University of California Press Blog

Taking Liberalism Back

A 2008 Presidential victory for Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton will be a triumph for the Democrats, and will offer an opportunity to rebuild the image of the Democrats as progressive pioneers. Tom Waldman’s timely book Not Much Left (forthcoming in late April) chronicles the history of American liberalism, from its Gilded Age of championing peace and civil rights to its recent struggles with defeat and disenchantment. Not Much Left discusses how political setbacks and waning liberal sentiment have stranded the Democrats in a wasteland, and their best hope for escape is to make a sharp left turn.

"...In this important, revisionist, smart and funny history of liberalism since it's been down and out, Tom Waldman tallies its lasting achievements and argues that Democrats can't achieve a lasting resurgence unless they embrace their inner liberals."—Harold Meyerson, Executive Editor, The American Prospect and columnist for the Washington Post

"Tom Waldman's book is extremely interesting and gives us a lot to think about, particularly at this moment in our nation's history."—Congressman Henry A. Waxman

Gastronomica Editor interviewed for Utne

An interview with Darra Goldstein appears in the "Great Writing" section of "Utne Blogs," a section of the Utne Reader's web site. She discusses, among other things, the origins and evolutions of Gastronomica, and what makes for good food writing. "For instance, in the May issue there will be an article that I find very disturbing, and I think readers will, too. It's about an artist who harvests her own eggs. It's a social commentary on caviar and the egg as a luxury good and the way women sell their eggs to make money. It's a perfect Gastronomica article because it's looking at food, but it's also horrifying and pushing against the edges of good taste."

Click here for the full interview.

The New Female Islamic Consciousness in France

NPR ran a story on today's Morning Edition entitled "French Women Forge New Islam, Activism" in which Sylvia Poggioli reported on the new female Islamic consciousness in France.  On the vanguard of this movement is UC Press author Fadela Amara, undersecretary for urban affairs in the current government of French President Nicholas Sarkozy and a former activist from the immigrant housing projects in France. 

Amara's, Breaking the Silence: French Women's Voices from the Ghetto, is a passionate account of her struggle to found the movement called "Ni putes ni soumises" (Neither whores nor doormats) aimed at shattering the law of silence about violence against women within the Muslim community. The questions Amara raises are part of a broader agenda that seeks to integrate French Muslims into contemporary French society. These issues also pose major political problems of national identity and the defense of a secular state, and they have followed Amara from the streets of France to her curretn position in the Sarkozy government.

To listen to the full NPR story, click here.

Exploring the Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we'd like to encourage everyone to explore his legacy through his writings.  The University of California Press, in a unique ongoing partnership with the Martin Luther King Papers Project, is the publisher of the Martin Luther King Papers–the definitive record of the most significant correspondence, sermons, speeches, published writings, and unpublished manuscripts of one of America's best-known advocates for peace and justice. The series currently includes six volumes of published papers that cover various chronological periods in the life of Dr. King. Volume VI of the papers was published in March of 2007 and covers Dr. King's never before published sermon file that covers the entire period between September 1948 and March of 1963.

Textbook Blues–Students Face Another Semester

With students returning to college campuses across the country, textbooks are on the minds of students and faculty everywhere.  Chuck Crumly, the Science Publisher at the University of California Press, takes some time to reflect on the current state of the textbook business in the United States.

The cost of undergraduate textbooks has become more and more difficult for the average student to afford.  At the same time commercial publishers have invested more and more on the average college textbook requiring a larger and larger return on investment.  This "vicious circle" has been cycling.  Thus, it is not uncommon for a college textbook to cost more than $100 and include ancillary materials, test banks, pedagogical software, color in print and on web sites and more–all to gain the edge in an arms race with competitors.  The victims of this arms race are the students.

Both professors and students are beginning to rise up.  Professors remember the days when they could afford their textbooks and they are guilty about assigning textbooks whose prices seem extraordinary.  Students no longer buy their textbooks new - tattered used copies are okay.  There are even companies that now allow student to rent their books.  Commercial publishers are aware of these trends and have responded by escalating the arms race with new editions and even more elaborate course ancillary materials.

The down side is the fate of the more specialized - and more interesting - upper division courses intended for small class sizes and not taught at all colleges and universities.  Commercial publishers are abandoning these courses - texts in these course do not generate enough revenue.  Paradoxically, these are the courses that are intended for the students who will become the professors of the next generation.  And they will be assigning textbooks.  In a real way, commercial publishers are abandoning their future customers.

What should be done?  More next time.

Ethel Merman at 100 by Caryl Flinn

Caryl Flinn's recent book, Brass Diva: The Life and Legends of Ethel Merman, is an account of the life of Ethel Merman, is a marvelously detailed account of how the stenographer from Queens, New York became the queen of the Broadway musical in its golden age.  January 16th, 2008, is the 100th anniversary of Ethel Merman's birth.  Flinn takes some time to reflect on Ethel Merman at 100.

January 16 2008: Happy birthday, Ethel Merman.  You are 100 years old today.  For five years now, I’ve taken note of the date while writing Brass Diva. 

Merman, of course, was the Broadway belter who introduced some of the 20th century’s classic songs to the public: “I’ve Got Rhythm” “Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries” “Anything Goes,” “Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better” “You’re Just in Love” “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” and her anthem–and Broadway’s–Irving Berlin’s “There’s No Business Like Show Business.”

Merman died in February,1984, but 76 birthdays never slowed her down–she was still doing concert specials and TV guest spots. For a woman who got her start performing with Jimmy Durante, Rudy Vallee and even Betty Boop, it’s striking to see her interacting with 70s icons like Donna Summer and Kermit the Frog nearly 50 years later.

Merman entered Broadway history on October 14, 1930, singing “I Got Rhythm” in the Gershwin Brothers Girl Crazy.  A second-billed player (a young Ginger Rogers was the star), Ethel blew the house open when she held the “I’ in the chorus for somewhere between 16 to 32 measures.  Producer Alex Aarons thought a gun had gone off .

Ethel was an overnight sensation.  Here was a 22 year old stenographer in Queens by day who’d never had a singing lesson and now was the toast of Broadway.  Merman later told a biographer that she had it easier than Cinderella---and there was no Prince Charming to help her.  She went on do do twelve other shows such as Anything Goes, DuBarry Was a Lady, Annie Get Your Gun, Call Me Madam, and Gypsy.

In the 60s and 70s, she turned to TV cameos in shows like Batman, That Girl, and The Love Boat.  In 1979 she released “The Ethel Merman Disco Album,” an instant camp classic.  And her hysterical turn as the traumatized war vet in the disaster spoof Airplane!—the poor Lt. Hurwitz believes he’s Ethel Merman—wins over even die-hard Merman detractors.

And there is no shortage of those. “She was coarse and uneducated,” said one co-star of the Brass Diva; “She didn’t sing, she honked!” recalled an elderly man from New Jersey.  Similarly, the voice—that famous, big voice, can send some screaming out of the room (particularly with the aforementioned Disco Album).  Others were wowed by the voice they called a force of nature, comparing it to the Hoover Dam or the atom bomb.  The Merm’s personality was just as tough.  Famous for her lack of stage fright (What’s to be scared of? I know my lines),) and her robust, X-rated jokes, Ethel was a shrewd business woman–and someone you didn’t want to cross.  Her cut offs were as permanent as they were icy.

No one ever called Miss Merman nice, but a surprising number of intimates attested to her shy, child-like, even vulnerable side.  Maybe those contradictions describe a lot of strong celebrity women, but all those disconnects among “Ethel Mermans” have intrigued me these last five years. 

For the centenary, I am thinking of putting on a Merman recording–probably not the Disco LP—and toasting the Brass Diva with a champagne on the rocks, her drink of choice.

Redroom.com & Booktour.com Roll Out the Red Carpet for Authors

The San Francisco Chronicle reported today that Redroom.com is in full public beta.  It aims to connect readers with writers by providing an author a blog that can include a variety of content.  According to the website information page:

Through original, author-generated content, we offer a trustworthy and creative social network unlike any other. Here, you can connect with your favorite authors, access current industry news, and comment on engaging features. By fostering true community between authors and readers, Red Room showcases esteemed writers and inspires the next generation. We also give back to the community we aim to nurture with our commitment to the Causes We Support.

Booktour.com is another site that caters to authors that is also in public beta.  With Booktour.com authors create their own page (biography, books, tour dates and availability) and any group looking for speakers can find them and contact them directly to arrange for an appearance.  Booktour.com also allows readers to connect with authors by allowing them to search for authors who will be appearing in their area.  Among the site's founders is Chris Anderson, the author of The Long Tail.  According to Booktour's information page:

For authors, BookTour.com serves as a one-stop tool for book promotion, allowing authors at all levels of their careers to locate receptive live audiences. For readers and audiences, BookTour.com makes finding when a favorite author is coming to your town as easy as checking the weather.

The goal of both sites is to involve authors more in the promotion of their own works and to connect readers with writers in ways that writers, publishers, and supply-chain partners alone might not be able to.  Statistics continue to reveal that greater and greater numbers of us are spending more and more time online, and there's a definitely a niche to be filled in connecting avid readers with books and authors.

A definite advantage to such sites is that as long as they remain inclusive they have the potential to provide "one stop shopping" for readers who are looking to connect with books or authors.  They also can exploit the power of easy-to-use, self-service Web 2.0 interfaces that allow authors and publishers to disseminate information about authors as personalities that previously might have been unavailable to readers.   Such efforts to create communities of readers by publishers themselves can often be hampered by the fact that many readers don't necessarily connect a book to its publisher.

Recent statistics indicate that about 20-25% of consumers buy nearly 80% of the books in the United States, so look for more similarly ambitious efforts to connect these avid readers with the book and authors they love in the near future.

Gastronomica makes Saveur's Top 100

Gastronomica has been included in Saveur magazine's "Top 100," the annual list of their favorite foodie people, places, and things. "Part high-brow food 'zine, part scholarly journal, the quarterly publication Gastronomica has been at the top of our bedside reading pile since its inception, in 2001. Rarefied but unpretentious, each issue is an artfully curated collection of essays, poems, art, and journalistic reportage . . . Gastronomica's fare never fails to nourish us."  View the complete list here.