Maren Meinhardt’s biography of early nineteenth-century scientist Alexander von Humboldt shows how he came to have more places and objects named after him than any other person. The text focuses on the scientist and explorer’s... Read More

Born in 1859 into wealth and political power—his father was a Supreme Court justice; he served in Congress—George Shiras III’s long life spanned the Gilded Age, the Progressive Era, and the New Deal. James H. McCommons’s engaging... Read More

Betrothals, betrayals, and battles both domestic and political are the order of the day in Rosalind K. Marshall’s intriguing history "Scottish Queens, 1034-1714". From the mysterious but only possibly murderous Lady Macbeth to the hot... Read More

George Taliaferro was a multidimensional football player. An All-American and Hall of Famer, he achieved and inspired excellence. Dawn Knight, Taliaferro’s former student and longtime friend, saw that football was only one of... Read More

Nancy E. Davis’s "The Chinese Lady" applies historical detective work to document the life of Afong Moy, who took an unusual journey through nineteenth-century America. It reveals much about the young United States, its view of other... Read More

Bayard Rustin was an important leader in the civil rights movement, but his accomplishments are at times forgotten. Jacqueline Houtman, Michael Long, and Walter Naegle, Rustin’s widowed partner, work to correct that with "Troublemaker... Read More

Stanford M. Adelstein is a major figure in South Dakota business and politics, and Eric Steven Zimmer’s The Question is “Why?“ explains how he succeeded in public life despite being Jewish in a state with a minuscule Jewish... Read More

In 1902, at twenty-six, Rainer Maria Rilke visited Paris for the first time, drawn by his perception—he was not alone—of France as the consummate home of the artist. He sought out Auguste Rodin and, over the course of many years, the... Read More