In Confronting the Horror, James R. Giles examines the evolution of Algren’s major themes—external oppression and internal anxiety. He discusses Algren’s fiction in relation to Maxim Gorky’s explanation of the “lower depths” and the works of two contemporary writers, Hubert Selby, Jr., and John Rechy, who combine naturalistic technique with a largely existential, absurdist vision. Giles conclusion is forcefully argued, that Algren’s novels are thematically richer and more complex than hitherto regarded and represent the work of an American writer of the first order.

This book s a profusely illustrated interpretation of life along Ohio’s nineteenth-century canal system: the Miami & Erie Canal in the western part of the state, and the Ohio & Erie Canal with its multiple feeders in central and eastern Ohio. An introduction by George W. Knepper, professor of history at The University of Akron and president of The Ohio Historical Society, places the state’s canal system in national historic perspective and addresses such issues as the importance of the Ohio canal system in the state’s economy and industrial development; the interrelationship between the Industrial Revolution in Ohio and the changing uses of canals; and the impact of the canal system on contemporary social and ethnic issues.

Richly illustrated with the work of well-known Cleveland-area artists and architects, past and present, Creative Essence explores the region’s tradition, beginning with the “Cleveland School” of artists that was active and influential during the first half of the twentieth century. It moves on to examine the changes that occurred in the last half of the century and the development of the visual arts in northeast Ohio. Creative Essence is an important resource for understanding the significant role the visual arts play in our cities and societies and how they contribute to the region’s quality of life. For those interested in regional history and for students of art history and the visual arts, this will be especially valuable.

An explosive novel by a former law clerk to a federal judge, The Law Clerk combines the insider feel of today’s most exciting fiction with insights into one of the most pressing social issues of the day: the impact of pornography. Sam Grimes is heartbroken by a law school romance gone bad. Searching for new horizons, he accepts a prestigious clerkship with a federal judge in Providence, Rhode Island. He quickly finds himself both falling in love with a beautiful young woman he meets at the courthouse and working on the case of the decade in New England: the obscenity trial of Joey Mancini, the son of a Mafia boss. And as Sam is about to find out, one thing has everything to do with the other.

In Liberalism and American Identity, Patrick Garry presents a coherent and well-argued thesis of the meaning and importance of liberalism in American politics. His is the first work that attempts to rejuvenate political liberalism since the devastating attack on it during the 1980s. Presenting a workable definition of liberalism, Garry demonstrates the vital role it has played, and can continue to play, in American history. His examination of the liberal ideology and tradition in American politics reveals not only the nation’s liberal identity, but also the conservative tendency to label liberalism “un-American” as a means to circumvent discussion of social problems.

In A Few Small Candles, ten men tell why they resisted, what happened to them, and how they feel about that experience today. Their stories detail the resisters’ struggles against racial segregation in prison, as well as how they instigated work and hunger strikes to demonstrate against other prison injustices. Each of the ten has remained active in various causes relating to peace and social justice.

Northerners at War brings together noted historian J. Matthew Gallman’s most significant essays on the economic, social, and domestic aspects of life in the North during the Civil War. Gallman tackles a range of Civil War home front topics—from urban violence and Gettysburg’s wartime history to entrepreneurial endeavors and the war’s economic impact. He also examines gender issues, with a fascinating review of the career of orator Anna E. Dickinson and an insightful examination of how northerners used gendered notions of masculinity in rhetoric to recruit African American soldiers.

Three Days at Gettysburg contains essays from noted Civil War historians on leadership during the battle. The contributors to this volume believe there is room for scholarship that revisits the sources on which earlier accounts have been based and challenges prevailing interpretations of key officers’ performances. They have trained their investigative lens on some obvious and some relatively neglected figures, with an eye toward illuminating not only what happened at Gettysburg but also the nature of command at different levels.

Notable Civil War historians herein continue the evaluation of select commanders begun in The First Day at Gettysburg: Essays on Confederate and Union Leadership. Using fresh manuscript sources coupled with a careful consideration of the existing literature, they explore issues such as Robert E. Lee’s decision to renew the tactical offensive on July 2; James Longstreet’s effectiveness in executing Lee’s plan; the origin and impact of Daniel E. Sickle’s decision to advance his Third Corps, which formed the infamous “Sickle’s Salient”; the little-understood role of Henry W Slocum and his Union Twelfth Corps; and the contribution of John C. Caldwell’s division in the maelstrom of the Wheatfield.

These essays seek to illuminate various facets of the 1864 Valley campaign. The authors question the relative importance of operations in the Shenandoah, the respective performances of Early and Sheridan, and the roles of Confederate guerrillas and cavalry. Often departing from conventional views and sometimes disagreeing with one another, the essays should spark further debate on one of the more important an dramatic military events of the conflict.