history is not unique to the field. Everyone in the history profession currently faces a job market that isn’t there."<br />
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The OAH then sponsored a <a href="http://www.processhistory.org/state-of-political-history/">forum staring four relatively junior political historians: "What is the State of American Political History"</a> and asked them their thoughts about the Logevall and Osgood article. From my perspective, if they want to call themselves political historians, fine. But I am not sure a lot of others would describe them that way. Their description of what they wanted the field to study would also be difficult to characterize as political history. With those two points in mind, it is no surprise that they are skeptical about Logevall and Osgood's positions.<br />
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They were not the only ones. Mark Graber of the University of Maryland Law School responded on the Balinization blog with a post entitled: <a href="https://balkin.blogspot.com/2016/08/rumors-of-our-death-have-been-greatly.html">"Rumors of Our Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated."</a> He argued, "There may be a lot to be said about what happens when political history is done by political scientists rather than historians (we call it "political development"), but calling the field dead is confusing what may be happening in one discipline with what is not happening in the academy at large."<br />
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There was also a lot of push back on Twitter. I am not sure how much deep thinking you can do on Twitter, but the legal historian Mary L. Dudziak does a good job of summarizing the various reactions in a post: <a href="https://balkin.blogspot.mx/2016/08/political-history-is-alive-and-well-and.html">"Political History is Alive and Well, and Matters More than Ever"</a> that also appeared on the Balkinization blog. In summary, she states "the op-ed’s argument fell flat." I am not sure that is true. I get that most digitally minded historians pushed back on it—even those that consider themselves political historians—but I think Logevall and Osgood were playing for the long haul.<br />
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Roy Rogers, a Ph.D. candidate in American History at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and a writing fellow at the New York City College of Technology, and a contributor to The Junto group blog that focuses on early American history, wrote an essay that while negative towards Logevall and Osgood's arguments, did more to confirm them than deny them. In <a href="https://earlyamericanists.com/2016/09/09/the-strange-death-of-political-history/">"The Strange Death (?) of Political History,"</a> he stated that the two were addressing the field from their perspective as historians working on Twentieth Century topics. "Perhaps political history is dead, but it died a strange death. It is certainly true that, from a certain point of view, political history has declined over the last several decades. But that perspective is partially a matter of definitions. Logevall and Osgood have a very constrained definition of what constitutes political history." Developments in the historical profession "forced a fundamental change in what it means to be political. The search for politics moved out of the state house and into the streets, the fields, the parlor, and even the bedroom." My take: that is something, but it ain't political history.<br />
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Gabriel Rosenberg of Duke University and Ariel Ron of Southern Methodist University wrote a post for the blog Lawyers, Guns & Money with a title that makes their thesis pretty clear: <a href="http://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2016/09/chill-out-political-history-has-never-been-better">"Chill Out. Political History has Never Been Better."</a> Their essay is similar to Rogers' in that it basically does more to confirm rather than deny Logevall and Osgood arguments even though its purpose was the exact opposite. They make the same basic argument as well: Logevall and Osgood have to narrow a definition. They offer up a number of titles that they claim are political history—but really aren't—to refute Logevall and Osgood. Rosenberg and Ron also make the mistake of conflating policy history with political history, citing the relatively healthy Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations which has well-attended conferences and a thick journal. SHAFR is the main organization in diplomatic history, and their arguments are basically correct about the organization. But I would argue that diplomatic history is very different from political history. (Logevall and Osgood make this point explicitly in their essay).<br />
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Logevall and Osgood were hardly dissuaded by these type of arguments. They <a href="http://www.the-american-interest.com/podcast/episode-135-precarious-putin-and-political-historys-decline/">appeared on the podcast</a> of <i>The American Interest</i> roughly a month after their essay appeared in the <i>Times</i>.<i> </i>Logevall did clarify that they did not pick the title, and that it was a bit misleading, but other than that they held firm. They discussed how many historians were uncomfortable discussing "high politics," When asked about Zelizer's arguments about diversity, Logevall explained, "I don't think he is wrong, but what I said to him is that something has been lost."<br />
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So, what are we to make of all this bleeding of digital ink? I am not sure anyone is totally right in this debate. First, I do not think historians are every going to be turned to as policy makers or advisors just because they are historians. Some will find positions of influence in government, but that will be because of their personal efforts and connections. <br />
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Next, I actually think political history has been strong, even if not popular. There is a clear public audience for this type of historical literature. But even within the profession historians have done well producing this type of history. Stephen Ambrose, Robert Dallek, and H. W. Brands come to mind immediately, but there are others: Alonzo Hamby, William Leuchtenberg, and Sean Wilentz. As the history book review editor for the academic journal <i>Presidential Studies Quarterly</i>, I am swamped with titles. Even those on the presidents we do not care that much about like Millard Fillmore or Chester A. Arthur. Writing on presidents consistently seems a great way to get a lot of attention within the profession. <br />
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But there is the rub and that gets to my third point: political history seems to be focused on the executive branch. The legislative and judicial branches get far less attention, so there is some real merit to what Logevall and Osgood argue. This executive branch bias also appears to be the case when historians look at state level politics. There are a number of reasons for this emphasis. There are fewer presidents and governors and it is easier to focus on them. Presidents of the United States—at least those in the Twentieth Century—have presidential libraries, which makes research easy compared to trying to track down the personal papers of the 10 or 15 Senators that sat on the Armed Services Committee. They might be at institutions on opposite sides of the country, making travel and research expensive. (The best case scenario is that they are at the Library of Congress, which happens a lot, but not enough). Then there is the question of quality of organization. I have looked at the papers of some senators that were still sitting in the boxes in which they were mailed to the archives three decades before. Then again I have found others that were organized beautifully. There is also the question of how important is any one senator. There are a hundred of them; more than 1,100 since 1789. All of them "matter," but some of them a lot more than others—the Henry Clays, John C. Calhouns, Daniel Websters, Henry Cabot Lodges and Lyndon Johnsons of the world are better known than those they served with in the Senate, or those that held their seats in the years since for a reason. <br />
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Moving on to point four: policy history is a new development, but even if it incorporates new subjects and perspectives, it is not political history and it still tends to be executive branch centric. How much influence did the Senate Foreign Relations Committee have in the development of U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War? "Don't know" is the short answer, because no one has written on the committee as a institution. There are biographies of individual senators, but that is a bit of a narrow focus, much like trying to watch a film by looking through a straw. How influential are the Speakers of the House? How much influence do they have on legislation, policy, and the political direction of Washington? Are they the equal of presidents, or in a relatively junior position? Political scientists have spent a lot of time answering these questions, but their answers have to be tentative given the imbalance in coverage. Case in point, how many books are there on Sam Rayburn? (Some of you are probably wondering who is Sam Rayburn? Answer: he set the record for longest tenure as Speaker of the House of Representatives.) There are four books on Rayburn. Now, think of how many biographies—and just biographies—are out there for Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and John F. Kennedy—the presidents he interacted with as Speaker.<br />
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Here comes point number five: there is still a lot of good work to be done. Elections—which are purely political—are topics that have seen less attention than the deserve. What do they tell us about the American people? Actually a lot if we pay attention. Polling data is quite informative, but there is still a lot of information that we can utilize from elections before this practice became widespread and dependable. Again, political scientists do a lot on this topic, but the focus seems to be on the second half of the Twentieth Century, and on the presidential elections. <br />
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This is the last point: Logevall and Osgood might not be getting much agreement from their peers, but that is not the audience they were really addressing. I would not be surprised if this article has some long-term reverberations in the historiography of American history, but also on other higher education related activities like appropriations and fund raising.Nick Sarantakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071764464888181459noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232811637669592992.post-9522765391222581152016-12-18T20:21:00.003-05:002016-12-18T23:14:33.280-05:00Blog CCXXI (221): The History P.h.D./Major After GraduationThis blog started as a forum on which a dude in mid-career could give advice to junior scholars about some of the things I have learned on the job; that was not part of my formal grad school training. Over the years, I think I have maintained that focus fairly well.<br />
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One of the things that I have been trying to do with the blog is to discuss options for Ph.D.s outside of a history department, because the numbers make it clear that is the fate waiting for half of those that finish. John Fea's blog has probably offered better information on that venue than I have. In a post on his blog <a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2016/11/01/the-history-majors-we-celebrate/">"The History Majors We Celebrate"</a> he asks: "What would happen if we celebrated our graduates who get jobs in the corporate or nonprofit world in the same way we celebrate those who have been accepted to graduate schools at Ivy League universities?"<br />
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That is a pretty good question/point. Non historian types are the type of people that are going to make lots of money and be willing to donate it to their alma matters in years to come. Fea's series "So What CAN You Do With A History Major?" does a good job of exploring this issue. <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2016/11/blog-ccv-205-so-what-can-you-do-with.html">Blog CCV</a> has a series of links to the individual essays in this series. <a href="https://thewayofimprovement.com/2009/12/18/so-what-can-you-do-with-a-history-major-part-ten/"> One particularly interesting post in the series was a pie chart that the History Department at Dartmouth put together on the post graduation careers of their graduates.</a> While it is an Ivy League school, Dartmouth has no Ph.D. program, so it is a study of what undergraduates did with their degrees. Long story made short: a lot of different things. The biggest single group was law, but that was only 23 percent.<br />
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People finishing their Ph.D.s should really look at this chart to get some ideas on what to do after graduation, if there is no job offer pending. (You can only do adjunct work for so long.) Rebecca Schuman has an interesting article on this topic in <i>Slate</i>: "<a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/life/education/2014/09/a_changing_view_of_alt_ac_jobs_in_which_ph_d_s_work_outside_of_academia.html">Alt-Ac” to the Rescue? Humanities Ph.D.s are Daring to Enjoy their 'Regular' Jobs, and the Definition of Academic Success is Changing. Sort Of."</a>
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I am not sure if that "Sort Of" part is true for historians, but it should.Nick Sarantakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071764464888181459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232811637669592992.post-25653192491335767692016-12-16T23:53:00.001-05:002016-12-19T22:23:35.135-05:00Blog CCXX (220): An Open LetterIn 2011 Larry Cebula of Eastern Washington University became something of an internet sensation when he wrote a hilarious post on his blog: "Northwest History." The original essay turned into a three part series:<br />
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<li><a href="http://northwesthistory.blogspot.com/2011/11/open-letter-to-my-students-no-you.html">"Open Letter to My Students: No, You Cannot be a Professor"</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://northwesthistory.blogspot.com/2011/11/no-you-cannot-be-professor-reactions.html">"No, You Cannot be a Professor--the Reactions"</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://northwesthistory.blogspot.com/2014/06/no-you-cannot-be-professor-part-iii.html">"No, You Cannot be a Professor Part III: Survivor Stories"</a> </li>
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The original post basically makes the same points I have been making on this blog, but in a much more entertaining way. The second essay is exactly what the title suggests it is, but it failed to capture all the reactions to the essay. Holger Syme, an associate professor of English at the University of Toronto responded with his own posting: <a href="http://www.dispositio.net/archives/586">"Yes, You Can Be a Professor."</a> Leslie Rogne Schumacher wrote another essay, <a href="http://britishscholar.org/publications/2012/03/27/the-problem-with-plan-b-thoughts-on-the-jobs-crisis-in-history/">"The Problem with Plan B: Thoughts on the Jobs Crisis in History"</a> to which Cebula responded (see the comment section at the end). <a href="https://marquettehistorians.wordpress.com/2015/05/30/alumniwork-catching-up-with-our-former-students-part-v/">Edward J. Woell in a blog posting</a>, discusses] how he has assigned the essay to his grad students and finds that most of them refuse to accept the facts of the job market. <a href="https://dougsarchaeology.wordpress.com/2011/12/04/elite-schools-lead-to-academic-jobs-fallacy-or-fact/">Doug Rocks-Macqueen, a British archeologist, has also disputed Cebula's position.</a> Roger Whitson, an assistant professor of English at Washington State University posted an essay on his blog in which he stated: <a href="http://www.rogerwhitson.net/?p=1238">"I’m making a plea for Professor Cebula and the rest of his colleagues to stop writing posts like this."</a></div>
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The third essay on Cebula's blog is from one of his students about how he defied the odds. </div>
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These posts are well worth reading, because Cebula is right.</div>
Nick Sarantakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071764464888181459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232811637669592992.post-74887191337520060112016-12-14T21:20:00.000-05:002016-12-14T21:35:50.005-05:00Blog CCXIX (219): "The History Ph.D. as..." Series Revisited"The History Ph.D. as...." series never died officially. (In fact, you might see two new entries fairly soon.) I just ran out of contacts and good ideas on how to structure some of the articles. Other historians that blog, though, have been doing the same thing as me, and a couple of these essays are quite good.<br />
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The most commented on post in the eight year history of this blog was <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2009/10/blog-xxxi-history-phd-as-libarian.html">Blog XXXI: "The History Ph.D. as a Librarian."</a> Mark Danley, then of the University of Memphis and now at the U.S. Military Academy, wrote about the challenges and rewards of work in a library. The blog of the American Historical Association has an article <a href="http://blog.historians.org/2016/08/historians-library-publishing/">"A Historian in the Stacks: Finding a Professional Home in the Library"</a> from Annie Johnson on much the same topic. I like Danley's essay a lot, but Johnson, who works at Temple University, has written a pretty good essay as well. Probably because she got her Ph.D. from USC. <br />
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Two weeks before Danley wrote his post, Sarandis "Randy" Papadopoulos added to the same series with <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2009/10/blog-xxviii-history-phd-as-government.html">Blog XXIX (29): The History Ph.D. as a Government Historian: Still the “Improbable Success Story”?</a> Over at The Ohio State University, Mark Grimsley turned his blog over to a guest blogger, Frank Blazich, a colleague of Papadopoulos at the Naval History and Heritage Command. Blazich's post <a href="http://warhistorian.blogspot.com/2015/04/beyond-academic-cage-observations-of.html">"Beyond the Academic Cage: Observations of a New Federal Government Historian"</a> discusses his experiences finding work outside of academia.<br />
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Geoffrey P. Megargee, a historian working at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, contributed to the series with <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2009/12/blog-xxxv-history-phd-in-museum.html">"Blog XXXV (35): The History Ph.D. in the Museum."</a> Rachel Feinmark discusses her path to museum work and the role the Public Fellows Program of the American Council of Learned Societies played in that process with her article <a href="http://blog.historians.org/2016/06/whos-afraid-of-being-a-generalist-on-being-a-historian-outside-the-academy/">"Who’s Afraid of Being a Generalist? On Being a Historian outside the Academy,"</a> which appeared on the AHA's blog earlier this year.<br />
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Individuals interested in these topics should read the two "twined" essays. I am both proud and grateful for the essays from Danley, Papadopoulos, and Megargee, but the postings from Johnson, Blazich, and Feinmark add to our understanding of how to make a career outside of a history department.Nick Sarantakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071764464888181459noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232811637669592992.post-56200352004324599072016-12-13T22:50:00.004-05:002016-12-13T23:05:49.480-05:00Blog CCXVIII (218): What to Do with the "Systematic Inequality" FindingsThis essay is from the better-late-never department. This essay was intended as a follow up to <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2015/04/blog-clxxix-179-reaction-to-systematic.html">Blog CLXXIX</a>, where I basically endorsed the findings of the article "Systematic Inequality." I am going to explain a bit more on why in this essay, and offer some advice on who various groups should react to the study. I should note, though, I have some reservations about the findings of the article, and in this essay, I am going to develop more on those misgivings.<br />
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I should first explain that I think that this study was an inventive way to measure something that is very difficult to measure: prestige. Clauset, Arbesman, and Larremore--to use the words of Arbesome--"developed a new ranking methodology based on a simple idea: a school’s prestige (and rank) is determined by where its graduates go. If a school is good, then lots of other schools will want to hire its graduates." They have hit on something very important here: the major coin of the realm in academia is reputation. Where a school places its graduates is exceptionally important. In my Ph.D. program, getting students through their qualifying exams and on the job market was something the faculty stressed and stressed and stressed. <br />
<br />
Some of the findings were a bit surprising. That there is a hierarchy in academia is not news. That it is so damn steep is another thing altogether. These findings, though, simply repeat for the profession a general conclusion that was made in a cover story in the January 24, 2015 issue of <i>The Economist</i> on American education. The basic thrust of the news magazine was that the United States was developing an aristocracy based on education. The quality of education of is the key to wealth and power in the nation, and if you have wealth, you can begin investing in your children's schooling at a very early age. They, as a result, get into the best schools, not because they are the children of the wealthy and powerful, but because they are better qualified than their peers because of the educational preparation, which their parents paid for. As I said in <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2009/03/blog-ii.html">Blog II</a>, the rich get richer and the poor don't get so much. <br />
<br />
Some of the rankings of various departments were surprising. That Brandeis was part of the "Magic Eight" was a bit of a shock. I was also surprised to see UC, Davis and UC, San Diego finish in the top twenty. Davis is not exactly considered one of the better locals in the state of California, but a quick visit to the web page of the UC, Davis history department reveals that their faculty have two Pulitzer Prizes, a Bancroft Prize and an AHA president among their numbers. <br />
<br />
There are problems with this study, though. The first big one is that it is focused on Ph.D. placement at other Ph.D. granting institutions. As a result, some pretty prestigious schools that lack Ph.D. programs will not be found in this ranking: Dartmouth, BYU, West Point, Annapolis, the Air Force Academy, and Villanova. More importantly, placement at these schools does not count. Some Ph.D. granting institutions are also absent: Baylor, Oregon State, and SMU. Another problem, is that the study fails to account for the rise and fall of a department. It is altogether possible that USC might have had a bad decade in the 1980s when it came to placing their grads. On the other hand, a school like the University of Rochesther might have had a strong program in the 1980s and 1990s that it could not sustain in the 2000s and the 2010s. Departments rise and fall and the study fails to capture that dynamic. <br />
<br />
Another bigger problem is that subfields are a key part of a department's strength. If you want to study U.S. diplomatic history, then Yale is a great place to study. If you want to write a dissertation about Scandinavian history, then it really is the wrong place to be. <br />
<br />
With all these points in mind, this study is important to some groups more than others. To be more specific:<br />
<ul>
<li><b><u>Undergraduate History Majors</u></b>: ignore the study. It is all about Ph.D. program placement. If you are majoring in history at a good school a bit down the rankings, like TCU or Alabama, do not worry. The quality of teaching and instruction is quite good across the boards. In fact, both of those schools had history professors listed in the compilation <i>The 300 Best Professors In The Country </i>that the <i>Princeton Review</i> put together.
</li>
</ul>
<div>
<ul>
<li><b><u>Students Shopping About for a Ph.D. Program</u></b>: you are the ones that need to take heed most of this study. This next statement has some important qualifications, but here goes—you need to get yourself into the highest ranked program on this list as is possible. The reason is simple--you want to give yourself as much of an edge as possible in a hyper competitive job market. The key qualification is the subfield you want to study. If you can get into Stanford, good for you, but if you want to study maritime history and they have no one that covers that topic, it is the wrong school for you, end of story. When you find a school that has specialists in the topic you want to study, you need to make sure that the individual professors are willing to take on grad students. </li>
</ul>
<div>
<ul>
<li><b><u>Grad Students at the “Magic Eight”:</u></b> Congratulations. You have a real advantage of your peers at some really good schools. It will help you. But be warned—it does not make you bullet proof. Clauset and his team noted that many graduates of these schools end up at lower tier schools. I should also note that many graduates from these schools and their faculty have a sense of entitlement; that the name of their school will be enough to get them a job. I have seen this more than once and from more than one of these schools. You might be the front runner for a job before you even apply, but you still need to work at the interview process. History is littered with front runners that ended up not winning. Do you really want to be the person that loses out to a graduate from one of the universities ranked in the twenties?</li>
</ul>
<div>
<ul>
<li><b><u>Grad Students at Institutions other than the “Magic Eight</u>”</b>: Do not lose faith, but also be realistic. Subfields make a difference. If you are specializing in Latin American history at the University of Texas—which has one of the best programs in the world—you are going to be competitive for jobs in this field. For that field UT is just as good as Harvard or Yale. Another thing to consider is that this study only examined schools granting a Ph.D., some people might be very content to teach at an institution like BYU or the Air Force Academy that has a terminal BA or MA program. On the other hand, this study makes it clear that if you are attending a lower tier Ivy League school, a Pac-12 school outside of the San Francisco Bay area, an institution in the Big 10, Big XII, or the Southeastern Conference, then the grads of the “Magic Eight” have an enormous, enormous advantage over you. The AHA study <i>The Many Careers of History PhDs </i>also makes it clear that half of all history Ph.D.s have to find jobs outside of teaching. If you already in a program, you probably want to finish and earn the degree. You should, though, begin asking your faculty about your options. Don’t be surprised if they are not able to give you immediate guidance—many of them might be grads of the “Magic Eight” and were fortunate enough to go from grad student to professor. But you need to ask what options have previous graduates turned to in the past. <i>Start this conversation in your department as soon as possible, it is only your future that is at stake</i>.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Nick Sarantakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071764464888181459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232811637669592992.post-61345240382259814772016-12-11T01:15:00.000-05:002016-12-27T01:13:48.219-05:00Blog CCXVII (217): What is Your Purpose?Several of the recent posts have focused on writing and publishing--the two are different things. One issue that has not been discussed much is the purpose of the historical writing. Another way of putting it is: who is your audience?<br />
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There are two interesting essays on this topic that I am recommending. The first is Adam Hochschild's <a href="http://www.bu.edu/historic/_hs_pdfs/Hochschild_Mar_Ap_2008.pdf">"Do You Need a License to Practice History,"</a> which was published in the March/April issue of <i>Historically Speaking</i>. Hochschild teaches writing in the graduate journalism program at the University of California, Berkeley. He makes it clear that if you want to write to a larger audience there is basically only way to do it:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
If you want a lot of readers to pay attention, you usually have to write narrative history, and to do that you have to bring characters alive. But there is always the temptation to go overboard and imply that Abraham Lincoln single-handedly freed America’s slaves, that Eisenhower alone won World War II, or that it was the wisdom of Washington and Jefferson that created the American nation and has guided us beneficently to the present day. </blockquote>
As any look back at your high school year book will reveal, there is a downside in chasing popular fads: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The greatest danger in writing history for the general public is a more hidden one: letting popular taste, or publishers’ ideas of popular taste, determine your subject matter. This can bar the door to good writing even more firmly than the conventional image of what a Ph.D. thesis should be. Big publishers can be very small-minded. And writers are dependent on them, because earning a living by writing history outside the academy is extremely difficult.</blockquote>
Hochschild avoids the mistake of arguing that those do not publish large are writing poor books. In fact, he knows better:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The craft of history inside the academy is immeasurably more rigorous, more accurate, and more thoughtful and wide-ranging than it was a century ago. It is no longer a history merely of presidents and kings, but of ordinary people, of women, of the dispossessed. It makes use of the tools of statistics, sociology, anthropology, and more. Refereed scholarly journals and university presses following the same model have produced an enormous wealth of sophisticated and reliable material that had few equivalents in 1870 or 1880.</blockquote>
With that said, he sees no reason why a historian cannot both be rigorous, analytical and engaging:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
There is no reason why most history can’t be written in a way that offers thought-provoking analysis and, at the same time, reaches well beyond an audience of fellow scholars. Plenty of people span both worlds.</blockquote>
The editors of the journal then arranged for responses from 17 scholars, including H. W. Brands, John Demos, Joseph J. Ellis, John Ferling, John Lukacs, and Jay Winik. Since <i>Historically Speaking</i> has gone out of business, it is a bit tricky in getting electronic copies of this entire exchange, and I will recommend that if any of your are interested in looking at the full record, you obtain a copy through your library.<br />
<br />
Two years later, Gordon Wood, the Alva O. Way University Professor Emeritus at Brown University, wrote <a href="https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/april-2010/in-defense-of-academic-history-writing">"In Defense of Academic History Writing,"</a> which was published in the April 2010 issue of <i>Perspectives on History</i>. Wood, who won both a Pulitzer and Bancroft Prize, knows something about writing but his essay is exactly what its title suggests. He first begins by dismissing certain critiques:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Academic historians have not forgotten how to tell a story. Instead, most of them have purposefully chosen not to tell stories; that is, they have chosen not to write narrative history. Narrative history is a particular kind of history-writing whose popularity comes from the fact that it resembles a story.</blockquote>
He also notes that many of these scholars are not trying to tell stories that will have wide appeal:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
So advising academic historians that they have to write more stimulating prose if they want to enlarge their readership misses the point. It is not heavy and difficult prose that limits their readers; it is rather the subjects they choose to write about and their conception of their readership as fellow historians engaged in an accumulative science. </blockquote>
Both Hochschild and Wood have important points that are worth considering. Hochschild is right in that many more historians could probably go popular without hurting their scholarship. But Wood is correct when he says that much scholarship does not lend itself to a three-part story arc no matter how dramatic. In the end, it is up to the author to know the reason they are investing all the time and effort into the project. Nick Sarantakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071764464888181459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232811637669592992.post-142027740669917132016-12-09T13:43:00.003-05:002016-12-09T13:43:55.769-05:00Blog CCXVI (216): More Writing RoundtablesThe roundtable listed in <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2016/12/blog-ccxv-215-mechanics-of-trade-book.html">Blog CCXV</a> was not the first one to discuss the importance of writing well in history in recent years. There was a session at the 2014 American Historical Association Annual Meeting on this topic: <a href="http://www.philipvickersfithian.com/2014/01/liz-covart-on-writing-history-for-public.html">"Writing History for the Public."</a> Elizabeth Covart reported on this for John Fea's blog The Way of Improvement Leads Home. There are, again, very interesting insights offered up in her summary. Covart expands on her <a href="http://www.elizabethcovart.com/writing-american-history-outside-academy/">reporting of this session with a posting on her own blog</a>.<br />
<br />
Covart also has a question and answer series on her blog about Megan Marshall's views on writing. Marshall won the Pulitzer Prize in 2014 for her biography of Margaret Fuller, and was a participant in the 2014 AHA meeting...sort of. (Plane delays kept her from attending in person; her comments were read by another participant). The <a href="http://www.elizabethcovart.com/part-1-megan-marshall-writing-history-arguments/">first</a> post is on the importance of narrative over argument. The <a href="http://www.elizabethcovart.com/part-2-megan-marshall-writing-biography/">second</a> is on art of writing biography. The <a href="http://www.elizabethcovart.com/part-3-megan-marshall-writing-style/">third</a> is on the origins of Marshall's writing style.<br />
<br />
Covart also has an <a href="http://www.elizabethcovart.com/how-to-write-for-your-readers/">extended assessment</a> of the writing advice that journalism professor <span style="color: black;">Mitchell Zuckoff offers on how to write for your readers. Ann Little in her Historiann blog offers <a href="https://historiann.com/2015/07/11/writers-readers-publishers-and-money/">her own assessment</a>: "This is all good advice, but I think the issue of journalists who write books that people buy versus historians who write books for other historians is oversimplified, and ignores the question of resources, platforms, and marketing that work to the advantage of the journalists who write a history book or two." Despite this difference of opinion, Little, who has real talent as a writer, agrees with most of Covart's post about the importance of writing. </span>Covart's <a href="http://www.elizabethcovart.com/journalists-platforms-historians/">response</a> is basically one in which she agrees that platforms are important.<br />
<br />
It is hard to argue with either one. As Brandon Proia point out in his article quoted in <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2016/12/blog-ccxv-215-mechanics-of-trade-book.html">Blog CCXV</a>, any number of things can go wrong when trying to write for a larger audience, and Little is right: it is easier for people with a public platform to get those big contracts. The rich get richer, although Proria argues can work to change that factor. Covart is also correct to emphasize working on making your writing better. It is a skill set that does not get developed much in graduate programs.Nick Sarantakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071764464888181459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232811637669592992.post-74787078384364183532016-12-07T21:58:00.001-05:002016-12-08T23:47:12.217-05:00Blog CCXV (215): The Mechanics of Trade Book Publishing RevisitedIn the early days of this blog, I wrote several essays on the publishing process. Three focused on what it took to get a book into print:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2009/08/blog-xxii-book-publishing.html">Blog XXII (22): Book Publishing</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2009/09/blog-xxiii-mechanics-of-academic-book.html">Blog XXIII (23): The Mechanics of Academic Book Publishing </a></li>
<li><a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2009/09/blog-xxiv-mechanics-of-trade-book.html">Blog XXIV (24): The Mechanics of Trade Book Publishing</a> </li>
</ul>
What does it take to write for the general public? While I have five academic books to my name and five writing awards, I might not be the best person to answer that question. I think the observations offered in Blog XXIV are pretty sound, but I have never published a trade book. <br />
<br />
Even if I had, that question is difficult to answer, and the experiences of editors, authors, and literary agents tend to be very different. <i>The American Historian</i>, a publication of the Organization of American Historians, published an article on this topic: <a href="http://tah.oah.org/august-2016/writing-history-for-a-popular-audience-a-round-table-discussion/">"Writing History for a Popular Audience: A Round Table Discussion."</a> What makes this article so valuable is it is a roundtable of three individuals involved in the trade book world: <span class="p-author">Danielle McGuire, an award winning historian who teaches at Wayne State University; Andrew Miller, a senior editor at Alfred A. Knopf; and T. J. Stiles, the Pulitzer Prize winning biographer. It is a very insightful exchange on publishing, offering a number of perspectives, but one point Stiles made stands out: "Trade publishing exists in the commercial economy. Here, you try to expand your audience, rather than more deeply penetrate a closed market, as in academic publishing. You do that not by dumbing down, but by maximizing the reading experience. The ultimate goal of the trade book is not to advance the state of the field, though it certainly may do that, but to succeed as a book—as an organically complete and satisfying work."</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In another article from <i>The American Historian </i>on this topic, Brandon Proia, the history editor at the University of North Carolina Press who previously worked at Basic Books and PublicAffairs, tries to explain what works and does not work in the trade book industry: <a href="https://www.blogger.com/">"The Art of the Serious: <span id="goog_1182977832"></span>Writing History for an Elusive Mass Readership."</a><span id="goog_1182977833"></span> As he admits, "There is much mythmaking surrounding the jump from publishing revised dissertations and monographs to writing history for the masses. What makes a trade book 'trade' is the fact that it targets the broadest possible book-buying audience. Yet how to accomplish this is less settled." </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Proia explains that any number of things can go wrong: the editor that acquired the project leaves the press, the manuscript is rushed into production without enough editing, there is not enough marketing support, and so on. These facts can be a bit demoralizing, but it is hardly surprising. Books--trade books in particular--are part of the entertainment industry and the whims of what are popular do not always go hand in hand with what is good. There are too many examples of good television series or films failing to find an audience despite their artistic merit. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There are a number of differences between television, film and books, but one that works to the advantage of authors and publishers is that books often get the time to become successful. "What few publishers will admit out loud is that it takes time for a readership to find an author, and vice versa." Overnight successes are often years in the making. "It may take multiple books, a multitude of lectures and interviews and reviews before an argument begins to sink in and audiences begin to arise around one’s book." Basically, he argues that historians make their audiences book after book. "The serious historian and publisher must cross over to larger and larger audiences—and keep pushing even when the initial attempt doesn’t take. They must do so, not out of a faith that readers must be out there, but precisely because they know that they’re not—<em>not yet</em>. Readers spring up only where we sow."<span class="p-author"><b></b></span></div>
<span class="p-author"><br />
Anyone interested in going the trade route should read these two essays. They have much to offer.</span><br />
<b></b>Nick Sarantakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071764464888181459noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232811637669592992.post-15014427778795902822016-12-05T19:21:00.001-05:002016-12-07T22:01:05.767-05:00Blog CCIV (214): Writing in History Some MoreWhat does it take to be a good writer in the profession of history? That is an issue that does not get discussed much in graduate programs—at least not at the schools I attended. Despite that fact it is an important skill set, and I am not the only that thinks so. "The Junto" is a group blog on early American history. The contributors tend to be ABD grad students and junior scholars. The site addresses many issues, not all of them limited to the period before 1815. There are a couple of interesting interviews with historians about a number of topics. The ones that focus on the writing process are listed below:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://earlyamericanists.com/2013/11/27/qa-with-edward-e-andrews-author-of-native-apostles-2/">Edward E. Andrews</a>: "As a teacher, I find that my students understand course material best when it is communicated through stories, anecdotes, and little vignettes, and I think that holds true for our scholarly endeavors, as well."</li>
<li><a href="https://earlyamericanists.com/2016/11/07/an-interview-with-ann-little/">Ann Little</a>: "I’m not so much a planner as a noodler. I just noodle along in a pile of sources—or with a few sources and get interested in one detail, which leads me to another detail, which might lead eventually to a story."</li>
<li><a href="https://earlyamericanists.com/2016/05/31/qa-zachary-hutchins-editor-of-community-without-consent-new-perspectives-on-the-stamp-act/">Zachary Hutchins</a>: "For those interested in editing a collection of essays, I have three pieces of advice. First, before circulating a [call for papers], have a preliminary discussion with editors at one or more press... Second, try to select and shape proposals in a way that emphasizes the unity of your collection and the continuities between individual essays... Third, pay more attention to the proposals of your contributors than their CVs."</li>
</ul>
<i>The New York Times </i>also has a series called "By the Book." It is a series of Questions and Answers with authors of new books, both fiction and non-fiction about their literary lifestyles. As a result, many of these entries discuss things other than the craft of writing; what writers would you invite to dinner party, and so on. Some of the "authors" are not even writers, but the celebrities who have "written" a book with a co-author. As a result, this series is less useful than the one that <i>The Chronicle of Higher Education</i> published. Nonetheless, there are several useful comments and the historians, journalists writing history, and even a historian turned novelist featured in this series are listed below:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/09/books/review/h-w-brands-by-the-book.html">H.W. Brands</a>: "To a writer...tone and voice conquer all. Dickens knew it. Tom Wolfe has dined out on it forever."</li>
<li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/07/books/review/jeffrey-toobin-by-the-book.html?_r=0">Jeffrey Toobin</a>: "I love mastery and confidence in a writer — the feeling that she knows exactly where she’s taking you and why."</li>
<li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/17/books/review/joseph-j-ellis-by-the-book.html">Joseph J. Ellis</a>: He likes writers that "know how to tell a story with a style as distinctive as their fingerprint." </li>
<li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/31/books/review/david-mccullough-by-the-book.html">David McCullough</a>: "<i>The Elements of Style</i>, by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White. I read it first nearly 50 years ago and still turn to it as an ever reliable aid-to-navigation, and particularly White’s last chapter, with its reminders to 'Revise and Rewrite' and 'Be Clear.'"</li>
<li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/05/books/review/james-m-mcpherson-by-the-book.html">James M. McPherson</a>: "Michael Shaara’s <i>The Killer Angels</i>, a novel about the battle of Gettysburg that, to my mind, provides the most incisive insights into the various meanings of the war for the men who fought it."</li>
<li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/15/books/review/erik-larson-by-the-book.html">Erik Larson</a>: "Hemingway may not have been the nicest person in the world, but his work gave me a new way of thinking about writing — the value of weeding out adjectives and adverbs. He was, above all, a master at the art of not saying."</li>
<li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/books/review/sara-paretsky-by-the-book.html">Sara Paretsky</a>: "Believable characters first, a good story, an understanding of how to pace dramatic action. I like commitment by a writer, to the form, to the story."</li>
<li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/31/books/review/rick-perlstein-by-the-book.html">Rick Perlstein</a>: "I look to historians for their power to illuminate not just the invisible lineaments of the present, but also that which is not present. What are the roads that were not taken that most shape our own time?"</li>
<li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/06/books/review/lynne-cheney-by-the-book.html?_r=0">Lynne Cheney</a>: "Some of the best history today is being written by people who aren’t professional historians. Several have journalistic backgrounds — David McCullough, Ron Chernow, Jon Meacham — and they know how to create a gripping narrative, which is pretty important when you are telling a story the ending of which is known."</li>
</ul>
Nick Sarantakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071764464888181459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232811637669592992.post-67058896991575421152016-12-01T22:10:00.001-05:002016-12-01T22:10:35.594-05:00Blog CCXIII (213): Life in Hell AgainThe best parody has an element of truth in it. Here is another cartoon from Matt Groening's <i>Life in Hell</i> comic strip. I never dropped out of grad school, but everything else has the ring of truth to it.<br />
<br />
<a class="irc_mil i3597 isBnE1Qcjo9c-zixyDjKkw5M" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwj88e7Sk6zQAhVqjFQKHaspAHgQjRwIBw" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj88e7Sk6zQAhVqjFQKHaspAHgQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F101260691592457823%2F&psig=AFQjCNHHdtbp6JEohTLws6xbeWrvtMOZ1w&ust=1479347075064609" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><img alt="Image result for types of college professors life in hell" class="irc_mi isBnE1Qcjo9c-pQOPx8XEepE" height="393" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/d1/79/15/d1791577e9cb42274d472911ffa469fd.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="334" /></a><br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Nick Sarantakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071764464888181459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232811637669592992.post-37600738443633618272016-11-30T12:26:00.000-05:002016-11-30T12:26:22.434-05:00Blog CCXII (212): Writing in HistoryIn previous posts--<a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2009/08/blog-xxii-book-publishing.html">Blog XXII</a> and <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2009/09/blog-xxv-writing-well.html">Blog XXV</a>--this blog has stressed the importance of writing well. As I have argued, this skill is a factor--more indirect than direct, but significant nonetheless--in professional advancement. Rachel Toor, an associate professor of creative writing at Eastern Washington University, tends to think the same way. She has a series that she publishes in <i>The Chronicle of Higher Education</i>: "Scholars Talk Writing" in which she interviews a number of individuals from different academic disciplines. Only three of the individuals she has interviewed are historians, but I have included all of them because the issues they discuss are often not that different, in my opinion, from what a publishing historian encounters:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.chronicle.com/article/Scholars-Talk-Writing-Carl/238471">Carl Elliot</a>: "In academic writing you’re given a lot of latitude to be boring."</li>
<li><a href="http://www.chronicle.com/article/Scholars-Talk-Writing-/237903?cid=cp26">Jennifer Crusie</a>: "It’s an incredibly arrogant act to publish anything."</li>
<li><a href="http://www.chronicle.com/article/Scholars-Talk-Writing-Steven/237315?cid=cp26">Steven Pinker</a>: "Good prose requires dedication to the craft of writing, and our profession simply doesn’t reward it."</li>
<li><a href="http://www.chronicle.com/article/Scholars-Talk-Writing-Jay/236572?cid=cp26">Jay Parini</a>: "You have to write a lot to get better at writing," so "don’t stop."</li>
<li><a href="http://www.chronicle.com/article/Scholars-Talk-Writing-Michael/236143?cid=cp26">Michael Bérubé</a>: "I still have the standard anxiety of a struggling musician: Regardless of the gig, I want to be invited back."</li>
<li><a href="http://www.chronicle.com/article/Scholars-Talk-Writing-Deirdre/235767?cid=cp26">Deirdre McClosky</a>: "You know the standard is not high in economics. Whenever I get the slightest bit vain about my allegedly good writing, I open <i>The New Yorker</i> and weep."
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.chronicle.com/article/Scholars-Talk-Writing-James/235383?cid=cp26">James M. McPherson</a>: "I learned how to write mainly by the trial and error of writing."</li>
<li><a href="http://www.chronicle.com/article/Scholars-Talk-Writing-Laura/234997?cid=cp26">Laura Kipnis</a>: "Writing for wider venues is actually a lot more challenging; at least that’s been my experience."</li>
<li><a href="http://www.chronicle.com/article/Scholars-Talk-Writing-Camille/234124?cid=cp26">Camille Paglia</a>: "I must stress that all of my important writing, including my books, has been done in longhand, in the old, predigital way. I absolutely must have physical, muscular contact with pen and page. Body rhythm is fundamental to my best work."</li>
<li><a href="http://www.chronicle.com/article/Scholars-Talk-Writing-Rebecca/233639?cid=cp26">Rebecca Newberger Goldstein</a>: "You have to think about what you’ve written from the point of view of someone who isn’t you."</li>
<li><a href="http://www.chronicle.com/article/Scholars-Talk-Writing-Sam/232365?cid=cp26">Sam Wineburg</a>: "The two most important tools a writer has are his ears."</li>
<li><a href="http://www.chronicle.com/article/Scholars-Talk-Writing-Anthony/230845?cid=cp26">Anthony Grafton</a>: "It’s a matter of establishing your voice on the page, in the first sentence, while hoping to win the reader’s attention and not put her off,"</li>
</ul>
HistoryNet, the on-line presence of a number of popular history magazines (<i>American History, America's Civil War, Aviation History, Civil War Times, Military History, MHQ, Vietnam, Wild West</i>, and <i>World War II</i>) has also been interviewing a number of historians, journalists, and biographers about their work. These interviews published in the various print magazines that HistoryNet represents, focus on a number of issues, but all of them discuss the importance of writing as part of the interview:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.historynet.com/author-historian-t-j-stiles.htm?utm_source=historynet&utm_medium=related">T. J. Stiles</a>: "I try to write the kind of book I like to read. I want to be transported to another place, to have the visceral pleasure of following a subject in peril, and to have those “aha” moments, when I come to see the world in a different way."</li>
<li><a href="http://www.historynet.com/biographer-nancy-plain.htm">Nancy Plain</a>: "Just try to tell a good story, and tell it, as much as possible, as if they are talking to a friend. Tell it simply and clearly, with colorful details and plenty of primary-source quote."</li>
<li><a href="http://www.historynet.com/texas-state-historian-bill-oneal.htm?utm_source=historynet&utm_medium=related">Bill O'Neal</a>: "I realized early that I’m not a gifted writer, so I’ve worked very hard (armed with my trusty thesaurus) to become a good craftsman, a wordsmith who can produce a smooth read."</li>
<li><a href="http://www.historynet.com/interview-with-author-historian-rick-atkinson.htm">Rick Atkinson</a>: "My ambition is to have a distinctive narrative voice, to bring a literary sensibility to writing about war, and to make that voice compelling enough and vivid enough that even people who are well read about World War II feel that they are coming to the story fresh."<br />
</li>
</ul>
Nick Sarantakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071764464888181459noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232811637669592992.post-75830508437590240812016-11-27T01:13:00.002-05:002016-12-01T22:03:42.340-05:00Blog CCXI (211): Patton as an Academic<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif7wXhivlaD0dhp9pmmQcT2NqxqdRwO-TDU_jhHL9Y-Jnrrzkhl_VJKiSRRDMhyo7VpF3jtIlpxOOMo9FpPts_RPojvkkZK56lDnuT15R7VhIkMcKSwcXD2ZYvj6oy5Ur0GkrQrS8eYEU/s1600/grimsley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif7wXhivlaD0dhp9pmmQcT2NqxqdRwO-TDU_jhHL9Y-Jnrrzkhl_VJKiSRRDMhyo7VpF3jtIlpxOOMo9FpPts_RPojvkkZK56lDnuT15R7VhIkMcKSwcXD2ZYvj6oy5Ur0GkrQrS8eYEU/s200/grimsley.jpg" width="126" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark Grimsley</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Mark Grimsley of The Ohio State University is one of the leading military historians in the profession. He writes primarily on the Civil War time period. His first book was: <em>The Hard Hand of War: Union Military Policy Toward Southern Civilians, 1861-1865</em> (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995), which won the Lincoln Prize. He has written, co-written, or edited five others. He has won three teaching awards at OSU. He is also a blogger of the first order. He developed the website, Facebook page, and blog of the Society for Military. His website is <a href="http://warhistorian.org/">warhistorian.org</a> and the blog of that website is: <a href="http://warhistorian.blogspot.com/">"Blog Them Out of the Stone Age: Toward A Broader Vision of Military History and National Security Affairs."</a> <br />
<br />
<a href="http://warhistorian.blogspot.com/2015/05/patton-explains-academe.html">An essay he posted on "Blog Them Out of the Stone Age"</a> really spoke to me in several ways. As many of you might note, I wrote a book on the making of the film <i>Patton</i>. The introduction is the piece of writing I am most proud of at the moment. I modeled it after the Frank Sinatra film <i>The Manchurian Candidate</i> (1962), cutting back and forth between George C. Scott shooting the scene, the scene itself, and reactions to that section of the film. (Francis Ford Coppola wrote this section of the script, by gluing several speeches the real Patton gave into one short address). The chapter that was the most difficult to write was the one, where I discuss all the references to it in films and television shows since and various other appropriations of the film. <a href="http://warhistorian.blogspot.com/2015/05/patton-explains-academe.html">In one of the more clever of these efforts, Grimsley rewrote the scene with Patton as an academic.</a> It begins:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Now I want you to remember that few PhDs ever get the job they really wanted. They get used to taking a job at some college where they feel under-placed.</blockquote>
It ends: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Now, all this stuff about there not being many jobs, much less tenure-track jobs, is absolute gospel. Colleges love to exploit PhDs. Most real colleges love to make you adjuncts. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Oh. I will be proud to lead you gullible fools down the garden path any time I can get my readings course to subscribe </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
That’s all. </blockquote>
I am not sure if I should laugh or cry.<b></b>Nick Sarantakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071764464888181459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232811637669592992.post-34144792620625839332016-11-22T21:34:00.000-05:002016-11-27T01:19:46.174-05:00Blog CCX (210): People NewsA couple of new developments in the history business have transpired of late that are worth taking note of. Here they are:<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjshLrpbEYCId50LbyOoZKiHPpq8KKVYQwzbSoeE3l_ufqSmI00t78cTdSTI4OsQVQ2105AEKB3QxFcRyEPC2-iNpVLMrZV3Zdp7U3ac8rLkRurgYovUBYxBHwVEOraO8OOd8zZ2hlXihE/s1600/irvin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjshLrpbEYCId50LbyOoZKiHPpq8KKVYQwzbSoeE3l_ufqSmI00t78cTdSTI4OsQVQ2105AEKB3QxFcRyEPC2-iNpVLMrZV3Zdp7U3ac8rLkRurgYovUBYxBHwVEOraO8OOd8zZ2hlXihE/s200/irvin.jpg" width="172" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Benjamin H. Irvin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<em>The Journal of American History</em> has a new editor. Benjamin H. Irvin, associate professor at the University of Arizona, is taking over the journal and will also serve as associate professor in the department of history at Indiana University, Bloomington. He is the author of <em>Clothed in Robes of Sovereignty: The Continental Congress and the People Out of Doors</em> (2011). His next book, which is in the works, focuses on veterans of the American Revolution in the early republic period.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvI3pw-VkOINHU55HVoHZO3lQNhpqvSonUw6eITX4_3Iwvej8fLm7jv6zrxJg-OtaeEukTIzHUB0FlirwTAzqF5maQaiYczZ3d-DrHCDw5zxi7-TRrBFOViF-uJ_X1X04l6vxPC6R_0A/s1600/lichtenstein.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvI3pw-VkOINHU55HVoHZO3lQNhpqvSonUw6eITX4_3Iwvej8fLm7jv6zrxJg-OtaeEukTIzHUB0FlirwTAzqF5maQaiYczZ3d-DrHCDw5zxi7-TRrBFOViF-uJ_X1X04l6vxPC6R_0A/s200/lichtenstein.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex Lichtenstien</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The American Historical Association is also changing editors. Alex Lichtenstein, professor of history at Indiana University, will take over as editor of the <i>American Historical Review</i> in August of 2017. Unlike Irvin, Lichtenstein is already a member of the Indiana faculty. His research focuses on labor history and the struggle for racial justice against the forces of white supremacy. He is no stranger to the journal. He served as associate editor of the <em>AHR</em> in 2014–15 and interim editor in 2015–16. He has also been the editor of another academic publication, <em>Safundi: The Journal of South African & American Studies.</em><br />
<i></i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angela Lahr</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The blog of the American Historical Association has a feature called "Member Spotlight." This feature is a series of interviews with individual members of the AHA. On May 5, the series focused on a friend of the blog: <a href="http://blog.historians.org/2016/05/12816/">Angela Lahr of Westminster College</a>. Lahr wrote one of the first entries in the "Eight Questions" series. To be specific, she wrote <a href="http://sarantakes.blogspot.com/2012/03/blog-cx-110-eight-questions-religous.html">Blog CX (110): Eight Questions: Religious History</a>.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZr5tylt36W5NvO-Ejzbsqej5Gs2_l0io0chPPRwX1ksnlJsxZvHdcUm4ZBXxwr4cHDbLPrWf0i1d_y8FQ9EAOEgFiUS-nf1E8m-GP7SLYGIRwlJSdzDYxkt4BGzo9S2vm0Yejd8zaLxc/s1600/Perkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZr5tylt36W5NvO-Ejzbsqej5Gs2_l0io0chPPRwX1ksnlJsxZvHdcUm4ZBXxwr4cHDbLPrWf0i1d_y8FQ9EAOEgFiUS-nf1E8m-GP7SLYGIRwlJSdzDYxkt4BGzo9S2vm0Yejd8zaLxc/s200/Perkins.jpg" width="155" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edwin J. Perkins</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A few months before, the "Member Spotlight" series focused on another friend of the blog, <a href="http://blog.historians.org/2016/02/edwinjperkins/">Edwin J. Perkins</a>, a professor emeritus at the University of Southern California. We were both at USC at the same time in the mid 1990s. I never took any classes from him, but he gave me a good deal of professional advice--he was the associate editor of <i>Pacific Historical Review</i> at the time. He took a look at the first academic article I ever published. Much of his input has percolated into this blog in many ways. Nick Sarantakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071764464888181459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232811637669592992.post-59029198494387144732016-11-21T15:11:00.002-05:002016-12-05T19:22:00.065-05:00Blog CCIX (209): Faculty Unions the California Case StudyI have never really believed that faculty unions will solve the problems facing history. With that said, while I am a bit skeptical, I am open-minded. The Organization of American Historians has published several articles on its blog about the status of contingent faculty. <a href="http://www.processhistory.org/a-new-deal-for-contingent-historians-the-current-state-of-contingent-faculty-labor-organizing/"> Donald W. Rogers</a>, an adjunct lecturer in history at both Central Connecticut State University and Housatonic Community College, argues, "The most impressive gains for contingent faculty members have come from local campaigns waged on a campus-by-campus basis." Labor unions have secured collective bargaining agreements that have the states of part-time faculty. "The gold standard for these contracts has been set by faculty associations in Canadian institutions like Concordia University and the California State University system." <br />
<br />
Trevor Griffey, a former adjunct professor in the history department at Long Beach State, begs to differ. He has an interesting article on the blog about his experiences as an adjunct and as a union organizer: "<a href="http://www.processhistory.org/unions-tenure/">Can Faculty Labor Unions Stop the Decline of Tenure?</a>" The answer seems to be: not really. "Arguably, they have slowed the decline of faculty pay and job security more than they have reversed it," Griffey states. He also explains that two-thirds of all unionized faculty are located in five states: California, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, and New York. <br />
<br />
In 2001-2002, the California Faculty Association, the union representing faculty in the California State University system got the California state legislature to commit to having a tenure density of 75 percent. The results were immediate. Cal State schools hired nearly 2,000 new faculty positions--all to the good. The thing is--almost at the same time, the state legislature cut funding to the system by half a billion dollars. What happened? Tuition went up, non-teaching elements of the system were cut to the bone, and salaries for faculty went down. The average is $38,000 and that is in California, which is a bit more expensive than other areas of the country. "The biggest lesson that I take from my brief experience in the CSU system," Griffey observes, "is that college faculty in labor unions currently lack the power to effectively resist or reverse the decline of tenure." Griffey also notes that administrators are not the real problem, although he admits that many in the Faculty Association disagree with him. The real problem is the state legislature, which the union is reluctant to criticizes, for partisan reasons. <br />
<br />
The essay is interesting and thoughtful, presenting a complex issue without dumbing it down. I suggest a careful read.Nick Sarantakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071764464888181459noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232811637669592992.post-91300265142996709792016-11-18T00:10:00.001-05:002016-12-30T22:59:38.004-05:00Blog CCVIII (208): Ten Greatest Television and Film College ProfessorsThe most previous post got me to thinking about the portrayals of college professors in film and on television. I suppose one could write a serious, scholarly article on the topic, but that also seems to suck all the fun out of it. Below is my list. My criteria was pretty lose. I had to have seen the film and the character had to have been a professor at a college or university even if the story line was about another activity, which is true about a lot of them.<br />
<br />
Turns out Hollywood finds college professors a pretty interesting lot. No wonder people keep enrolling in graduate school despite the dire economics of it all! We do all sorts of things from dating Jennifer Anniston to finding the Holy Grail, and helping win the Cold War to documenting the nature of human society for aliens from outer space. Enjoy:<br />
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</div>
<br />
<img alt="the-paper-chase-john-houseman" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-369230" height="150" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" src="https://abovethelaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/the-paper-chase-john-houseman-300x150.jpg" width="300" /><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />
<b>10) Charles W. Kingsfield, Jr. (John Houseman) <i>The Paper Chase</i> (1973)</b><br />
Houseman won an Academy Award as best supporting actor for this role. A writer, director, and producer, Houseman was the director of the drama division at The Juilliard School. His students included Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Mandy Patinkin, Christopher Reeve, and Robin Williams. Kingsfield was first major acting job. At least one of his former students said Houseman was not acting. The thing that is different about this role from most of the others on this list is that that Kingsfield's main activity on screen is teaching. It also is probably the most realistic portrayal of a college professor.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTn_aP1w8JfUMQ_DqHaG0QpecaO4fCea5qMZ_I0ukuQmPyC3-gzfHIEoz7YNnRU7gUOPuTJn_YcU-jYo0q5Gw82E5hb7gqEADXOajH96wF-cKEq1Yo14CpEFZlXiCsXnfC5ZlpetuU1s/s1600/Kinison2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTn_aP1w8JfUMQ_DqHaG0QpecaO4fCea5qMZ_I0ukuQmPyC3-gzfHIEoz7YNnRU7gUOPuTJn_YcU-jYo0q5Gw82E5hb7gqEADXOajH96wF-cKEq1Yo14CpEFZlXiCsXnfC5ZlpetuU1s/s400/Kinison2.jpg" /></a><br />
<b>9) Professor Terguson (Sam Kinison) </b><i><b>Back to School </b></i><b>(1986)</b><br />
Kinison's role in this film is quite small, but Terguson makes this list mainly because he is a historian. Kinison was a stand up comic, and in his main scene, he delivered his lines in the screaming style that characterized his night club routines: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<u><b>Terguson:</b></u> You remember that thing we had about 30 years ago called the Korean conflict? And how we failed to achieve victory? How come we didn't cross the 38th parallel and push those rice-eaters back to the Great Wall of China? Then take the fucking wall apart brick by brick and nuke them back into the fucking stone age forever? Tell me why! How come? Say it! Say it!</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="character"><b><u>Thornton Melon</u></b></span><b><u>:</u></b> All right. I'll say it. 'Cause Truman was too much of a pussy wimp to let MacArthur go in there and blow out those Commie bastards!</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="character"><b><u>Professor Terguson</u></b></span><b><u>:</u></b> Good answer. Good answer. I like the way you think. I'm gonna be watching you.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="character"><b><u>Thornton Melon</u></b> (to the camera)</span>: Good teacher. He really seems to care. About what I have no idea.</blockquote>
<strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqzKLOQxA05X_AZ42cA1fw6vHxsl7QfvQ2lNNzytLdalfBFkeuWeSP1tsEU8X7FGUqIZwxxen4TiVwbyj2kO5tPpZEio12KwiKd_cB99_OZ-yn1s-0-ar1-Oc5T5j9zZPDcYJl2qfiCNQ/s1600/Hanks.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqzKLOQxA05X_AZ42cA1fw6vHxsl7QfvQ2lNNzytLdalfBFkeuWeSP1tsEU8X7FGUqIZwxxen4TiVwbyj2kO5tPpZEio12KwiKd_cB99_OZ-yn1s-0-ar1-Oc5T5j9zZPDcYJl2qfiCNQ/s320/Hanks.jpg" width="320" /></a></strong><br />
<strong>8) Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) <em>The Da Vinci Code</em> (2006) <em>Angels & Demons</em> (2009) and <em>Inferno</em> (2016)</strong><br />
In Dan Brown's novels and the films, Langdon is a professor of religious symbology at Harvard University. There is no actual field of "religious symbology." What Langdon does is really art history. Does not sound as cool, though. <br />
<b><br /></b>
<img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/27/Dick_Solomon.jpg" /><br />
<b>7) Richard "Dick" Solomon
(John Lithgow) <i>3rd Rock from the Sun</i> (1996-2001)</b><br />
Solomon is a professor of physics at Pendleton State University in Rutherford, Ohio and shares an office with Mary Albright, a professor of anthropology. I always wondered how small Pendleton had to be for professors from such different fields to be sharing an office. The other thing is that Solomon is an alien sent to Earth to observe the human race. Lithgow is hilarious in the role and won three Emmy Awards. Of course, he might have had some help. His wife is a history professor.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0bMgTHyj1RNo9ipleADsYkGhy1g5BBkfpPYREchbYSIicpneN2rMU8buGfqf6173M7dQXpLxNMFPr9770g5IQPH6eII1K2FCV1MPM0sL7vYkf1Jsh4y-bEZkmw0YRbHx2D6VT1C3gbD4/s1600/baldwin.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0bMgTHyj1RNo9ipleADsYkGhy1g5BBkfpPYREchbYSIicpneN2rMU8buGfqf6173M7dQXpLxNMFPr9770g5IQPH6eII1K2FCV1MPM0sL7vYkf1Jsh4y-bEZkmw0YRbHx2D6VT1C3gbD4/s320/baldwin.png" width="320" /></a><br />
<b>6) Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) </b><em><b>The Hunt for Red October</b></em><b> (1990)</b><br />
The question is which Jack Ryan?: Baldwin's, Harrison Ford's, Ben Affleck's, or Chris Pine's. I will go with the original, even though all the things Ryan has done by 31 (Baldwin's age at the time) is pushing the limits of believability: CIA analyst, U.S. Naval Academy history professor, published historian, Ph.D. from Georgetown, a Wall Street trader who made $8 million before going to grad school, and U.S. Naval Academy graduate. (His undergraduate alma matter is a major difference between the films and books). But <em>The Hunt for Red October</em> has a great line that is from the original novel:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="character"><b><u>Capt. Marko Ramius</u></b></span><b><u>:</u></b> What books did you write? </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="character"><u><b>Jack Ryan</b></u></span><u><b>:</b></u> I wrote a biography of, of Admiral Halsey, called <em>The Fighting Sailor</em>, about, uh, naval combat tactics... </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="character"><b><u>Capt. Ramius</u></b></span><b><u>:</u></b> I know this book! </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="character"><b><u>Capt. Vasili Borodin</u></b></span><b><u>:</u></b> Torpedo impact... </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="character"><b><u>Capt. Ramius</u></b></span><b><u>:</u></b> Your conclusions were all wrong, Ryan... </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="character"><b><u>Capt. Vasili Borodin</u></b></span><b><u>:</u></b> ...10 seconds. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="character"><b><u>Capt. Ramius</u></b></span><b><u>:</u></b> ...Halsey acted stupidly. </blockquote>
<img alt="" class="bf_dom image not-graphic-image js-image js-not-graphic " height="160" rel:bf_bucket="progload" rel:bf_image_src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/enhanced/web04/2012/2/6/14/enhanced-buzz-wide-17151-1328557176-82.jpg" src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/enhanced/web04/2012/2/6/14/enhanced-buzz-wide-17151-1328557176-82.jpg?no-auto" width="320" /><br />
<strong>5) Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor)<i> How I Met Your Mother</i> (2005-2013)</strong><br />
Theodore Evelyn Mosby is an architect living and working in New York, New York. <i>How I Met Your Mother</i> is the story about how he found his wife. Mosby is telling the story in flashback mode. In the nine seasons of the television program, he dated 38 women, before finding "the one." In season four his fiancé leaves him hours before the wedding for her son's father. In an effort to make things right, her once again boyfriend uses his family connections to get Mosby a job as a professor of architecture at Columbia University as a consolation prize. Mosby teaches at Columbia even though he only has a bachelor's degree. (He must of been some type of adjunct). As it turns out, he and his future wife see each other for the first time when Mosby accidentally enters the wrong classroom on his first day of teaching. As a professor, his students tend to act as something of an entourage. <br />
<a class="irc_mil i3597 iQtfOc7Wm5oo-zixyDjKkw5M" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwiqpv2k6K7QAhVnw1QKHZmOCo4QjRwIBw" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiqpv2k6K7QAhVnw1QKHZmOCo4QjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ibm.com%2Fdeveloperworks%2Fcommunity%2Fblogs%2FEngineers%2Fentry%2Fengineering_role_models_in_the_strangest_places&bvm=bv.139138859,d.cGw&psig=AFQjCNEfWIsLZAUdWKEl7oTnT9ttYfimQQ&ust=1479438534221367" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><img alt="Image result for the professor gilligan's island inventions" class="irc_mi iQtfOc7Wm5oo-pQOPx8XEepE" height="240" src="https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/community/blogs/Engineers/resource/BLOGS_UPLOADED_IMAGES/Engineering-RoleModelsintheStrangestPlaces_photo4.png" style="margin-top: 15px;" width="320" /></a><b></b><br />
<b>4) The Professor (Russell Johnson) <i>Gilligan's Island</i> (1964-1967)</b><br />
Roy Hinkley, Ph.D. apparently liked Los Angeles and the Dallas/Forth Worth area. He has degrees from USC, UCLA, TCU, and SMU. Cool, calm, and rational, he took a lot of books with him for a three hour tour. The Professor was a learned man and a master of many fields of science, but some things were beyond him. In the 1987 movie <i>Back to the Beach</i>, Bob Denver played the "Bartender" who was Gilligan in everything but name for legal reasons (the "Bartender" even dressed like Gilligan), and delivered this line:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
You know, I lived with a guy for years. A real genius. He could take a couple of these pineapples or a couple of coconuts with some strings and wire and make a nuclear reactor. But he couldn't fix a two-foot hole in a boat. Wanna hear the rest?</blockquote>
<img height="198" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/51/Peter_GB1.jpg" width="320" /><br />
<b>3) Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) </b><i><b>Ghostbusters</b></i><b> (1984) and </b><i><b>Ghostbusters II</b></i><b> (1989)</b><br />
Venkman loses his job at Columbia University early in the film--apparently he did not have tenure--and the dean makes the reasons for his dismissal clear: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Doctor... Venkman. We believe that the purpose of science is to serve mankind. You, however, seem to regard science as some kind of dodge... or hustle. Your theories are the worst kind of popular tripe, your methods are sloppy, and your conclusions are highly questionable! You are a poor scientist, Dr. Venkman! </blockquote>
Venkman then goes on to fame as the leader of the Ghostbusters and saves the city from Gozer the Gozerian, a Summerian god who comes in the form of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXpsGo73SbUAKoQpcaor7OCTeA3gMQRAjhiebwv7AAbJROXPzlwMZFFdFsaOZ171n3-uanvZ3EKyCDX1N5yxUxbmpgSK-HyHsDDv7OrlAcXTRoF7ELZ0bchsHwXByOV9M-3_3oLsbBJg/s1600/geller.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXpsGo73SbUAKoQpcaor7OCTeA3gMQRAjhiebwv7AAbJROXPzlwMZFFdFsaOZ171n3-uanvZ3EKyCDX1N5yxUxbmpgSK-HyHsDDv7OrlAcXTRoF7ELZ0bchsHwXByOV9M-3_3oLsbBJg/s320/geller.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<b>2) Ross Geller (David Schwimmer) </b><i><b>Friends</b></i><b> (1994-2004)</b><br />
<i>Friends</i> was one of the funniest shows on television and dominated the 1990s. Ross has a Ph.D. in paleontology from Columbia University at age 27, which is possible, but just barely. At times Schwimmer's portrayal struck me as quite realistic; Ross seems a bit "over devoted" to his field, and is a bit sensitive when people did not treat his title of "doctor" with the same level of respect that they would give a physician, On the other hand, all he seems to do is hangout with his friends at the local coffee shop, and has a really healthy social life for an academic--he got married and divorced three times and slept with lot of other women. People have done studies, and come up with numbers ranging from 14 to 17, which is twice the supposed national average.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJQq1Q4Z2Z1eQFhvut_L4ZpaTRnIkXy8jqK7DQ6mPPfFKWb9MKretb2BpO2ridF5Q-VYkxnJU5vrEj8HBV2Ju52eSjcEv6z7WSElHbEyO5SLhmDm1MkTJ7ryXStBr73LjguvvvFgkCS0/s1600/IndyJones.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJQq1Q4Z2Z1eQFhvut_L4ZpaTRnIkXy8jqK7DQ6mPPfFKWb9MKretb2BpO2ridF5Q-VYkxnJU5vrEj8HBV2Ju52eSjcEv6z7WSElHbEyO5SLhmDm1MkTJ7ryXStBr73LjguvvvFgkCS0/s320/IndyJones.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<strong>1) Henry "Indiana" Jones, Jr. (Harrison Ford) <em>Raiders of the Lost Ark</em> (1981) <em>Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom</em> (1984) <em>Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade</em> (1989) and <em>Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull</em> (2008)</strong><br />
Not many people know this but Indiana Jones has been played by 7 actors in the 4 films and <i>The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles</i>, an American television series that lasted for 4 seasons. Despite that fact, Harrison Ford is the actor most associated with this role. In 2003 the American Film Institute ranked Jones as the second greatest cinematic hero of all time. He got his Ph.D. in archeology at the University of Chicago and teaches at Marshall College in Connecticut. He seems to be a specialist in a number of time periods and locals, which is super unrealistic. But how many of us get to see God evaporate a professional, academic rival into nothing?Nick Sarantakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08071764464888181459noreply@blogger.com1