April 2015: History Writing
Editor's Desk

I love history writing. I scour the library's new book shelves -- ready to snatch up titles on favorite topics.  I'm delighted when an unfamiliar topic comes to my attention. I want to learn about the real people and events touched upon in the historical fiction I read. World War II theatres of operation, ancient Egypt, natural and man-made disasters, queens of England, true crime and travel stories are some of the topics I've enjoyed in the last few years.

What's next? (Here is where one of the dangers of being a librarian comes into play.) I recently selected a variety of fiction and nonfiction titles on India; today there are two histories of India on my to-be-read pile. What are some of your favorite subjects?
 
Keep reading,
In This Issue
  • Trends in History Writing
  • Around the Web
  • Crime Through Time
  • American Civil War in Fiction
The American History Book Prize
 
Jill Lepore won the New York Historical Society's American History Book Prize for The Secret History of Wonder Woman. The American History Book Prize recognizes a work of non-fiction  that is distinguished by its scholarship, its literary style, and its appeal to a general as well as an academic audience. 
 
Webinar: Creating Engaging Book Displays
 
Book displays are a great way to encourage discovery in your library. In this free webcast we'll show you how you can create book displays that will leave readers asking for more. 
 
Register Now
 
Top Trends in History Writing
by Barry Trott
 
Reading trends rise and fall and rise again in both fiction and nonfiction. This continuous cycle requires that readers' advisors be on the alert for not only what is popular now, but also what will be coming to our readers' attention next. In nonfiction such as history writing, these trends are often driven by...Continue Reading
Around the Web with Jessica Zellers
Each month Jessica Zellers adds a few items to your web-surfing itinerary. Take a look at these lists, articles, reviews, and the best of new RA materials and advice.
 
To judge by the work I did today, I pursued a graduate-level degree in Library Science so I could enjoy the cerebral challenge and the warm feeling of helping others that comes from assembling and packing cardboard boxes...Continue Reading
Crime Through Time:
A Brief Exploration of Historical True Crime
by Jennifer Brannen
 
The Mystery and Thriller genres thrive because of our fascination with crime but some of our most enthralling mysteries are factual rather than fictional. True crime is not a modern phenomenon, and there are crimes every bit as gruesome and baffling...Continue Reading
Sesquicentennial: The American Civil War in Fiction
by Bethany Latham
 
Two thousand fifteen marks the 150th anniversary of the end of the U.S. Civil War, when Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865. The recent anniversaries of other events, such as the centennial of the sinking of the Titanic in 2012 and of the beginning of the First World War in 2014, have resulted in a visible surge of novels about these events. This has not been the case with the sesquicentennial of the Civil War...Continue Reading


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Editor: Krista Biggs
Production: Cassi Broach