The Kent State University Press! Spring 2020 Catalog As you browse the new titles in this catalog — including The Other Veterans of World War II by Rona Simmons, a long ith the addition of the Kent overdue history of men and women who State University Press catalog served in noncombat roles in WWII, and The to Edelweiss+, it’s easier than W Beauty Defense by Laura James, a com- ever to find information on our books— both pendium of fascinating stories featuring 32 what’s coming up and what’s already out beautiful women who got away with murder there. Whether you’re buying for a bookstore — please remember that most of titles are or library, looking for books to review, doing also available as ebooks through your favor- research in a particular area of scholarship, or ite vendors, and new titles are being added simply an avid reader, you can use the robust continuously as audiobooks. search capabilities of Edelweiss+ to find just It’s a privilege to serve both the reading what you’re looking for. public and the academic community through Prefer a physical print copy of our the publications we make available. Learn catalog? You may download and print a PDF more about us at KentStateUniversityPress. copy from Edelweiss+ or from our website at com, on Facebook at kentstateuniversity KentStateUniversityPress.com or request a press, or on Twitter @KentStateUPress. We traditional printed copy directly from us. look forward to engaging with you! Cover art by Nick Pitarra e This symbol indicates that a title is also available as an ebook. eBook Distribution Retail Partners Many of our titles are available as ebooks on Kindle, NOOK, Kobo, Google, and other formats and devices. Digital editions are also available to libraries from UPCC/Project Muse and JSTOR. More vendors are being added. Kent State University Press books are printed on acid-free paper for archival longevity, and most use paper made from 60% recycled pulp, with 10% postconsumer waste. Most titles are The Kent State University Press is a proud member of available in both print and electronic editions. the Association of University Presses. The Collinwood Tragedy The Story of the Worst School Fire in American History James Jessen Badal A devastating loss of life and a community’s response March 4, 1908, seemed an ordinary morning at Lakeview Elementary School in Collinwood, Ohio, when fifth grader Emma Neibert noticed wisps of smoke. Her discovery soon led to a panicked stampede inside the school—the chaos of nine teachers trying to control and then save pupils in overcrowded classrooms. Outside, Collinwood’s inadequate volunteer fire department— joined by members of the Cleveland fire department—fought a losing battle with the rapidly spreading blaze. While some inside jumped from the build- REGIONAL HISTORY ing to safety, most were trapped. Ultimately, February 2020, 184 pp., 6 x 9 Paper $24.95t, ISBN 978-1-60635-391-2 172 children, two teachers, and one rescue 77 photographs worker were killed, and the Collinwood com- munity was irrevocably changed. James Jessen Badal is an award-winning author and The fire’s staggering death toll shocked assistant professor of English and journalism at the the country and resulted in impassioned Eastern Campus of Cuyahoga Community College. He official inquiries about the fire’s cause, the has served on the board of trustees of the Cleveland building’s structure, and overall safety Police Historical Society since 2001. His previous considerations. Regionally, and eventually books include In the Wake of the Butcher: Cleveland’s nationwide, changes were implemented in Torso Murders, Twilight of Innocence: The Disappear- school structures and construction materials. ance of Beverly Potts, Though Murder Has No Tongue: James Jessen Badal’s extensive research The Lost Victim of Cleveland’s Mad Butcher, and Hell’s reveals how the citizens of Collinwood were Wasteland: The Pennsylvania Torso Murders. desperate to find someone to blame. Rumor and suspicion splintered the grieving commu- nity. And yet they also rose to the challenge of healing: officials reached out to immigrant Related Interest families unsure of their rights; city charities, ▾ churches, and relief agencies responded with Twilight of Innocence: medical help, comfort for the bereaved, and The Disappearance of Beverly Potts James Jessen Badal financial support; and fundraising efforts to Paper $19.95t assist families totaled over $50,000 — more ISBN 978-0-87338-836-8 than $1 million today. Call to Order 800-247-6553 1 Hemingway in Comics Robert K. Elder ten portrayed as the hypermasculine legend: Foreword by Brian Azzarello bearded, boozed up, and ready to throw a punch. But just as often, comic book writers Pop culture Papa—caricatures and parodies see past the bravado to the sensitive artist of the iconic author looking for validation. Hemingway’s role in Ernest Hemingway casts a long shadow in these comics ranges from the divine to the literature—reaching beyond his status as a ridiculous, as his image is recorded, distorted, giant of 20th-century fiction and a Nobel Prize lampooned, and whittled down to its essen- winner—extending even into comic books. tial parts. Appearing variously with Superman, Mickey As Elder notes, comic book creators and Mouse, Captain Marvel, and Cerebus, he has Hemingway share a natural kinship. The even battled fascists alongside Wolverine comic book page demands an economy of in Spain and teamed up with Shade to battle words, much like Hemingway’s less-is-more adversaries in the Area of Madness. “iceberg theory,” only in graphic form. In addi- Robert K. Elder’s research into Heming- tion, he turned out to be the perfect avatar for way’s comic presence demonstrates the truly comic book artists wanting to tell history-rich international reach of Hemingway as a pop stories, as he experienced beautiful places culture icon. In more than 120 appearances during the most chaotic times: Paris in the across multiple languages, Hemingway is of- 1920s, Spain during the Spanish Civil War, 2 www.KentStateUniversityPress.com Left: Carver by Chris Hunt and Paul Pope. Top: Sketches from “Living on $1000 a Year in Paris” by Steve Rolston. Below: The Hemingway Triathlon by Dirk-Jan Hoek. Right: A Lonely Life artwork by Gavin Aung Than. Cuba on the brink of revolution, France during World War I and during World War II just after the Allies landed in Normandy. Hemingway in Comics provides a unique lens for considering one of our most influen- tial authors. Not only for the dedicated Hem- ingway fan, this book will appeal to all those with an appreciation for comics, pop culture, and the absurd. HEMINGWAY STUDIES/COMICS June 2020, c. 224 pp., 71/2 x 101/2 Paper w/flaps $29.95t, ISBN 978-1-60635-400-1 270 illustrations Robert K. Elder is chief digital officer at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and the author of 12 books, including The Mixtape of My Life and Hidden Hem- ingway: Inside the Ernest Hemingway Archives of Oak Park, which won both the 2017 Gold IPPY Award and the 2017 Eric Hoffer Award for reference works. Call to Order 800-247-6553 3 A Young Sailor at War The World War II Letters of William R. Catton Jr. Edited by Theodore Catton An intimate look into a young sailor’s experience through his letters home While a number of published collections of World War II letters are available to readers, few rise to the level of war literature. But A Young Sailor at War: The World War II Letters of William R. Catton Jr. is remarkable for the narrative skill, exuberance, and candor of its letter writer, and for his youthful but thought- ful commentary. Edited by his son Theodore, Catton’s letters give us a truly intimate look into an essential piece of history. HISTORY/WORLD WAR II William R. Catton Jr. volunteered for navy March 2020, 260 pp., 6 x 9 Cloth $34.95t, ISBN 978-1-60635-393-6 service on his 17th birthday and served as a 39 photographs, 1 map plane handler on board the aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga from August 1944 through the end Theodore Catton is an award-winning author of of WWII. He learned how to rebuild an aircraft books about the American West. A freelance histo- engine and fire a .50-caliber machine gun be- rian, he specializes in studies for the National Park fore he was 18 and made two voyages across Service. He was a Fulbright scholar in Christchurch, the Pacific and saw a year of combat before New Zealand, where he researched the history of the he was 20. He was wounded in a devastating New Zealand national parks. kamikaze attack in January 1945, and he was on deck to watch the sunrise on Mount Fuji when the Ticonderoga entered Tokyo Bay after the Japanese surrender eight months later. Bill was a prolific correspondent who displayed a wide-eyed sense of adventure and a self-conscious pride in being a witness to history. Upon returning home, his sea stories Related Interest ▾ mostly went untold, his Purple Heart medal went into a box of mementos never to be shown, Witnessing the American Century: Via Berlin, Pearl Harbor, Vietnam, while his letters from the war—carefully saved and the Straits of Florida by his mother—went unread until after his Capt. Allen Colby Brady, USN death, when his son began to examine them. Cloth $29.95t ISBN 978-1-60635-362-2 Interestingly, Bill Catton went on to become a sociologist well known for his work on the environment and human ecology. 4 www.KentStateUniversityPress.com The Other Veterans of World War II Stories from Behind the Front Lines Rona Simmons The untold stories of troops serving miles away from the battlefront For decades, the dramatic stories of World War II soldiers have been the stuff of memoirs, inter views, novels, documentaries, and feature films.