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5 Questions for Daniel Wortel-London, the author of “The Menace of Prosperity”

Many local policymakers make decisions based on the belief that what’s good for the rich is good for cities. But this wasn’t always the case. Between the 1870s and the 1970s, a wide range of activists, citizens, and intellectuals in New York City connected local fiscal crises to the greed

What to Read for National Hispanic Heritage Month

To celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, we’ve put together a reading list highlighting books by and about Hispanic individuals and communities from a range of countries and traditions. With these books from Chicago and our distributed client presses, you can explore poetic voices, artists from Central and South America, the

Read an Excerpt from “Doing Meritocracy Right” by Thomas A. Cole

As America’s most vaunted cultural value, meritocracy is celebrated by some as an institution and derided by others as a myth—or even a trap. Thomas A. Cole argues in Doing Meritocracy Right: How Business Leaders Can Turn an American Aspiration into Reality (and Why They Should) that if meritocracy is to persist

A Conversation Among the Editors of the American Beginnings, 1500–1900 Series

Titles in the American Beginnings, 1500–1900 series address critical issues in American history from the initial period of European contact through the end of the nineteenth century. The series includes works by senior and junior scholars from a broad array of historical subfields, including politics, labor, race, religion, gender, and

A Reflection on “Religion in Plain View” from author Sally M. Promey

In Religion in Plain View: Public Aesthetics of American Display, Sally M. Promey delivers a revelatory critique of public display in the United States, replete with over a hundred stunning photographs. In the reflection below, Promey discusses the concerns that motivated the project and discusses some surprises she encountered during

Dig into the Earth Day series

Whether your day is rushed or relaxed, full or free, you are not alone. A story told from midnight to midday to tomorrow, and across hemispheres, each short book of the Earth Day series offers twenty-four chapters, corresponding to twenty-four hour-long windows to witness the diversity of life. Each hour

“History of Humanities” Celebrates a Decade of Publishing

History of Humanities (HOH) is publishing its tenth volume in 2025, marking a milestone for the publication as well as the relatively young field of study that has grown up alongside it. Founded in 2015 by editors Rens Bod, Julia Kursell, Jaap Maat, and Thijs Weststeijn, the journal was launched as a new forum for

A Close Look at the Abakanowicz Arts and Culture Collection

In 2021, the press announced a new series born from a gift awarded by the Abakanowicz Arts and Culture Charitable Foundation. This series, the Abakanowicz Arts and Culture Collection, features an exciting range of creative and critical works on under-represented subjects in the arts and on the role of art

Your Juneteenth Reading List

As we take time to celebrate Juneteenth, we have assembled a collection of works highlighting the lives of Black individuals and the history of African American communities across centuries of struggle and achievement. These books unpack racial biases; explore the persistence of barriers facing Black Americans; rediscover forgotten leaders and

Five Questions with Neil Gregor, Author of “The Symphony Concert in Nazi Germany”

In the years after the Nazis came to power in January 1933 and throughout the Second World War, all aspects of life in Germany changed. Despite the social and political upheaval, gentile citizens continued to attend concerts. In The Symphony Concert in Nazi Germany, historian Neil Gregor surveys how the

A Pride Month 2025 Reading List

The University of Chicago Press invites everyone to celebrate Pride with a reading list of recent books from Chicago and our client publishers that help illuminate LGBTQIA2S+ lives. From inspirational memoirs to gripping histories, original poetry collections, novels, studies of queer representation in media, natural history, biographies of queer luminaries,

“The Porch” at the Venice Biennale, a Guest Post by Charlie Hailey

A few weeks ago I spent a fortnight in Venice helping set up “Porch: An Architecture of Generosity” and installing my book The Porch: Meditations on the Edge of Nature inside the U.S. pavilion at the 19th Biennale Architettura. Titled “Porch Unbound,” the installation unfolds the book’s pages in an

A Collection of Books Celebrating the Lives and Works of Beloved Writers

In times of great uncertainty, it’s often art and literature that we turn to for escape, for answers, and for comfort. How many times have you reread the Harry Potter series, Percy Jackson, or The Lord of the Rings when the world suddenly felt not only overwhelming but frightening? Do

5 Questions with Liz Kalaugher, the author of “The Elephant in the Room”

When new diseases spread, news reports often focus on wildlife culprits—monkeys and mpox; bats and COVID-19; or waterfowl and avian flu. But it often works the other way around—humans have caused diseases in other animals countless times, through travel and transport, the changes we impose on our environment, and global

Call for Papers: “The Journal of African American History”

The Journal of African American History is seeking submissions for a 2027 special issue titled “Black Women’s History in the Twenty-First Century: Engaging the Future.” The issue will provide an opportunity to reflect seriously on the state of scholarship on Black women in the United States as well as to