books

Madeline Kripke Built an Immense—and Bawdy—Dictionary Collection

One woman's passion for collecting has been an invaluable resource for studies of the evolution of slang, profanity and vulgarisms; after her recent death, an epic quest to preserve the collection ensued. 

Review: New Book Worships the False Idol of the Responsible Corporation

The idea of corporate social responsibility is an artifact of the domination of society by big business, a domination so powerful as to make alternatives exceedingly difficult to imagine. A new book internalizes that difficulty. 

Smithsonian's Best History Books of 2022

Candice Millard, Jonathan Freedland, Kerri K. Greenidge, April White, Beverly Gage, Kelly Lytle Hernández, Matthew Delmont, Megan Kate Nelson, Tomiko Brown-Nagin and Estelle Paranque are recognized as authors of the top books in history this year. 

Vivien Green Fryd Awarded Eldredge Prize for Book on Sexual Trauma in American Art

The prize jurors noted the publication stands out given its “academic rigor, historical understanding and contemporary relevance that characterize the highest achievements in our field.”

Mass. African American Museum Announces Book Prize Shortlist

The nominees reflect diverse scholarly approaches to Black history across time periods and subjects, including public health, slavery, public history, pedagogy, reproduction, and politics. 

James Kirchick's "Secret City" Tells the Story of Closeted Washington

by Samuel Clowes Huneke

Samuel Huneke reviews a new history of the capital city's gay residents, which focuses on those in government and conservative politics and the gradual lessening of hostility to gays in public service, a choice that undermines the book's usefulness for understanding contemporary queer liberation issues. 

A Preview of Summer Books in Black Studies

by Robert Greene II

Academics who plan to catch up on their reading this summer can look here for suggestions. 

These Books Tell of Change Happening Slowly, then Suddenly

Historians Lynn Hunt, Adam Hochschild, Kate Clifford-Larse and Keenaga-Yamahtta Taylor are among the authors whose books dig beneath the surface of famous leaders to describe how social movements built the strength to change laws, institutions and ideas. 

Greg Ginn, SST Records, and the Rise of SoCal Punk

"In its 1980s heyday, SST released at least a dozen canonical rock albums that were notable for their rejection of convention."

Linda Hirshman Offers a Lively Dissection of the Competing Strains of American Abolitionism

by Drew Gilpin Faust

Hirshman focuses on the complex character of abolitionist editor Maria Weston Chapman, whose combination of moral fervor and racial prejudice pushed Frederick Douglass from the moralistic Garrisonian camp to a pragmatic and more effective strategy of political activism. 

Ted Cruz is an Unwitting Publicist for Left-Leaning Books

If you have written a book about racism, policing, or other controversial issues, your best promotional strategy is to have Senator Cruz wave your book around in a televised Senate hearing. 

A Family History of the Futility of Preparing for Nuclear War

On the lessons learned from working at the government's network of bomb shelters. 

Marc Stein Examines LGBTQ History through Academic and Community Lenses

"Queer Public History" examines the connections between academic historians and the shared narratives maintained by LGBTQ communities. 

Historian Marci Shore's Recommended Books for Understanding Ukraine

Including history, memoir, political theory and fiction, the Yale historian of Ukraine recommends 9 books to those looking to get up to speed on the history of the crisis. 

The Conservative and the Murderer

Sarah Weinman's book on the friendship between William F. Buckley and convicted murderer Edgar Smith reveals uncomfortable truths about the balance of principle and self-interest in modern conservatism and the persistent tolerance of violence against women. 

Teaching Fannie Lou Hamer, Past and Present

by Nicole M. Gipson

Keisha N. Blain's biography of the Mississippi freedom activist is an important addition to the literature, but also an excellent roadmap to teaching African American history and its linkages to present struggles for justice. 

In Praise of Search Tools

by Diedre Lynch

Books by Dennis Duncan and Craig Robertson examine the history of indexing, filing, and other technologies for locating information in books and the resultant culture of research.

A Descent into Textual Paranoia

by Christopher S. Celenza

"Doing one's own research" in an environment of proliferating information and few gatekeepers isn't new to the internet age. 

Smithsonian's Ten Best History Books of 2021

The titles chosen offer an escape from the present while also showing our connections to the past. 

‘We’re Preparing For a Long Battle.’ Librarians Grapple With Conservatives’ Latest Efforts to Ban Books

by Olivia B. Waxman

“We’re seeing an unprecedented volume of challenges,” says Deborah Caldwell-Stone, Executive Director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. “I’ve worked for ALA for 20 years, and I can’t recall a time when we had multiple challenges coming in on a daily basis.”