University of Illinois at Chicago Office of Public Affairs (MC 288)
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December 3, 2001

Contact:Bryant Payne (312) 355-2523; bpayne2@uic.edu

TWO UIC HISTORIANS ENTER DIGITAL AGE

Books by two University of Illinois at Chicago faculty members have been chosen as part of the History E-Book Project, an initiative designed to convert distinguished history books to electronic form.

"The Popular Front and Central Europe: the Dilemmas of French Impotence, 1918-1940," (Cambridge University Press) by Nicole Jordan, associate professor of history, and "The Road to Redemption: Southern Politics 1869-1879" (University of North Carolina Press), by Michael Perman, professor of history, will be among the 725 titles of important history books to be offered electronically.

Sponsored by the American Council of Learned Societies, the History E-Book Project is designed to make available online a collection of classic historical titles in ancient, European, American and Middle- Eastern history published between the 1930s and 2000.

Titles were selected by a group of leading historians and heads of foundations based on the books' importance for scholars and advanced students, frequency of being cited and the degree of availability. In addition, 85 new titles are scheduled to appear early next year as electronic monographs.

Jordan's book, winner of the George Louis Beer prize of the American Historical Society, investigates the implications of French military, economic and diplomatic policies in Central Europe from the Treaty of Versailles until the fall of France in 1940.

"The news of my book's selection came as a total surprise," said Jordan. "Of the honors that my work has brought, this is one of the most significant because it promises a long life for the book."

Perman's book is one of approximately 70 books in the category of American History, 1789-1900. A winner of three literary prizes, the book is a study of how the political system of the Reconstruction South worked and why it collapsed within a decade after its inception in 1869. Perman said he was surprised but very pleased that his book was chosen for the initial list.

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