This new series is aimed at paid and unpaid public history professionals as well as history lovers, particularly those who wish they could visit certain museums and sites but either cannot or are remote. In addition to those individual buyers, two major markets for these books are public and high school libraries (since all books in the series would be part of the history curriculum).
Titles in this series will be either written or compiled/edited by a museum or historic site curator or educator. As currently envisioned, each book will be:
- 6×9 inches, initially published in hardcover and depending on sales, released in a paperback edition about 18 months following hardcover publication.
- Approximately 150-225 full-color pages with about 20-30 color photographs.
The Table of Contents would be comprised of a preface, a timeline, or other chronographic presentation of the objects/sites, an introduction mainly comprised of a general synthesis of the topic or period, and then 25, 50, or 100 chapters with a homogeneous structure (outlined below), an index, and an about the author page.
Chapters would be comprised of:
- Chapter number and title
- A photo of the object or historic site
- A box with basic identifying information:
a. For objects: name, creator, date created, museum where held, city/state, URL if available online
b. For sites: name, city/state, contact information, web site URL if available - Engaging general description and background (1,000 words)
- Explication of the essential nature of the object or site to the historical concept (2,000 words)
- Detailed narrative linking this site or object to others covered in the book (2,000 words)
- Short closing paragraph aimed at helping the reader appreciate the object/site in an inspiring way (250 words)
Possible initial titles:
- Exploring Women’s Suffrage Through 50 Historic Treasures (in production)
- Exploring African American History Through 50 Historic Treasures
- Exploring LGBT History Through 50 Historic Treasures
- Exploring American Military History Through 50 Historic Treasures
- Exploring World War I Through 50 Historic Treasures
- Exploring Medical History Through 50 Historic Treasures
For information, contact Bob Beatty, Managing Editor, AASLH Editorial Board, at [email protected] or Charles Harmon, Executive Editor, Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, at [email protected].
