PUBLICATIONS Inside Illinois Vol. 28, No. 4, Aug. 21, 2008

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UI Press books: from American history to women’s studies

By Sharita Forrest, Assistant Editor
217-244-1072; slforres@illinois.edu

Click photo to enlarge Photo by L. Brian Stauffer High praise Willis Regier, director, and Joan Catapano, associate director and editor-in-chief, of the UI Press display two recent books. The press, which publishes 120 new books each year, has published highly praised books about Abraham Lincoln, Illinois and its history.

One of the leading publishers of works about Abraham Lincoln, the UI Press, is publishing two new Lincoln books later this year in advance of the bicentennial of his birth in February 2009.

“The Lincoln-Douglas Debates: The Lincoln Studies Center Edition,” edited by Rodney O. Davis and Douglas L. Wilson, heralded as the most complete record ever assembled of the landmark debates, is due in October.

“The Lincoln Assassination: The Evidence,” due in November and edited by William C. Edwards and Edward Steers, examines the documentary evidence accumulated by the Military Commission during its trial of the conspirators involved in Lincoln’s death and the attempted murder of Secretary of State William H. Seward.

Founded in 1918, the press has emerged as one of the premier university presses in the U.S., publishing more than 120 new books and 30 scholarly journals every year on an array of subjects, including music, communications, labor history, American history, sports history, food, film, African-American studies and women’s studies.

One of the first books published by the press was “Abraham Lincoln: The Evolution of His Literary Style,” by Daniel Kilham Dodge.

Other upcoming Illinois-related books include a photographic odyssey of the Illinois River titled “Life Along the Illinois River” (October), by David Zalaznik; a compendium examining the origins of the names of nearly 3,000 Illinois communities titled “Place Names of Illinois,” by Edward Callary (November); and “The Selected Papers of Jane Addams: Volume 2 – Venturing Into Usefulness” (December), which documents the social reformer’s life and work prior to her founding of Hull House in Chicago in 1889.

Click photo to enlarge Photo by L. Brian Stauffer A picture’s worth … Cope Cumpston, art director, reviews press proofs for the UI Press’s upcoming book “Life Along the Illinois River,” by photojournalist David Zalaznik. The book’s 90 photographs explore the river’s flora and fauna and the spirits of the unique communities along its shores.

The press also publishes books by award-winning Champaign photographer Larry Kanfer, whose lens captures the landscapes and people of the Midwest. This spring, the press will issue Kanfer’s next book, which will focus on historic barns throughout Illinois.

A committee of faculty members from all three UI campuses vets every book before it’s accepted for publication, reflecting a commitment to publishing the best scholarship. Works published by the press have garnered numerous prestigious awards, including three Bancroft Awards from Columbia University, the National Book Critics Circle Award and the National Book Award. Author John D. Unruh Jr.’s book, “The Plains Across: The Overland Emigrants and the Trans-Mississippi West, 1840-1860” (1979) won seven awards and was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize.

The excellence of the press’s cover/jacket and interior designs has earned numerous design awards as well, and many have been included in the annual Book, Jacket and Journal Show sponsored by the Association of American University Presses.

Willis G. Regier, director since 1999, is the fifth director in the press’s 90-year history. During his tenure, Regier, who also served as AAUP president from June 2000 – June 2001, has broadened the scope of the press’s list to include multicultural and international topics.

“We take Illinois into the living rooms, classrooms and libraries of the world,” Regier said. “As we celebrate 90 years of continuous publication, we look forward to our centenary with ambitious plans for becoming an even better publisher.”

“We are an important link between scholarship and knowledge that’s created in the academy and its dissemination to academics, students and the general population,” said Joan Catapano, associate director and editor-in-chief. “We are an important component in the educational process. We do not just publish Illinois or U.S. authors – we have authors all over the world, and our books sell and have an impact all over the world.”

That impact has broadened with the emergence of electronic publishing and the increasing demand for online and open access. Accordingly, journals manager Clydette Wantland and her colleagues developed online journal archives, electronic companions to society-sponsored publications and open access journals.

Current content from more than 10 notable history journals – as well as all 13 volumes of the “Booker T. Washington Papers” published at Illinois – are available and searchable online through the History Cooperative, a partnership with the Organization of American Historians and JSTOR, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting scholarship with digital archives.

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