Books published by Southern Illinois University Press

This well-crafted and engaging biography of Augustus Garrett and his wife, Eliza Clark Garrett, tells two equally compelling stories: an ambitious man's struggle to succeed and the remarkable spiritual journey of a woman attempting to overcome tragedy.

Compares the decisions about Chicago's governance and finances with choices made in fourteen other large US cities. The problems that seem unique to Chicago have been encountered elsewhere, and Chicagoans, the authors posit, can learn from the successful solutions other cities have embraced.

Explores the influence and experiences of German immigrants and their descendants from their arrival in the middle of the nineteenth century to their heritage identity today. Miranda Wilkerson and Heather Richmond examine the primary reasons that Germans came to Illinois and describe how they adapted to life and distinguished themselves.

This anthology is an in-depth examination of General Ulysses S. Grant's unsuccessful assaults against Confederate defensive lines around the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, on May 19 and May 22, 1863. Steven E. Woodworth and Charles D. Grear have assembled five captivating essays from four expert historians into a unique, in-depth volume.

Proposes a definition of demagoguery based on her study of groups and cultures that have talked themselves into disastrously bad decisions. Patricia Roberts-Miller argues for seeing demagoguery as a way for people to participate in public discourse, and not necessarily as populist or heavily emotional.

Offers the first in-depth account of how Abraham Lincoln responded to the riddles of mortality, undertook personal mourning, and coped with the extraordinary burden of sending hundreds of thousands of soldiers to be killed on battlefields.

A groundbreaking study that assesses the presidency of Abraham Lincoln through the lenses of governmental power, economic policy, expansion of executive power, and natural rights to show how Lincoln not only believed in the limitations of presidential power but also dedicated his presidency to restraining the scope and range of it.

Gettysburg is a paradox: Today it is beautiful, still, and filled with visitors, yet this national military park serves as a powerful reminder of the clash of armies and the great loss of life that took place here. Gettysburg: This Hallowed Ground explores this Civil War battleground through contemporary photographs and poems.