August 21, 2009

Paul Offit throws out the first ball

Needless to say, writing a blog for a university press one does not often get the chance to report on one of our authors throwing out the first ball at a major league baseball game. However that honor was bestowed...

August 20, 2009

Dana Kaplan discusses contemporary American Judaism with Religion in American History

In a wide ranging interview with Paul Harvey on the blog Religion in American History Dana Eric Kaplan, author of Contemporary American Judaism: Transformation and Renewal, considers a range of issues from the impact of intermarriage to the meaning of...

August 19, 2009

The New Yorker reviews History of the Mafia

The New Yorker’s review of Salvatore Lupo’s History of the Mafia praises the book as “myth-busting” and for shedding new light on a frequently covered subject. We’ve posted the review below but for more on the book you can also...

August 18, 2009

The Daily Kos interviews Joe Cirincione

In addition to his recent piece in the Huffington Post, Joe Cirincione, author of Bomb Scare: The History and Future of Nuclear Weapons, was also interview by Daily Kos. Cirincione has been discussing the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) which is...

August 17, 2009

R. Glenn Hubbard on A Marshall Plan for Africa

In an essay on the Foreign Policy Web site, R. Glenn Hubbard author of the just-published The Aid Trap: Hard Truths About Ending Poverty, makes the case for a new policy toward helping Africa More than half a century after...

August 14, 2009

"Nick Carraway is a snob."

“The Great Gatsby is a novel that has made a difference in the lives of many who have or will read it. One does not have to like Nick Carraway to discover something about oneself in the tale he tells.”—Scott...

August 13, 2009

Yasukuni — the book, the documentary

In yesterday’s New York Times, A. O. Scott reviewed Li Ying’s controversial documentary, Yasukuni, which recently opened in New York City. The film “explores [Japan’s] legacy of militaristic nationalism, illuminating both the noble customs and the brutality entwined at its...

August 13, 2009

A perspective on scholarly publishing — Cathy Davidson

“Who are the robber barons? Sometimes (yes, I mean you, English professors!), it is our own short-sighted book writing and book buying habits that are the problem. Some of the “crisis of scholarly publishing” is of our making. Sometimes the...

August 12, 2009

Julia Child: A turning point in the making of American cuisine

Needless to say, with the release of the film Julie & Julia, Julia Child is once again very much in the news. Child and her wildly popular show The French Chef are also one of the “thirty turning points in...

August 11, 2009

New report on eduction / The Common Good Forecaster

Earlier this summer the American Human Development Project released a report exploring the impact of education. With the school year approaching it seemed an appropriate time to look at some of the report’s findings many of which reflect the data...

August 10, 2009

History of the Mafia by Salvatore Lupo

The Financial Times recently reviewed Salvatore Lupo’s History of the Mafia along with Into the Heart of the Mafia: A Journey through the Italian South, by David Lane. As the review points out, both books explore the Mafia’s resilience and...

August 7, 2009

The blog of Gianni Vattimo

Every so often we like to check in and remind readers of the blogs written by Columbia University Press authors. The phrase “public intellectual” is probably at once both misunderstood and overused. However, it would be hard to deny that...