American Leaders is published
Today is a big one here at Schlager Group: I’m pleased to announce the publication of Milestone Documents of American Leaders, the 4-volume companion to our award-winning Milestone Documents in American History. The press release is here, while information on ordering the set is here.
The production of American Leaders seemed to require double the work of our first one, even though it’s the same size. For one thing, it was vastly more complicated, with several hundred primary document texts to go along with the 120 main entries. But under the guidance of managing editor Marcia Merryman-Means, and with the help of editor in chief Paul Finkelman, the volumes turned out beautifully (IMHO). Virtually every page has some really interesting material on it, thanks to the great writing of our historian contributors. Students can read analysis and the corresponding full text of some of Abigail Adams’s letters, including her most famous one (“Remember the ladies”), in which she castigates her husband, John, to work with his colleagues drafting the Declaration of Independence to keep the rights of women in mind for a change. Or they can read how the infamous opinion of Dred Scott v. Sandford marred the legacy of an otherwise legendary Supreme Court justice, Roger Taney. Or they can read some of George W. Bush’s most important documents, including his controversial second state of the union address, where he introduced what would come to be known as the Bush Doctrine of preemptive military action. Even reading about a less famous document, say Teddy Roosevelt’s speech to the New York State Republican Convention in 1918, we learn that it was given under the most difficult of circumstances: 2 days after finding out that his son’s plane had been shot down in France during World War I, and 2 days before learning that his son had indeed died in the crash.
Librarians and teachers alike should note that just like our first set, this new one contains many elements that make it useful in the classroom, from study questions for students to activity guides for teachers, all aligned to the National History Standards.
And I want to mention as well that libraries once again have the opportunity to take advantage of the best deal in reference publishing today: free access to the electronic database via Salem History through 2012. And that electronic access comes with exclusive content not found in the print set: an entry on Barack Obama, with expert analysis of 4 of his best-known speeches (2004 DNC speech, 2008 speech on race, 2008 convention acceptance speech, and 2009 inaugural address).
And now, after a brief company-wide cheer, we are already turning our attention to the next title on our plates, Milestone Documents in World History, coming out later this year. Think the Magna Carta. Think the Chinese Constitution. Think Nelson Mandela’s inaugural address. Think the same pioneering approach, with full texts of the documents alongside expert analysis from esteemed historians. Trust me, it’s going to have great stuff in it.