Tom Isern, NDSU

This posting is mainly for my students, who are assigned to do book reviews. It has to do with one of the tawdry conventions of professional writing, one I hope my own students will learn to avoid. I refer to the Nonetheless Formula in the writing of book reviews.

I have given this phenomenon a name and graced it with initial caps because it is such a rotten chestnut it has to be noticed. For instance, I quote from three reviews in a row in the current Western Historical Quarterly.

From a review of a biography of John Saylor: "Nonetheless, Smith's book does a solid job of documenting the political life of one of the last 'green Republicans.'"

From a review of a book about Truman's farm policy: "Nevertheless, An Opportunity Lost is a well-researched and clearly written account of the battles over farm legislation during Truman's presidency."

From a review of a book on the history of childhood: "Nonetheless, Riney-Kehrberg has ably filled a void in the history of childhood with her focus on a largely overlooked majority of child workers."

As I said, three reviews in a row in the WHQ. The book review section also contains these examples.

From a review of a book about the Colorado volunteers in the Civil War: "With minor glitches aside, Whitlock has written a valuable and meaningful book."

From a review of a biography of Richard Irving Dodge: "This is merely nitpicking, though, and in no way detracts from the value of the book."

From a double review of two books about western mining: "Nevertheless, both of these books make valuable contributions to the history of mining in the American West and will merit inclusion in many libraries concerned with that subject."

From a review of a book about the Northern Pacific: "Despite this criticism, Jay Cooke's Gamble is a thoroughly researched piece of scholarship that presents an intricate portrait of the interwoven relationship . . . [and on through a really long sentence]"

From a review of a book about Indian affairs on the Canadian-American border: "Nevertheless, Living with Strangers not only makes a valuable contribution to the literature on the Sioux, it challenges all historians of North America to overcome the limitations of remaining on one side of the continent's national borders."

Shame on all of us, as professional historians, for tolerating such cliche-ridden, not to say patronizing, prose! Students of mine, take heed!

The following announcement is provided by Dr. Dennis Cooley, and heartily endorsed by me!--TI

During the 2007-2008 academic year, the NDSU Department of History with its history, philosophy, and religious studies professors will be hosting a monthly series of interdisciplinary colloquia for faculty and graduate students to present an aspect of their scholarship.

We begin the series on September 21, 3:00-5:00, when Dr. Kristi Groberg (Division of Fine Arts) will discuss religion and public space in Czarist Russia (St. Petersburg) in Morrill 107. During the remainder of the year, graduate students from NDSU and faculty members from NDSU, MSUM, Concordia, and East Carolina University are scheduled to present their work.

As more information about topics and rooms becomes available, email updates will be sent. The schedule to date is as follows.

1. Sept 21st-Kristi Groberg. NDSU. "Imperial Blot on the Landscape: The Church on Blood and Domination of Public Space." Morrill 107

2. Oct. 19th- Richard Miller. ECU. “Conceptualistic Pragmatism.” Morrill 107.

3. Nov 16th- Suzzanne Kelley. NDSU. Morrill 107.

4. Jan 18th-Seth Rasmussen. NDSU. "13th Century Venetian Glass Manufacturing: A Turning Point in the History of Chemistry."

5. Feb 15th-Margaret Sankey. MSUM.

6. March 28th- Jessica Clark. NDSU.

7. April 18th-Gretchen Harvey. Concordia College. "Cherokee and American: Ruth Muskrat Bronson and the Struggle for Dual Citizenship."

We would be delighted if you would join us for some or all of these meetings which, we hope, will become a fruitful and engaging venue for sharing and discussing our ideas in a scholarly atmosphere.