George W. Bush Presidential Center Dedication in Dallas, TX

Last Thursday saw the official dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Center at the SMU campus in Dallas. It is the 13^th library to be added to the list of presidential libraries in the United States.

George W. Bush was the 43^rd President of the United States; the first president of the 21^st century. He also served as Texas governor from 1995-2000.

TAMU Press is publishing a new book in Fall 2013 entitled, Taking the Measure: The Presidency of George W. Bush by Donald R. Kelley and Todd G. Shields, an analysis of Bush's presidency.  Commissioned by the Fulbright Institute of International Relations and the Blair Center of Southern Politics and Culture at the University of Arkansas, Taking the Measure offers perspectives, commentary, and analyses by experts on the American presidency.

Kelley and Shields focus on Bush’s decision-making style, the impact of increasing partisanship, economic issues, and the impact of 9/11 and the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. It will be a great contribution to the beginnings of a careful, systematic consideration of the George W. Bush presidency.

--Madeline Loving

Leadership in Agriculture

In a world facing chronic and increasing shortages in food crops and natural resources, visionary leadership in agriculture becomes more and more critical for building and maintaining a sustainable future.

In their new book Leadership in Agriculture: Case Studies for a New Generation, John Patrick Jordan, Gale A. Buchanan, Neville P. Clarke, and Kelly C. Jordan – veteran agricultural educators and administrators -- define leadership as “motivating other people to follow you in a given direction to achieve a specific goal”. Specifically, agriculture is evolving into an enterprise based more on science and technology rather than on resources -- which requires a greater degree of visionary leadership.

Using case studies from research, industry, education, administration, and extension services, the authors present real-world circumstances ranging from natural disasters to major restructuring that demanded problem solving, new initiatives, consensus, and organizational commitment. Drawing on their own experiences and covering topics as diverse as closing facilities, mounting a national research initiative, reinventing a major corporation, and dealing with invasive termites, the studies contain examples of booth good and bad outcomes and refer back to the leadership principles and qualities outlined in the opening chapters.

For more on Leadership in Agriculture, or to order your own copy, please visit our website or call 979-845-0147.

Finding Creativity Through Our Madness?

In TAMU Press’s new book, Madness and Creativity, author and analyst Ann Belford Ulanov utilizes her years of clinical work and reflection to come to the conclusion that madness and creativity work together. It is through the suffering of the human psyche where the foundations of creativity and genius are drawn. She pulls from the themes of Jung’s Red Book, which presents some of the most important experiences of his life—including his psychic encounters from 1913-1928.

As prompted by the title, Ulanov’s book is divided into two parts: part one-madness, part two-creativity. Within part one she delves into the madness of ourselves—of the breakdown and breakthroughs of our personal lives, and in the other part, the madness in the world—the violence of the world and our sense of meaningless within it. The second half of the book focuses on creativity. It is divided into studying the complex that haunts our lives, and then the transformation of our complex into creativity. Ulanov writes on the connection between madness and creativity in her introduction: 

"Madness dislocates us, out of our bodies, out of our minds. And yet, and yet, in the midst of madness dots of light appear; Jung calls them scintillae. These act as creative points indicating something bright, hopeful. Strung together, the dots construct a path, which can transfigure our madness into our creative contributions.”

Ann Belford Ulanov, a Jungian psychoanalyst in private practice, is the Christiane Brooks Johnson Memorial Professor of Psychiatry and Religion at Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

To order this book, click here.

--Madeline Loving

A Woman “Like No Other”

“Jane Sibley is indeed like no other. Nor is this memoir. It is hopefully a work of literature, but it is also a significant history of times and places and people too little recorded or remembered in a Texas that has changed within her lifetime from a rural state to a crowded urban one.”—from the Foreword, Jane’s Window: My Spirited Life in West Texas and Austin

Jane Dunn Sibley tells her fascinating life story in her new book, Jane’s Window. Growing up in the Great Depression in a rural community, Sibley went on to the University of Texas where she delved into her passion of the arts, philanthropy, and fashion. After returning to Fort Stockton, she met and married the love of her life, the local doctor D.J. Sibley, and raised a family together.

Sibley’s life stories are fascinating, intriguing, and oftentimes humorous. In Chapter 2, she tells of growing up in Fort Stockton: “Aside from an occasional smoke, my friends and I led a wonderfully unsophisticated life. One of my favorite childhood memories involved playing in an old-style retail establishment…To a girl like me, who was certain she was born with a love of fashion, it was like landing in paradise.” 

 

After graduating from UT, Sibley’s love for fashion became a reality when she moved to Dallas and was hired by Sanger’s in their advertising department. Sibley writes in Chapter 5, “For the first time in my life I had a real job. I really like writing ads and quickly began to realize the more practical value of my UT education…the best thing about that first job was seeing the veterans I knew from Fort Stockton and UT coming back home after the war ended.”

After working in the oil industry, marrying local doctor D. J. Sibley, raising a family, and now having grandchildren, Jane Dunn Sibley has quite a story to tell. In her last chapter, she offers advice to her grandchildren, telling them the secrets of success to a happy life. She writes, “Now that I am eighty-eight, I feel I have earned the right to offer some advice…I mean to answer this question: What are the ingredients of a meaningful, productive, and happy life?”

For more exciting tales on Jane Sibley’s incredible life, check out our website or purchase your own copy of the book from Texas A&M University Press at 979-845-0147.

                                    --Madeline Loving

Softly Call the Muster

One of the oldest and most honored traditions of Texas A&M, Aggie Muster is a time to honor all those who have lived and served under the Aggie name. Always held on April 21^st, the same day as Texas independence, this year it will fall on a Sunday. From the TAMU Muster website:

“Muster is a time to look to the past, present, and future…not only to grieve but to reflect and to celebrate the lives that connect us to one another. A gesture so simple in nature yet so lasting in spirit, Muster is the lasting impression every Aggie leaves with us; it reminds us of the greatness that lies within these walls, of the loyalty we possess, of the connection that binds us, and of the idea that every Aggie has a place of importance – whether they are present in flesh or spirit.”

This year the speaker is Bill Jones, Class of ’81. Jones is currently Principal at The Jones Firm, practiced law in Houston for fifteen (15) years in a litigation practice, including trial and appellate work in state and federal courts of all levels involving complex business litigation.  Jones also served as General Counsel to the Office of the Governor of the State of Texas for Governor Rick Perry from December 2000 to November 2003.

You can read more about the speaker and the tradition of Aggie Muster by clicking on their website, here.

TAMU Press has published various books on the traditions and history of Aggieland. Softly Call the Muster: The Evolution of a Texas Aggie Tradition (TAMU Press, 1994) by John A. Adams, Jr., is a book dedicated specifically to exploring the deep history and meaning behind Aggie Muster. This book traces the evolution of Aggie Muster from its early roots to the modern-day observance. Through research and hundreds of interviews, John A. Adams, Jr. '73 has captured the essence and spirit of this honored Texas Aggie tradition.

Hope to see you at Aggie Muster this year!

--Madeline Loving

2012 Solid Year for University Press Book Sales

University press ebooks saw phenomenal growth in December, climbing 158.9% at a time when the publishing industry saw overall net book sales fall 7.3%.

According to the Association of American Publishers, net book sales for the full year slipped 2.2% to $14.9 billion for the 1,193 publishers and distributed clients covered in the report.

University Press ebooks netted $1.1 million in sales, while the sector's hardcover sales dipped 1.4% to $5 million and paperback sales tumbled 6.1% to $7.3 million.

Despite the grim December, Shelf Awareness reports trade publishing as a whole had a solid year, with adult book sales and children's/YA making gains. University press sales rose 10% to $33 million in 2012.

Check out TAMU Press's ebooks in our new and past catalogs!

Life in Bronze Event During Aggie Muster