We Have Moved

Democracy is a two-letter word

Sometimes it takes an outsider's point of view to see society as it truly is. Such keen insights are abundant in Bite the Hand That Feeds You, a collection of the work of British-born journalist Henry Fairlie compiled by Newsweek contributor Jeremy McCarter. Fairlie, who passed away in 1990, is known for his controversial, at times even caustic, political essays and for his popularization of the term “the Establishment”. Fairlie clearly had a knack for describing complex ideas in the simplest and most elegant of terms. In his essay, “My America,” for example, he argues that one may understand the concept of democracy through a single two-letter word: “Hi". He writes:

"As I often say – for Americans do not realize it – the word is a democracy. (I come from a country where one can tell someone’s class by how they say ‘Hallo!’ or ‘Hello!’ or ‘Hullo,’ or whether they say it at all.) But anyone can say ‘Hi!’ Anyone does.”

Click here to watch an interview with Jeremy McCarter at a recent book party for Bite the Hand That Feeds You.

Comic-Con from coast to coast

Fans of comics and popular culture from across the world are gathering in San Diego for the 40th Comic-Con International, the largest convention of its kind. For fans unable to make the yearly pilgrimage to San Diego for four days of comic madness, we'll gladly suggest a few titles that provide the next best thing.

Comic enthusiasts may be familiar with Ivan Brunetti, author of the innovative Schizo series and occasional New Yorker cover artist. As the editor of the two volume Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories (Vol 2), he has compiled graphic art from more than 75 contemporary artists in award-winning fashion. Brunetti's handpicked selections will appeal to seasoned comic fans and first time graphic fiction readers--a truly epic work.

For those interested in the behind-the-scenes aspects of comic art, In the Studio: Visits with Contemporary Cartoonists is a superb option. The book features interviews with industry legends including Charles Burns, Daniel Clowes, Robert Crumb, and Chris Ware, as well as full-color reproductions of the authors' works, some of which were previously unpublished.

For a fun way to experience Comic Cons past, check out the video below to see designer Chip Kidd touring the New York Comic Con in February. Kidd devotees may also be interested in the monograph on his work that YUP published in 2003, featuring extensive illustrations and a detailed narrative on Kidd's meteoric rise to stardom.

Happy 111th to Alexander Calder

On this day in 1898, artist Alexander Calder was born in Lawnton, Pennsylvania. Though the Press has no mobiles to erect in his honor (the University already took care of that for us), we do have a fine selection of books for fans of his work.  

The Surreal Calder focuses on Calder’s early pieces, tracing the crucial influence of Duchamp, Mondrian, and Miró on the young artist. Though Calder is not usually associated with the Surrealist movement, author Mark Rosenthal puts forth a rigorous argument for his inclusion in their circle.

Alexander Calder: The Paris Years 1926-1933 focuses specifically on 1926-1933, celebrating Calder’s innovations in abstraction, motorized and mobile works.  

And may we humbly suggest that these books are their own works of art? The collection-worthy Calder Jewelry was recently spotted on a certain online retailer’s site selling for $475. If you haven’t a half-grand to spare, consider one Calder’s other catalogues as a valuable investment.

Moon landing, earth rising

For those old enough to remember, the 40th anniversary of the moon landing brings back memories of “One small step,” lunar bootprints, and the first grainy photos of an American flag flown some 240,000 miles from home. But the photos sent back from the Apollo missions were not only of the lunar landscape. In Earthrise: How We First Saw Ourselves, Robert Poole reminds us that the late 1960s also marked the first time man that man viewed Earth from space.

Command Module Pilot Michael Collins of the Apollo 11 mission remembered, “I looked out of my window and tried to find Earth. The little planet is so small out there in the vastness that at first I couldn’t even locate it. And when I did, a tingling of awe spread over me. There it was, shining like a jewel in a black sky. I looked at it in wonderment, suddenly aware of how its uniqueness is stamped in every atom of my body. . .”

It is no coincidence, Poole contends, that the years following the space missions saw the inauguration of the first Earth Day and the rise of the environmental movement. With the image of our beautiful “blue marble” beamed to households all over the world, the race to the moon became a long look back at the starting line. In Earthrise, Poole lets us witness this marble again, 40 years later, but no less amazing.

See the footage below for a glimpse of the other-worldly view from a moon lander.

Sotomayor v. Myth of Judicial Activism

In the wake of the recent New Haven firefighters’ race-discrimination suit and the questioning of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, the judicial branch has been thrust once again into the national limelight. With it has arrived that most familiar of partisan legal tropes—the accusation of judicial activism, or “legislating from the bench”.

At its core, the debate over judicial activism pits the assertion that the Constitution is incontrovertible against the claim that the document may be reconsidered and amended to reflect changes in society. In his book, The Myth of Judicial Activism, Kermit Roosevelt III tackles this debate head-on through an analysis of several key cases concerning America’s most controversial issues, including gay rights and abortion. Roosevelt’s clear sense of constitutional doctrine will be helpful to any student of the law, as well as concerned citizens wondering the meaning behind the political buzzwords.

Campbell’s Henry VIII wins Berger Prize

Congratulations to Thomas P. Campbell, author of Henry VIII and the Art of Majesty: Tapestries at the Tudor Court, whose book has been selected as this year’s winner of the William MB Berger Prize for British Art History. The Berger Prize, which is organized by a board of panelists from the esteemed British Art Journal and the Berger Collection Educational Trust is widely recognized as the most prestigious award in its field.

Published by in conjunction with the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, Henry VIII and the Art of Majesty examines the extensive tapestry collection of King Henry the VIII, shedding new light on Tudor political and artistic culture. It was described by the Berger panelists as “almost a perfect book containing an incredible amount of research of all kinds…. It has repositioned tapestry where it always belonged, at the centre of courtly patronage.” Campbell’s book has also received the 2008 Bainton Prize in History and been selected by Choice magazine as an Outstanding Academic Title from 2008.

Elizabeth Prettejohn’s Art for Art’s Sake and David Watkin and Philip Hewat-Jaboor’s Thomas Hope: Regency Designer, also made the Berger Prize short list. Eleven other Yale titles were long listed for the award.

Astaire's legacy in motion

Over the past weekend, amateur and professional dancers gathered in Chicago to participate in the 2009 Astaire Awards Championships, an annual competition serves not only to show off the nation’s dancing prowess, but also to pay homage to a patron saint of the sport.  In his recent book, Fred Astaire, Joseph Epstein analyzes the life and lasting impact of a man “who transformed entertainment into art and gave America a new yet enduring standard for style.” The book, which will be re-released this September in paperback, was selected as one of the top five books of 2008 by the Chicago Tribune. 

For those eagerly anticipating its release, we recommend listening to Epstein’s appearance on On Point with Tom Ashbrook. While there, you can view clips of Astaire’s dazzling dance performances like this one below.

 

America in confidence

When Sarah Palin announced that she would be resigning as Governor of Alaska with 18 months left in her term, she offered no clear explanation for her decision, and the rumors soon began to fly. One theory among them that Palin was being investigated by the FBI; however, in an uncharacteristically forthcoming gesture for the agency, an FBI spokesman quickly denied any investigation.

This rare display of disclosure highlights the issue of confidentiality, the focus of Ronald Goldfarb’s In Confidence. In the book, Goldfarb explores the popular conceptions and expectations of privacy and the legal obligations for confidentiality and disclosure. Drawing on individual court cases, Goldfarb discusses privacy between attorney and client, doctor and patient, journalist and source, and government and people, indicating that even a public figure like Palin is entitled to a measure of secrecy.

Adorno nominated for National Council on the Humanities

Congratulations are in order for YUP author Rolena Adorno, who was recently nominated by President Obama to serve as a member of the National Council on the Humanities. As Chair of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Yale University, Adorno focuses on Colonial Spanish American literature and history. Her recent book, The Polemics of Possession in Spanish American Narrative, won the Katherine Singer Kovacs Prize, awarded by the Modern Language Association, in 2008.

Adorno joins fellow Yale authors Mary Habeck (Knowing the Enemy)and Harvey Klehr (Spies, Venona), both of whom were appointed to the Council during the Bush administration.

Bugs and the Victorians, a great summer read

The Fourth may be the most celebrated day in July, but we at the Press are fond of a lesser-known summer celebration, “Don’t Step on a Bee Day,” observed annually on the 10th. While watching your step for wayward insects, you might consider how our multi-legged friends played an essential role in advancing an important scientific and philosophical movement in nineteenth-century England by reading John F. McDiarmid Clark’s new book, Bugs and the Victorians. 

In Clark’s eyes, insects not are not pests, but rather sources of wonder and discovery. Filled with stories of famous and eccentric entomologists, Clark shows how the study of bugs shaped the development of modern Britain. You’ll never look at a bug…or a bee, the same way again. Wildlife enthusiasts can also look forward to Peter Forbes’s discussion of animal camouflage, Dazzled and Deceived, now available for pre-order.