Illinois Press Book Blog

The year 2009 marks not only the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, but also that of Edgar Allan Poe. Celebrated poet, novelist, and literary critic, Poe is perhaps most well known for his tales of mystery and macabre, and his changing opinions on literature.

Triumphantly culminating with the publication of Poe’s Critical Theory in January 2009, the University of Illinois Press has reissued much of his work in recent years, including Complete Poems; Tales and Sketches, vol. 1: 1831-1842; Tales and Sketches, vol. 2: 1843-1849; and Eureka, his book on the interconnectedness of all things in the universe.

What a better way to celebrate Poe’s birthday than to curl up with one of his tantalizing tales this winter?

Inside Higher Ed blogger Oronte Churm whets our appetite for turkey on the day before Thanksgiving.

The December/January 2009 issue of Bookforum pairs William V. Spanos’s forthcoming University of Illinois Press book The Legacy of Edward W. Said (January 2009) with The Soul of Barbed Wire: An Intoduction to Solzhenitsyn.

Comparing the two books Bookforum opines, “William V. Spanos’s The Legacy of Edward Said is … much crazier, more entertaining, and clearly engaged in a live battle for Said’s legacy.”

The November 17, 2008, issue of Publishers Weekly includes an enthusiastic review of John Broven’s forthcoming book Record Makers and Breakers: Voices of the Independent Rock ‘n’ Roll Pioneers (February 2009).

“Covering the convoluted history of the recording industry from the 1940s to the 1960s, [Broven] combines in-depth archival research with fascinating anecdotes about chart-toppers, shady characters and label owners. . . . The impact of conniving entrepreneurs on the musicians and the layering of rich details and digressive detours as Broven traces the transition from R&B to rock make this equal to Roger D. Kinkle’s massive, four-volume Complete Encyclopedia of Popular Music and Jazz.

Yesterday’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution featured a Q&A with Stephane Dunn, author of “Baad Bitches” and Sassy Supermamas: Black Power Action Films.

*****

Q: One of the most impressive aspects of the book is how it challenges what feels like a reflexive love of blaxploitation — especially among white male hipsters, who often overlook the sexist aspects of the genre.

A: Oh yeah, for me it’s a critical mad love that I have — appreciate the political and cultural significance given the moment they came out of and what they meant to tons of black moviegoers hungry for empowered, cool heroes and reflections of black culture on the big screen, but deal with the racist and sexist subtexts that shaped the imagery and the themes, too. Though lots of folks, including some actors and players from that film genre, understandably reject that term “blaxploitation,” it is apt if we use it to signify … [the] disturbing politics in the mix — the cheapening of the Black Power political dynamism, pornographic treatment of women, and so on.

Only a bit more than a month since the last MLB game was played, and I’m dutifully following contract signings and free-agency bids. There was exciting news from the Japanese leagues earlier this week too, as a young female pitcher was drafted. Fox Sports reports that if she escapes pre-season cuts, pitcher Eri Yoshida would become the first professional female player in Japan. Wow. The first?

So, why aren’t more women playing baseball? Jennifer Ring tackles this question by documenting how women have been continuously pushed out of the game in her forthcoming book, Stolen Bases. To be released in time for opening day 2009, Ring’s book also shows how women have been nixed from baseball’s most popular song, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”

The 1908 song, in full, goes

Nelly Kelly loved Base Ball games
Knew the players, knew all their names,
You could see her there every day,
Shout “hurray” when they’d play.
Her boy friend by the name of Joe
Said to Coney Isle, dear, let’s go,
Then Nelly started to fret and pout,
And to him I heard her shout:

Take me out to the Ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and crack-er-jack,
I don’t care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don’t win it’s a shame,
For it’s one, two, three strikes.
You’re out at the old Ball game.

This spring, I’ll be sure to let everyone know about Nelly Kelly. And not just when this song is blaring during the seventh-inning stretch.

Last night Mark Doty won the National Book Award for his Fire to Fire: New and Collected Poems. Doty has a long history with the University of Illinois Press. In 1993 we published his multiple-award-winning *My Alexandria, and in 1995 his Turtle, Swan and Bethlehem in Broad Daylight. He has also been a friend to us in our publishing of other volumes in the National Poetry Series.

 *Still available in an old-school cassette, yo!

In the November 21 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education, Jennifer Howard discusses the emerging role of the scholarly communications specialist on campus.

More institutions are creating or beefing up offices and programs in scholarly communication or hiring librarians with expertise in copyright and intellectual property.

Services vary wildly from place to place. But Karla Hahn, who directs the Office of Scholarly Communication for the Association of Research Libraries, has seen some major themes emerge. Faculty outreach — making sure that faculty members understand their rights and responsibilities and the options available to them — “is pretty universally a component,” she says. Other common elements include helping academics figure out copyright issues and how to navigate institutional repositories. Offering publishing services outside of university presses is another large and growing area.

On Tuesday, November 18, Cheryl Ganz (The 1933 Chicago World’s Fair) was interviewed for a future segment on the syndicated Book Guys radio program.

Radio towers

The building

The studio

The interview