Born in July 1821, Danield Harvey Hill grew up in “genteel poverty” on a large plantation in York District, South Carolina. He entered West Point and graduated in the middle of the renowned Class of 1842. Following garrison duty as a junior lieutenant with the First and Third Artilleries, Hill joined the Fourth Artillery at Fortress Monroe in January 1846. Six months later he was en route to Mexico. Published here for the first time, Hill’s diary vividly recounts the Mexican War experiences of this proud young officer.

Fighting the Unbeatable Foe is the first biography of Metzenbaum, a fascinating individual who, against the odds, rose from humble beginnings to become a multimillionaire businessman and one of the most effective and powerful senators in the land. By conducting interviews with Metzenbaum’s friends, foes, political scientists, and journalists and consulting primary-source materials, Tom Diemer provides new details about Metzenbaum’s business deals, his successes on Capitol Hill, and also his embarrassing failures and miscalculations. Metzenbaum remains among the most interesting and paradoxical figures in the history of Ohio politics. His story will be enjoyed by anyone interested in Ohio history and politics.

Richard Myers has been producing experimental and documentary films for over 40 years. The Films of Richard Myers chronicles these films, along with descriptions and reviews by such film critics as Roger Ebert, Arthur Knight, Roger Greenspun, Kevin Thomas, and Amos Vogel, as well as short reviews by Stan Brakhage and Pauline Kael. The major part of the book consists of 180 photos from the films, all photographed by Myers. With a background in painting, printmaking, and still photography, Myers began making films in the early 1960s when independent experimental films were truly independent. Myers conceived of the ideas, wrote the scripts, photographed, directed, and edited the films. His actors were family and friends, from his wife Pat to his grandmother, mother, and son, to Kent State University faculty and students.

In Finding Utopia, Randy McNutt sets off again to explore Ohio’s for- gotten nooks and byways. He begins where his last journey ended— on roads less traveled—finding more ghost towns, battlefields- turned-cornfields, and old memories that beckon him like spectral hitchhikers. On the way, he meets another cast of quirky and deter- mined people who struggle to keep their towns on the map.

“This remarkable book blends the experiences of several young Wisconsin men who fought in the Civil War with the course of events back home in Manitowoc. Using the letters and diaries of both soldiers and civilians, the author deftly handles the organizational problems of recounting military campaigns on several fronts as well as the travails of civilians on the home front. Written with verve, the narrative sweeps along the reader, who finds it hard to put down the book until the fate of the protagonists is finally revealed.”—James McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom

In this collection of essays, the contributors examine several controversial aspects of leadership on that opening day including Lee’s strategy and tactics, the conduct of Confederate corps commanders Richard S. Ewell and A.P. Hill, Oliver Otis Howard’s role on the Union side, and a series of notable debacles among Lee’s brigadiers. Drawing on a range of sources, the authors combine interpretation and fresh evidence that should challenge readers to reconsider their understanding of the vents of July 1, 1863.

Melville’s audacious epic Moby-Dick has found an illustrator equal to its mercurial text. This postmodern take on the great American novel boldly returns readers to the book’s roots as a transcendental vision of man and nature. Floodgates of the Underworld includes incisive commentaries by noted Melville scholars Elizabeth Schultz, Robert Wallace, and Jill Gidmark. They discuss the influence of Del Tredici’s images in students and scholars, the relationship of his work to other Moby-Dick illustrators, and the technical and aesthetic aspects of the silkscreen process.

Rich with regional history, this biography of an influential Clevelander will be important reading for students of women’s studies and the history of philanthropy as well as those interested in Ohio’s Western Reserve and its people.

The republication of this novel reintroduces readers to a strong southern writer, an interesting female voice, and a compelling story. This realistic portrayal of life among the rural poor of the early twentieth century shows the struggle of a tough-minded woman who fought her entire life to overcome the obstacles that confronted women and the working poor. Presented here with two previously unpublished short stories, For Dear Life, edited by Virginia Pruitt and Howard Faulkner, will appeal to those interested in women’s studies, social history, and American studies, as well as to anyone who enjoys quality fiction.

The 27th United States Colored Troops (USCT), composed largely of free black Ohio men, served in the Union army from April 1864 to September 1865 in Virginia and North Carolina. It was the first time most members of the unit had traveled so far from home. The men faced daily battles against racism and against inferior treatment, training, and supplies. They suffered from the physical difficulties of military life, the horrors of warfare, and homesickness and worried about loved ones left at home without financial support. Yet their contributions provided a tool that allowed blacks with little military experience, and their families, to demand social acceptance and acknowledgment of their citizenship.