Best of the best 2013

We are proud to announce that Lincoln and Medicine by Glenna R. Schroeder-Lein was recently chosen as one of the "Best of the Best" University Press Books for Public and Secondary School Libraries by the American Library Association.

Committee member Gay Ann Loesch said "The controversies over the mental and physical conditions of the 16th presidential family are examined in light of today's medical knowledge, making the title informative, approachable, documented, and fascinating reading, shedding new light on the health issues of Lincoln's family. This medical history of Abraham Lincoln and his family lends itself to integrating this period of history and the practices of medicine of the times, providing a core resource for allied health curriculum in high schools, thus enhancing the study of both areas. Readers will learn about sixteenth century American history, culture, medical remedies and practices and be able to compare them to modern medical treatment and knowledge."

Also honored as "outstanding" was Walter Frank's Making Sense of the Constitution: A Primer on the Supreme Court and Its Struggle to Apply Our Fundamental Law. Hilary Albert called it "a marvelous introduction to the constitution and how the Supreme Court and our governmental structure are supposed to work, while still being mindful of different or varying opinions. A great deal of the book focuses on the bill of rights and the amendments, both the history and the evolving views of the various justices. There is also a discussion about how the court itself works. Overall, this is a great start for someone interested in learning about constitutional law who has no background at all."

Several other titles were selected for inclusion in the 2013 edition of University Press Books for Public and Secondary Schools, an annual collection published with the support of the American Library Association, the American Association of School Librarians, and a committee of Public Library Reviewers. Included in the bibliography are: 

Heavenly Bodies, by Cynthia Huntington

Lincoln's Ladder to the Presidency: The Eighth Judicial Circuit, by Guy C. Fraker
Lincoln and the Constitution, by Brian R. Dirck

Giant in the Shadows: The Life of Robert T. Lincoln, by Jason Emerson 

The Madness of Mary Lincoln, by Jason Emerson
Lincoln and Race, by Richard Striner
Lincoln as Hero, by Frank J. Williams
The Mary Lincoln Enigma: Historians on Americas Most Controversial First Lady, edited by Frank J. Williams and Michael Burkhimer (Enigma)
The Chattanooga Campaign, edited by Steven E. Woodworth and Charles D. Grear
Mending Broken Soldiers:The Union and Confederate Programs to Supply Artificial Limbs, by Guy R. Hasegawa

ISHS Recognizes Seven SIU Press Books and Authors at Annual Awards Banquet

The books of Southern Illinois University Press received honors at The Illinois State Historical Society's annual awards banquet in Springfield, Illinois, on Saturday, April 27. Of the sixteen awards given for scholarly books, seven were awarded to SIU Press titles, including Book of the Year, an honor bestowed upon Jason Emerson's book, Giant in the Shadows: The Life of Robert T. Lincoln, an in depth look at the life of Abraham Lincoln’s son.

"Our judges felt that this 600-page tome had all of the elements that make a great history book:  an interesting and popular topic with wide appeal; excellent narrative writing style; extensive, exhaustive research from sources never used before; and well-organized bibliographic citations that make it a source for scholars now and in the future.  As one reviewer stated, 'Emerson sweeps away a century of myths and misinformation about Robert T. Lincoln, including the musty, old canard that he had no respect for his famous father and no sympathy for his emotionally fragile mother.  This is an intimate, in-depth portrait that will be praised, quoted and consulted for years to come.'"

In addition to Emerson's win, two other SIU Press books were finalists for the Book of the Year award and took home awards for Superior Achievement: Guy C. Fraker's Lincoln's Ladder to the Presidency: The Eighth Judicial Circuit and Dr. David A. Joens's From Slave to State Legislator: John W. E. Thomas, Illinois' First African American Lawmaker.

Fraker's book explores Lincoln's years as a lawyer traveling Illinois' Eighth Judicial Circuit, where he not only gained respect as a skilled attorney and mesmerizing speaker, but also built a political base and refined his views on the important issues of the day, many of which he would face in the White House.  Lincoln’s Ladder to the Presidency: The Eighth Judicial Circuit shows how Lincoln's experiences from 1837 to 1860 on muddy roads, in homes of friends, and in courtrooms on the circuit guided him when he became president. 

From Slave to State Legislator: John W. E. Thomas, Illinois’ First African American Lawmaker examines the life of the first African American elected to the Illinois general assembly and a recognized leader of the state's African American community for nearly 20 years.  He paved the way for those that followed.  The judges cited Dr. Joens's "ability to explain a highly complex issue" and "highly praised the author’s scholarship," stating that he, "does a great job in recreating the life and times of Thomas using hundreds of newspaper accounts and government documents from 1870 to 1899."

Two other SIU Press books were given the distinction of the Award of Superior Achievement: the late Robert S. Eckley's Lincoln’s Forgotten Friend, Leonard Swett and Herbert K. Russell's The State of Southern Illinois: An Illustrated History.

About Lincoln's Forgotten Friend, Leonard Swett, one of the judges said "It shows great scholarship in research and compilation. I loved this book and could not put it down." Dr. Eckley’s wife, Nell Eckley, accepted the award on her late husband’s behalf.  

The State of Southern Illinois: An Illustrated History was praised by the judges as well for "present[ing] the history of Southern Illinois from the glacial period to the present in a lively and well-written style. The author uses a variety of sources to show that 'Egypt' was not just an extension of Dixie, that most of Southern Illinois residents did not want to secede during the Civil War, and that many African- Americans lived in peace in the region for many years."

Finally, two SIU Press books were awarded a Certificate of Excellence: The Essential Paul Simon: Timeless Lessons for Today’s Politics, edited by John S. Jackson, and the second edition of The Poorhouse: Subsidized Housing in Chicago by Devereux Bowly, Jr. 

About The Essential Paul Simon one judge stated, "This collection offers compelling, relevant, timeless insights into the challenges Americans and their elected officials face today." The second edition of The Poorhouse: Subsidized Housing in Chicago updates and provides five new chapters to the author's 1978 publication. With dozens of black-and-white  photographs and commentary about who designed the buildings how the architecture affected the residents, the new book provides an architectural record of public housing in the City of Chicago.

"The ISHS Awards Program continues to recognize the best of the best in the broad canvas of historical interpretation," said ISHS President Russell Lewis. "The Society seeks out what is exceptional in the state—the best books, the best exhibits, the best teachers—and the nominations we get always surprise us with their creativity, insight, and resourcefulness. This year's harvest is no exception. Congratulations to all!"

Remembering Jake Adam York

(This entry was originally posted on a temporary blog site in December.)

We here at Southern Illinois University Press had the pleasure of working with Jake Adam York on two of his books: A Mumuration of Starlings and Persons Unknown. An exceedingly talented, kind, and funny man, we consider ourselves lucky to have had the opportunity to know him, and regret that our time was cut short. On December 16, Jake Adam York passed away at age 40 after suffering a stroke. We'd like to share with you some video we took when he visited the SIU campus in 2011 for the Little Grassy Literary Festival.











We will miss him.

You look hungry

(A version of this entry was originally posted on a temporary blog site in November.)

Here's a recipe from Cooking Plain, Illinois Country Style by Helen Walker Linsenmeyer. Before sharing it here, we decided to test it ourselves. (It's a tough job, but we do it. We do it for you.) Below is a picture of a poppy seed cake, courtesy of our systems administrator. He chose a powdered sugar topping, rather than the suggested custard topping. Want to make it yourself?

Poppy Seed Cake

You won't find poppy seed cake around very much anymore, and few cookbooks include it, which is too bad. Possibly poppy seeds fell into disfavor after the trauma of the drug scene in the 1960s. This cake looks interesting, and the custardy topping makes it a complete dessert.

2/3 cup poppy seeds
1 cup milk
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
5 egg yolks
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Grated rind of 1 lemon
2-1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 egg whites, beaten

Soak the poppy seeds in 1 cup milk for an hour before starting to mix cake. Cream butter until lemon colored and fluffy, add sugar 1/4 cup at a time, and beat until mixture resembles whipped cream. Beat In egg yolks, one at a time. Sift flour with baking powder and salt and add to batter in thirds, alternating with ½ cup milk. Stir in poppy seeds, lemon rind, and vanilla and blend thoroughly. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry and fold into batter. Turn into 10-by-4-inch loaf pan or 10-inch round-form pan which has been lightly greased and dusted with flour. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes, or until cake springs back when touched lightly with fingertip. Turn out on wire rack to cool. Serve with cooked custard topping.

Custard topping

2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
4 egg yolks, beaten
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in top of double boiler, add eggs yolks and beat until smooth. Add milk gradually and continue mixing until all lumps are removed. Set over boiling water and cook over medium heat until thick, stirring constantly. Stir in vanilla. Cool and pour over slices of poppy seed cake as served.  

Makes a 10-inch loaf cake.

Virtual Book Signings

In December, Glenna Schroeder-Lein visited the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop in Chicago, to discuss her new book from SIU Press, Lincoln and Medicine.

(Above is Part 1. You can also see Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4,

This isn't the first time our authors have visited the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop. Check out their YouTube Page to see Virtual Book Signings featuring Guy Fraker, Brian Dirck, Michael Burlingame, Jason Emerson and Kenneth Winkle and more.

New Lincoln books!

We're proud to announce a number of great Lincoln titles, including two new additions to the Concise Lincoln Library. These books look beyond his presidency, and instead focus on his early career, his family, and his legacy.


Lincoln as Hero
by Frank J. Williams
Cloth: 978-0-8093-3217-5
Ebook: 978-0-8093-3218-2
$19.95t, 144 pages, 5 x 8

“From a lifetime of studying Abraham Lincoln, Frank Williams has distilled an analysis of the qualities of courage and leadership that marked America’s sixteenth president as a genuine hero. This book offers a sensitive appreciation of Lincoln’s character.”—James McPherson, author of Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief

Lincoln as Hero shows how—whether it was as president, lawyer, or schoolboy—Lincoln extolled the foundational virtues of American society.  Using both celebrated episodes and lesser-known anecdotes from Lincoln’s life and achievements, Williams presents a wide-ranging analysis of these traits as they were demonstrated in Lincoln’s rise, starting with his self-education as a young man and moving on to his training and experience as a lawyer, his entry onto the political stage, and his burgeoning grasp of military tactics and leadership. 

Touching on Lincoln’s humor and his quest for independence, justice, and equality, Williams outlines the path Lincoln took to becoming a great leader and an American hero, showing readers why his heroism is still relevant. True heroes, Williams argues, are successful not just by the standards of their own time but also through achievements that transcend their own eras and resonate throughout history—with their words and actions living on in our minds, if we are imaginative, and in our actions, if we are wise.  

Frank J. Williams, retired chief justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island and a well-known expert on Abraham Lincoln, is the founding chair of the Lincoln Forum and a board member of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation. He is the author or editor of more than a dozen books, including Judging Lincoln, The Emancipation Proclamation: Three Views, and Lincoln Lessons: Reflections on America’s Greatest Leader. 

Lincoln and Medicine
by Glenna Schroeder- Lein
Cloth: 978-0-8093-3194-9
Ebook: 978-0-8093-3195-6
$19.95t, 152 pages, 5 x 8, 4 illus.

"Dr. Schroeder-Lein has scored another ace with Lincoln and Medicine…. A must for any Lincolnite and those interested in nineteenth-century medicine.” —Peter J. D’Onofrio, president of the Society of Civil War Surgeons

Since his assassination in 1865, Lincoln has been diagnosed with no less than seventeen conditions by doctors, historians, and researchers, including congestive heart failure, epilepsy, Marfan syndrome, and mercury poisoning.  Interest in Lincoln’s physical and mental health continues to be piqued, from the recent interest in testing Lincoln’s DNA and theories that he was homosexual, to analysis of the deep depressions, accidents, and illnesses that plagued his early years.

Lincoln and Medicine, the first work on the subject in nearly eighty years, investigates the most enduring controversies about Lincoln’s mental health, physical history, and assassination; the conditions that afflicted his wife and children, both before and after his death; and Lincoln’s relationship with the medical field during the Civil War, both as commander-in-chief and on a personal level. Set within the broader context of the prevailing medical knowledge and remedies of the era, this book takes into account new perspectives on the medical history of Abraham Lincoln and his family, offering an absorbing and informative view into a much-mythologized, yet underinvestigated, dimension of one of the nation’s most famous leaders.

Glenna R. Schroeder-Lein is manuscripts librarian for the non-Lincoln manuscripts at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois. Her previous publications include The Encyclopedia of Civil War Medicine, Confederate Hospitals on the Move: Samuel H. Stout and the Army of Tennessee, and Andrew Johnson: A Biographical Companion (with Richard Zuczek).

 Lincoln's Ladder to the Presidency: The Eighth Judicial Circuit
By Guy C. Fraker, with a foreword by Michael Burlingame
Cloth: 978-0-8093-3201-4
Ebook: 978-0-8093-3202-1
$34.95t, 352 pages, 5 x 8, 34 illus.

“As a central Illinois lawyer himself, Fraker knows the Eighth Judicial Circuit better than anyone. As a Lincoln scholar, he has an eye for the revealing legal story and an ear for the interplay of Lincoln’s legal and political ideas and language.”—Ronald C. White Jr., author of A. Lincoln: A Biography
Throughout his twenty-three-year legal career, Abraham Lincoln spent nearly as much time on the road as an attorney for the Eighth Judicial Circuit as he did in his hometown of Springfield, Illinois. Yet most historians gloss over this time and instead have Lincoln emerge fully formed as a skillful politician in 1858. In this innovative volume, Guy C. Fraker provides the first-ever study of Lincoln’s professional and personal home away from home and demonstrates how the Eighth Judicial Circuit and its people propelled Lincoln to the presidency.

 The Eighth Judicial Circuit provided the perfect setting for the growth and ascension of Lincoln. A complete portrait of the sixteenth president depends on a full understanding of his experience on the circuit, and Lincoln’s Ladder to the Presidency provides that understanding, as well as a fresh perspective on the much-studied figure, thus deepening our understanding of the roots of his political influence and acumen.

Guy C. Fraker, an attorney in Bloomington, Illinois, has written extensively and lectures frequently on the Eighth Judicial Circuit. He was the consultant on the award-winning PBS documentary Lincoln, Prelude to the Presidency and co-curated “Prologue to the Presidency: Abraham Lincoln on the Illinois Eighth Judicial Circuit,” a traveling exhibit also on permanent display at the David Davis Mansion, a state historic site in Bloomington. He also served as an advisor to the National Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. A graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law, he is a past president of the McLean County Bar Association. Fraker is touring heavily in promotion of this book. His schedule is available at www.lincolnsladder.com.


Lincoln's Forgotten Friend, Leonard Swett
By Robert S. Eckley
Cloth: 978-0-8093-3205-2
Ebook: 978-0-8093-3206-9
$34.95t, 336 pages, 6 x 9, 22 illus.

“This book is a major contribution that shows the lifelong dedication of a friend from Lincoln’s inner circle.”—Dr. Ronald D. Rietveld, professor emeritus, California State University, Fullerton
In 1849, while traveling as an attorney on the Eighth Judicial Circuit in Illinois, Abraham Lincoln befriended Leonard Swett (1825–89), a fellow attorney sixteen years his junior. Despite this age difference, the two men forged an enduring friendship that continued until Lincoln’s assassination in 1865. Until now, no historian has explored Swett’s life or his remarkable relationship with the sixteenth president. In this welcome volume, Robert S. Eckley provides the first biography of Swett, crafting an intimate portrait of his experiences as a loyal member of Lincoln’s inner circle.
Throughout his life, Swett wrote a great deal on Lincoln, and he planned to write a biography about him during his retirement. Swett’s death preempted this project, but his eloquent and interesting writings about Lincoln are described and reproduced in this volume, some for the first time.

With Lincoln’s Forgotten Friend, Eckley brings Swett forth from the shadows of history and sheds new light on Lincoln’s personal relationships and their contributions to his career.

A native of central Illinois, Robert Eckley earned a doctorate in economics from Harvard. He was the president of Illinois Wesleyan University from 1968 to 1986. He served as president of the Abraham Lincoln Association from 2002 to 2004 and was honored with their Logan Hay Medal in 2007. He published a series of articles on Leonard Swett in the Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society.

John Dewey's lost manuscript, now available!

In 1947, John Dewey supposedly left the manuscript for his philosophical interpretation of the history of modern philosophy in a cab. Sixty-five years later, we now have that manuscript in which Dewey reveals how “unmodern” modern philosophy is and begins his own account of a truly modern theory of knowing.

Phillip Deen shares how the book was found in the introduction to the book, excerpted here:


So how do we have the present manuscript? The short answer is that it was among the Dewey Papers in the Special Collections at Southern Illinois University, catalogued and waiting for decades to be rediscovered. Archivists at the Special Collections Research Center believe that the manuscript was included in the original collection. The more difficult question is how it made it into the Dewey Papers at all. Each document had been catalogued by Jo Ann Boydston, the esteemed editor-in-chief of the Collected Works of John Dewey. However, in personal correspondence with me, Dr. Boydston recalled some of the chapter titles but had no other recollection of the manuscripts.

As for where it was before it appeared in the Special Collections, there are at least four theories. The first is that Joseph Ratner had it. Dewey frequently gave early chapters to him for comment. Ratner, a noted packrat, may have contributed the chapters to the Dewey Papers. This is possible, since his contributions to the collection were extensive. However, it does not explain why, in 1949, Ratner commiserated with Dewey over the loss of the manuscript and encouraged him to begin again (1949.07.06, 07255). Perhaps he simply forgot that he had them. Nor does it account for the fact that the manuscript was catalogued as part of the Dewey Papers, rather than Ratner’s. The second theory is that Roberta Dewey had it. Shortly after Dewey’s passing, George Dykhuizen asked her, “Have you investigated farther the manuscript which you uncovered in Nova Scotia and which you think may be the one believed to be lost?” (1952.10.01, 13674). In other words, the manuscript might not have been stolen, but left behind in Nova Scotia. We do not know if Roberta ever confirmed her suspicions. Her 1959 comments would indicate that she did not. Third, it is possible that the full manuscript was not lost, as Dewey indicated above that only a few chapters were in the briefcase. It may be that the legend of a missing manuscript, rather than missing chapters, was too tempting and spread falsely through the Dewey community. But why would Dewey speak so often as if the entire manuscript had been lost? Lastly, it is possible that Dewey lost the final draft, and what we have now is an assortment of earlier drafts. But, again, that does not explain why Dewey and Ratner spoke as if the entire thing had been lost and it was necessary to begin again. Dewey’s correspondence also indicates that his work on the manuscript dried up after the burst of activity between 1941 and 1942—the period during which the extant manuscripts were written.
In short, it is presently a mystery how a manuscript thought to be lost by everyone, including the author, should reappear in the archives. Perhaps Dewey’s “grand design—a philosophical interpretation of the history of Western man”—was never truly lost, only incomplete and forgotten somewhere among Dewey’s papers. It would be ironic, after years of speculation on its content and the theft, if we were to discover that the manuscript had been waiting for us all along. Though we would be left to wonder, “What was actually in that briefcase . . . ?”

New books on Mary Lincoln

Southern Illinois University Press specializes in, among other things, books on Lincoln. This extends beyond just Abraham, to the other members of his family--his wife, Mary, and his son, Robert, in particular. This season we have an exciting new book that looks at Mary's complex nature. We're also bringing out a paperback edition of a very popular book that examines Mrs. Lincoln's mental health based on her own writings.

Mary Lincoln is a lightning rod for controversy. Stories reveal widely different interpretations, and it is impossible to write a definitive version of her life that will suit everyone. The thirteen engaging essays in this collection introduce Mary Lincoln’s complex nature and show how she is viewed today. 

The authors’ explanations of her personal and private image stem from a variety of backgrounds, and through these lenses—history, theater, graphic arts, and psychiatry—they present their latest research and assessments. Here they reveal the effects of familial culture and society on her life and give a broader assessment of Mary Lincoln as a woman, wife, and mother. Topics include Mary’s childhood in Kentucky, the early years of her marriage to Abraham, Mary’s love of travel and fashion, the presidential couple’s political partnership, and Mary’s relationship with her son Robert.

The fascinating epilogue meditates on Mary Lincoln’s universal appeal and her enigmatic personality, showcasing the dramatic differences in interpretations. With gripping prose and in-depth documentation,  this anthology will capture the imagination of all readers.
 

 ~~~~~

This compelling story of the purported insanity of one of America’s most tragic first ladies covers Mary Lincoln’s life from childhood to death and asserts that she suffered from bipolar disorder. Utilizing a set of letters that had been lost for eighty years, Jason Emerson shows how Mary Lincoln’s predisposition toward psychiatric illness and a life filled with mental and emotional trauma led her son, Robert T. Lincoln, to commit her to an insane asylum. Named Book of the Year by the Illinois State Historical Society, The Madness of Mary Lincoln is a gripping historical page-turner. 

“Jason Emerson should be congratulated for both his detective work and his historical analysis which have culminated in a groundbreaking study on the life of this complex and troubled woman.”—Civil War Book Review