Herrin, Illinois, has seen many dramatic events unfold in the nearly two hundred years since it was a bell-shaped prairie on the frontier. Now, Herrin native John Griswold, a writer and teacher at the University of Illinois, provides the first comprehensive history of this most American city, a place that in its time became not just a melting pot, but a cauldron. Discover why the coal was so good in the �Quality Circle� and what happened to the boom that followed its discovery. Explore the...

"In this beautiful book about striving and surviving, every essay displays a well-stocked brain grappling with life's thorny problems."—Debra Monroe, author of On the Outskirts of NormalFor nearly ten years John Griswold has been publishing his essays in Inside Higher Ed, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Brevity, Ninth Letter, and Adjunct Advocate, many under the pen name Oronte Churm. Churm's topics have ranged ...

At age fifty, when many hope to slow down, and what’s left, as the poet Kobayashi Issa once wrote, is “clear profit,” John Griswold was starting over—-again—-in a position he had worked decades to achieve. His family moved down the Mississippi Valley, expecting to create a good life with new friends.What they found instead was a society “organized tightly by race, church attendance, and family name,” which in its corruption, laissez-faire corporatism, gun love, and environmental de...

While the president is the commander in chief, the US Congress plays a critical and underappreciated role in civil-military relations—the relationship between the armed forces and the civilian leadership that commands it. This unique book edited by Colton C. Campbell and David P. Auerswald will help readers better understand the role of Congress in military affairs and national and international security policy. Contributors include the most experienced scholars in the field as well as pra...

Langum Prize, Honorable MentionAmericans value privacy as one of their most cherished rights, yet the word "privacy" isn't even mentioned in the U.S. Constitution. It took the Supreme Court's ruling in Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) to bestow constitutional protection upon this right. That remains one of the Court's most hotly debated rulings and led directly to an even more controversial decision in Roe v. Wade (1973). John Johnson's masterly cri...

The Roman Empire: 20 Must-Read Books is an unparalleled anthology that traverses the vast expanse of Roman history, culture, and governance through the works of the most eminent historians, philosophers, and literary figures of both ancient and modern times. The collection encapsulates a range of literary styles, from the biographical anecdotes of Suetonius and the analytical histories of Tacitus to the philosophical musings of Marcus Aurelius. These works collectively illuminate the myria...

In 'The History of Ancient Rome – 20 Essential Books,' readers are invited to embark on an expansive journey through the heart of one of history's most formidable empires. This anthology encompasses a broad spectrum of literary styles, from the meticulous annals of Tacitus to the philosophical musings of Marcus Aurelius, painting a comprehensive portrait of Rome's political, cultural, and social landscapes. Each piece, whether it be narratives from Caesar's campaigns or Suetonius's biograp...

Managing a national response to transnational, boundary-crashing events requires leaders to link the strategic tools of defense, diplomacy, and development.Written under the direction of West Point social sciences faculty for its Student Conference on U.S. Affairs (SCUSA), Thinking beyond Boundaries introduces undergraduates to aspects of transnational conflict that extend beyond traditional political and intellectual boundaries, providing context to a var...

The definitive book-length study of the great classics of American children’s literature, now updated for a new century.Outstanding Book of the Year Award, Children’s Literature AssociationOften called the Golden Age of Children’s Books, the years stretching from the Civil War to World War I were a remarkable epoch in juvenile literature, an era when the best authors on both sides of the Atlantic wrote some of their finest work primarily for children. In