University of Chicago Press, Books

January Features

Heroes aren’t what they used to be—the last half-century has brought radical changes to American culture, changes that have diminished our sense of heroism. In Abraham Lincoln in the Post-Heroic Era: History and Memory in Late Twentieth-Century America Barry Schwartz examines Lincoln as image and symbol of American identity and values. An excerpt discusses the ascent of Lincoln’s reputation during the Great Depression.

During the 1950s and ’60s, the rapid rise of commercial television coincided with dynamic new movements in the visual arts—a potent combination that precipitated a major shift in the way we experienced the world visually. Lynn Spigel’s TV by Design: Modern Art and the Rise of Network Television uncovers this fascinating story. Read an excerpt on modernist design at CBS.

Buddhists and admirers of Buddhism proclaim the compatibility of Buddhism and science. Their assertions range from modest claims about the efficacy of meditation for mental health to grander declarations that the Buddha himself anticipated the theories of relativity, quantum physics and the big bang. In Buddhism and Science: A Guide for the Perplexed Donald S. Lopez Jr. analyzes and debunks as needed. Read a special feature, “Six Episodes in Buddhism and Science”.

In the 1920s Chicago was famous for the brutuality of its gangsters and the corruption of its politicians. When a new magazine, The Chicagoan, appeared in 1926 it signalled the presence of style and sophistication in the Windy City. The magazine lasted nine years before disappearing from newsstands and even from history. The rediscovered magazine is opulently presented in The Chicagoan: A Lost Magazine of the Jazz Age by Neil Harris. Read an interview with the author and see a gallery of covers and illustrations.

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