June 01, 2015
SIU Press wins five awards from historical society
CARBONDALE, Ill. – SIU Press, the publishing imprint of Southern Illinois University, gathered five awards from the Illinois State Historical Society at its 116th annual meeting this spring.
Four SIU Press books earned Awards of Superior Achievement, and one earned a Certificate of Excellence. “It’s an incredible honor,” Barb Martin, director of SIU Press, said. “Each year the Illinois State Historical Society selects the best books on Illinois history, and we’re proud to consistently be among them.”
Awards of Superior Achievement indicate publications that serve as a model for the profession and have a broad public appeal. These are the SIU Press Award of Superior Achievement winners:
• “Treasures of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library,” Glenna R. Schroeder-Lein, editor.
This book commemorates the library’s 125-year history, including its contributions to scholarship and education. The library holds more than 12 million items; this book highlights 85 of the most memorable. The judges stated that the volume will “whet your appetite for the treasures that await you in Springfield.”
• “Knock at the Door of Opportunity: Black Migration to Chicago, 1900-1919,” Christopher Robert Reed.
This comprehensive exploration of black life in turn-of-the-century Chicago is, according to the judges, “a must-read for any researcher of this era.”
• “Lincoln and Religion,” Ference Morton Szasz, with Margaret Connell Szasz.
Part of the SIU Press’s popular “Concise Lincoln Library,” this book summarizes Lincoln’s religious background and his beliefs. The judges said the book “is a most rewarding effort for the scholar, buff, dabbler, layperson and student.”
• “Abraham Lincoln, Philosopher Statesman,” Joseph R. Fornieri.
An exploration of the nature of leadership, statesmanship, political philosophy, political ethics, political history and constitutional law, this volume reveals Lincoln’s political genius within his own traditional moral vision. The judges said it is “truly a book from which scholars can learn but that general readers can enjoy.”
The Certificate of Excellence recognizes works of exemplary quality showing creativity and scholarship and reaching a greater public. The SIU Press winner of a Certificate of Excellence is:
• “America’s Deadliest Twister: The Tri-State Tornado of 1925,” Geoff Partlow.
Partlow follows the storm from town to town, introducing us to people most affected by the tornado and setting the scene of Southern Illinois at the time. The judges particularly noted the discussions of meteorology and technology.
SIU Press publishes books in Illinois and regional history, in addition to books generally about the history of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, theater, poetry, rhetoric and composition, and more.
For a full catalog, visit the website.