University of Missouri Books

Award-winning author and poet John Knoepfle presents Prayer Against Famine & Other Irish Poems, a work that embraces his Irish roots and contemplates the human drive for survival in spite of terrible suffering. Compassion and tragedy intertwine in these brief, free-verse compositions that evoke a sanctity of the human spirit. Dancing with the Inupiaq: the man dancing on one foot / told us he did not know / where his songs came from / only that his grandmother sang them // we understood how it was with him / how the man at the desk and that one / skulking in the beloved fields / would tell him it did not matter // so we put on our gloves / and we all got up and danced / keeping time as well as we knew / and awkward as a room full of bears // learning how the inupiaq dance.

What a great book that truly respects the importance of great literature. Such a rarity in today's superficial academic environment. I wish I could have dinner with the Prof and enjoy some great conversation!!

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A fascinating read of pre-Lewis and Clark explorations into the upper Missouri River Basin from its earliest beginnings, with the main focus on the 1795-1797 Mackay-Evans expedition.
Most people have never heard of Scotsman James Mackay and Welshman John Evans, but if it wasn't for their efforts in cartography and ethnology, the celebrated Lewis and Clark expedition would have been quite hampered in its early stages.
When the Louisana Territory was still under Spanish rule, Mackay became a naturalized citizen and Evans swore allegiance to Spain. Their responsibilities to Spain included exploring, mapping and locating a route to the Pacific for trade possibilities, evicting British traders in its territory and promoting Indian intertribal peace to further enhance trade with Spain. Evans' primary objective in accepting this offer was to locate the mythological Welsh Indians whose original Welsh ancestors were suppose to have settled in mid-America during the year 1170 AD.

Although not a completely successful mission, the Mackay-Evans expedition did produce maps of the upper Missouri which Lewis and Clark referred to on numerous occasions and opened understandings of Missouri River Indian cultures and customs.
Dr. Wood effectively sifts through the available journals and maps of Mackay and Evans, along with other pertinent papers and charts of the day, to make this an exciting work.

In his poem,"The Young Husband", Bill Bauer remarks,"You must go and find that place and be there./It may be a day, or year, or many years." These poems take us there. They visit a day and often capture that day for Bill Bauer, but also for us. That day may not be the same day for us..but it is close enough to stimulate recall and understanding of a similar day lodged tightly in our own memory.

These poems frame places and years that are hauntingly familiar. They develop the demographics of promise through poems as diverse as "Fragment of a Letter" which captures the promise that "all the short timers say/they will write when they get home./They never do,..." or, from the poem " For Old Girlfiends" a father looks at promises "A man never suffers the depths of his own cruelty/until his daughter recognizes him for the first time."

This collection of poetry wipes the dust from the table of promises that has been used to serve the future to many generations. The craftsmanship of the author leaves the table clear and allows the reader to see through the dust into similar moments. Clear, sharp, moments summed up so well in poem after poem, remind us, as Bill Bauer says so well in his poem "The Pigeons of Chernoble"; "Each generation/fantasy birds visit earth./Mozart knew them,/so did Freud." These promises belong to every generation. Bill Bauer has captured them for those who have buried the promises in the dust. He has also captured them for those who will have their own to bury in the future.

Charles Edward Russell's time on the river occurred decades after the four short years when Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) was in the pilothouse. Like Twain (and like George B. Merrick, too), Russell began working for a newspaper in a river town, later went on the river as a steamboatman, and finally settled on a career as a writer.

Amazon has already provided a professional review that highlights other aspects of Russell's activist career. But two of his books stand separately from his political and muckraking writings. One, "Theodore Thomas and the American Orchestra," a biography of the great conductor and founder of orchestras, won the Pulitzer Prize.

The other is "A-Rafting on the Mississip." Here, Russell brings to life the era when great lumber and log rafts, acres in size, came down out of the Great North Woods of Minnesota and Wisconsin, to build the towns and cities along the Mississippi. From the early days when rafts of cut lumber floated with the current, through the decades when steam towboats pushed and maneuvered even larger rafts of logs, Russell describes the industry and the men who made it, some of whom were personal acquaintances and others of whom were on the boats with him.

And on top of all this thoroughly researched and well-written history, Russell's powers of description rival and at times exceed those of Mark Twain. Twain could describe a sunrise or sunset on the river such that the reader's eye pictures it easily. Russell's powers go beyond the visual to capture the rivermen's reverence, respect and devotion to the great and mysterious Mississippi, constantly flowing (in his words), "out of the mystery above the point, into the mystery below the bend."

If you're a devotee of river history and steamboats, you must have this book.

A comprehensive, well-written, easy-to-read informative discussion which ties together various aspects of typefaces and their history. Mr. Mullen has written an excellent description of a time period in which this growing industry influenced the disemination of information in the westward expansion of our nation. If you are interested in printing, its history, type, or the history of St. Louis , you will enjoy the depth of well-researched information in this book. I particulary enjoyed the demographical information which was included. Yet another interesting feature is the pictorial description of the typefaces produced in St. Louis.

Recollections of the War in Mexico is a unique and intriguing slice of history. Written by Brevet Major John Henshaw (1815 - 1877) in the mid 1800s, it has been meticulously pieced together from original documents, diary entries, letters, and personal notes, and placed in historical context by Editor Gary Kurutz today. Because the initial manuscript was essentially one long paragraph loaded with complex passages, quixotic punctuation, marginally legible handwriting, and cross-written sentences (lines written back and forth in opposite directions over each other to save paper), Kurutz had to play detective as well as editor. He did a fabulous job of untangling the data, modernizing the grammar, and serving up a fascinating, well-written, thoroughly documented, and easy to read book.

The editor's introduction is riveting. It helps readers not only understand Henshaw's character but also the larger historical context within which he wrote. An enigmatic individual who possessed a keen mind but abrasive personality, Major Henshaw was horrified by the sight of blood and determined not to shed a single drop in battle, by no means beneficial attributes for a combat soldier. He faced courts martial for insubordination several times and was even drummed out of the service for a few years before becoming reinstated at reduced rank and pay.

A clearly imperfect officer, Henshaw was an exceptional historian, meticulous, insightful, and well placed to observe and record the action. Most soldiers who wrote about the war with Mexico either died during the fighting or entered into the conflict after it was already underway. Henshaw, on the other hand, was present at almost every major event from start to finish, serving under the war's two principal generals Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott.

In his Recollections Henshaw wrote unabashedly about the bravery of individual soldiers while excoriating the competence of command leadership. He also railed against the depredations of those who overstepped their bounds, killing indiscriminately or taking advantage of the local women. He wrote about everything from a crimson-colored fly used to dye clothing, to how a mule died of a snake bite while its rider recovered, to how he was able to identify potable water by the type of plants that grew near it, to a day-by-day account of the siege of Fort Texas (later renamed Fort Brown). The daily life of soldiers on both sides of the conflict and the land they fought in were covered in detail.

There is no biography for Kurutz yet he is obviously a diligent researcher who really did his homework. He not only had the book peer-reviewed by notable historians such as Dr. Michael Mathes and Dr. John McManus, but has also included a 54 item bibliography of rare manuscript collections, government documents, newspapers, periodicals, and other published primary sources that he used to compile his work. Additionally, there are 56 secondary sources. Furthermore, he included 47 pages of notes explaining various elements of the text. The end result is a very thorough and well-written tome.

Note: this review first appeared in the Jul/Aug issue of ForeWord Magazine

Editor of the quarterly journal "Modern Age" in the 1960s, former President of the Foundation for Foreign Affairs, and now President Emeritus of the Conference on European Problems, Eugene Davidson was and remains uniquely qualified to write on the international political issues of the 60s. Highly recommended reading for students of American history, political science, and international studies, 36 essays compiled in Reflections On A Disruptive Decade span from Mr Dallin among the Scholars (1960) to Castles in Spain and Other Countries (1969) and collective comprise a complete spectrum of observations and commentaries on the political, cultural, social and international issues, events and personalities of the times.

The River and I, chronicles in metaphoric imagery John Neihart's open boat navigation of the Great Missouri River for two thousand-miles, from Fort Benton, Montana down to Sioux City, Iowa. Originally commisioned for a magazine the book contains 25 photos and illustrations made on the trip.

Young Neihardt views the Missouri River in flood: ".... This cruel, invulnerable, restless giant.... This yellow, sinous beast with hell broth slavering from its jaws!... This dare-devil boy-god that sauntered along with a town in its pocket, and a steepled church under its arm for a moment's toy."

I got this as a gift and am very glad that I did. While not a complete identification tool like RIC or SEARS, this is an awesome book for someone starting out with an interest in Imperial coins. It provides detailed inscriptions, RIC and SEARS numbers for the coins pictured, then provides an index of inscriptions and subjects. Truly a great catalog of a collection I want to see in person. Worth the price.