Things Noted Here & There

Laura,"The Blogosphere 2.0," 11D, 2 July, her observations about how blogging has changed in the last six years, is getting widespread commentary. For the most part, I agree with her, especially about the growth of niche blogging. Six years ago, it was a pleasant surprise to find another history blog out there. Now, we know of at least 1500 of them and they thrive with specialization. Recently, we've created separate categories for Digital History and History of Science and Technology.

Scott Jaschik,"Empty Chair No More," IHE, 2 July, notes the hiring of John W. Hall as the first Ambrose-Hesseltine Professor in U.S. Military History. The topics of both Hall's first and second books are military dimensions of the Indian wars. Jaschik might have noted that Wisconsin's Native American historian, Ned Blackhawk, recently decamped for Yale.

Richard Rayner,"The Men Who Mined Silver-Plated Legends," Washington Post, 5 July, reviews Dennis Drabelle's Mile-High Fever: Silver Mines, Boom Towns and High Living on the Comstock Lode.

Michael Kenney,"Restrictive gateway to land of the free," Boston Globe, 4 July, reviews Vincent J. Cannato's American Passage: The History of Ellis Island.

Elliott J. Gorn,"The Real John Dillinger," Slate, 1 July, and Christopher Orr for the New Republic, 2 July, review Michael Mann's film,"Public Enemies".

Jackson Lears,"Paper Trail," NYT, 30 June, reviews D. D. Guttenplan's American Radical: The Life and Times of I. F. Stone.