Illinois Books

Author Kurt Hohenstein (Assistant Professor of History, Winona State University) has served as a Research Assisstant on the National Commission on Election Reform. In Coining Corruption: The Making of the American Campaign Finance System, Hohenstein reveals the untold story about the triumphs and pitfalls of political reform. The landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Buckley v. Valeo (1976) defined "corruption" as quid pro quo ("get for giving"), meaning that Congress only had authority over corruption that involved a campaign contributor receiving political favors from the candidate. This limited definition has since curtailed efforts at campaign finance reform, with harsh and unintended consequences - the Buckley decision turned a blind eye to massive differences in funding between individual candidates, and the ability that some candidates have to control communication channels. Coining Corruption follows the evolution of the campaign finance system through the end of the 20th and into the 21st century, with an especial eye toward the ramifications of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2001 and the Supreme Court's decisions in McConnel v. FEC (2001) and Landell v. Sorrell (2006). An eye-opening examination of the history, flaws, and bright points of America's modern political system.

don gordon was a southern california original. this book offers a rare chance to own his collected work.

This book is almost as Wonderful as the Beautiful Pickard China! If you've never touched a piece of Pickard China or read this wonderful book, then you're missing so much! It's a Must Have Book that's packed full of Lovely Photos, as well as some of the history behind this Beautiful China! Go get yourself this book, Ya Hear!

This is the first study of Norwegian immigrants in Brooklyn and the New York City area. It focuses on the maritime migration fron Norway, and explores the ethinic community that emerged around 1900. It is a well-reserached, well-written and richly illustrated book, and should be of interest to anyone interested in the history of Norwegian migration to America.

Let me preface this review by saying that it will center entirely on the using the book in a college-level course. I used this as an assigned text in U.S. history survey in 2007. Frankly, I did not know how students would react to or engage with Barnum. They enjoyed the book and the sparks flew in our classroom discussion. I think this text works much better than Barnum's autobiography as an introduction to Barnum's historical significance. The only small criticism I will make of the book is that it would be even better (for classroom use) with a longer introduction that expands on Barnum's life, career, and historical context. James Cook has written brilliantly on these points, so perhaps a second edition will include a longer introduction. I prepared one lecture to fill in some of these gaps. Also, the first selection, "Adventures of an Adventurer" is very difficult for undergraduates to grasp, so I just omitted it from the assigned reading.

I've read a number of books about Bill Monroe over the years and this is the best. It is written by one who wore "the hat" and toured and recorded with Big Mon for two years. The reader benefits from an insider's perspective of what it was really like being around Monroe, not only working with him on the road and in the studio but even on his farm, mending fences and such. Bob Black is a good writer, serious and humorous at times and well worth reading.

If you read one book on inproving your oral communication this year, make it this one! I recomend any Gerald M. Phillips book.

This is a a great outdoor guide for people in DuPage County. It's got everything. Plenty of insider information, details, etc., on the best locations to hike or bike or picnic. Or just hanging around outside a bit.

Very good, useful maps; nice photos as well. At this price, it's something handy to keep around on a permanent basis. It's useful for just about any age group: meaning, I gave a copy to my nephew. If you don't buy one here, you can pick one up from bookstores in DuPage County and around Illinois.

That Jean de La Fontaine problematized the fable genre is now well known, thanks to American, British, and German criticism of the late 20th century. Even the French have reluctantly admitted this and dropped the Fables from the baccalaureat program, which privileges what Roland Barthes called the "readable" text, free of ambiguity, unstable irony, allusive metaphor, and aggressive (but usually covert) dialogue with earlier literature. Basing their projects on critical editions and schoolbooks composed under the old dispensation, previous Anglo-American translators of the Fables have perpetuated the image of La Fontaine as the Gallic Aesop, more intricately melodic and stylistically adroit, to be sure, but ultimately slick, straightforward, and commonsensical. Only Marianne Moore - in a self-indulgent and finally useless caprice - wandered away from that dubious model, making the French poems over in the quirky image of her own, often zoological masterpieces. Comes now Norman Shapiro, whose La Fontaine not only coincides with current understanding of the original but also also succeeds as poetry in English: subtly nuanced, dense, resonant, and compellingly rereadable. More than a prize, this rendering deserves a place with Terence Cave's The Princesse of Cleves, John Cairncross's Phaedra, and Richard Wilbur's Misanthrope in the classical canon "made new" for Frenchless readers of our time and place.

If you haven't had the opportunity to check out this trail guide, then you are missing out! I had the opportunity to borrow a copy of this and being an avid outdoors girl and bike trailer, I was thrilled with a guide book regarding the trails of Northern Illinois, especially how they are linked and a map to help me find the areas of the trail I haven't been on yet. More than just this, I liked the tidbits of information about the local history of towns, etc near the trail. There's not enough written on all the local trails, let alone history. Pick up this book, grab your backpack & bike for an great weekend experience -- you'll be glad you did.