Praise for Civil War Humor

In Civil War Humor, Cameron Nickels examines the various forms of comedic popular artifacts produced in America from 1861 to 1865. This is the first book to examine humorous popular culture produced during and about the Civil War.

The book features over 60 reproductions of illustrations and 30 complete texts that were created during the war, and provides close readings of these materials. The book takes an in-depth look at song lyrics, newspaper columns, sheet music covers, illustrations, political cartoons, fiction, light verse, paper dolls, printed envelopes, and penny dreadfuls—from and for both the Union and the Confederacy.

The Spring issue of Civil War Book Review has a nice treatment of Nickels' book. 

The reviewer, T. Harrell Allen, called the book "a valuable contribution to a deeper understanding of the Civil War era and makes the reader reflect in a more thoughtful way on the role of humor in confronting the harsh realities of war."

He continued, writing, "The research of the topic is thorough and well-documented and the writing excellent."

Cameron Nickels is professor emeritus of English at James Madison University. 

Mississippi's Disappearing Treasures

The following is a guest post from UPM author Mary Carol Miller. 

Twenty years ago, I was elbow-deep in an old filing cabinet at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, trolling for tidbits on Vicksburg’s antebellum architecture. One thin red folder, marked “Shamrock,” yielded a solitary 1935 snapshot of a remarkable mansion, obviously empty and only a step ahead of the wrecking ball. The tall shutters were splintered, windowpanes were shattered, and stucco was peeling in sheets from the tall Doric columns of its front and rear verandas. Two elegantly proportioned brick chimneys clung to the roofline like loose teeth. But behind the decay was a veneer of dignity that time and neglect had not erased. 

My questions about Shamrock went unanswered at MDAH. The professional historians could barely keep up with the demands of existing and endangered buildings throughout the state, and there was precious little time to delve into the demise of those that were only memories. I went back to the files, dove in, and have yet to emerge fully. The sad truth is that Mississippi’s pre-Civil War architecture disappeared at an alarming rate in the century after that conflict. Homes burned, churches and courthouses and college buildings were pulled down, and a lethal combination of neglect, weather, and progress relegated many an extraordinary structure to those sad red folders in steel filing cabinets. 

Respite from the flood found in book events

The following is a guest post from UPM author Melody Golding.

First, I would sincerely like to thank everyone for their support of my new book Panther Tract: Wild Boar Hunting in the Mississippi Delta, just released by University Press of Mississippi. There have been eight fantastic events so far and there will be more scheduled to look forward to. At each book event, I bring a wild boar head - bamboo to recreate atmosphere, along with ten large prints from the book, and an action packed DVD of actual hunts taken at Panther Tract.

I have invited all of the people who are featured in the book to come and sign on their story or photo and to wear their camo or hunt clothes - dressed as they would for a hunt. We have had a wonderful time and the events have morphed into so much more than just a "book signing". They truly are "events.” My group of hunting and book signing buddies has now affectionately become known as my "Panther Tract Posse".

All of the book events have been great fun for us, for the book stores and also for the people who come get their special autographed copy. The group is on a roll now with toasts being given to the book, to the people in the book, to their story, photograph or both, and a toast to those people who just want to be in the book! We've taken the camaraderie from the field to the store.

A Day at the Air and Space Museum

Wolfgang Samuel is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and the author of several UPM titles. He lives in Fairfax Station, Virginia and makes regular appearances at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. What follows is a guest post and his experience and seems particularly fitting today.

I sign books three times a week at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum as well as the Steven F.  Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles. The two places are very different and draw different audiences. 

U-H is mostly military aircraft dominated by the breath taking SR-71 display and the Enola Gay. People who come to UH have to pay $15 for parking and are mostly a dedicated group of people who come there to see what few other museums have to offer. 

Downtown, at the NASM, the crowds are visitors from across the country and around the world stopping by as they try to cover all the nation's Mall has to offer. When it rains they come in for shelter and innundate the place; and when the sun shines they are trying to do all the museums on their brief visits to our Capital.