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Top 25 Books from Public University Presses
for the Week of October 26, 2009

The following ranking of books from public university presses in the US is compiled from various sales data and other metrics, collected on the web and from other sources.

#1 (last week #1)
Travelin' Man / On the Road and Behind the Scenes With Bob Seger
Weschler, Tom/ Graff, Gary/ Mellencamp, John (FRW)/ Kid Rock (AFT)
Wayne State Univ Pr

Photographs & stories of of Seger’s hard-gigging, heavy-traveling, reputation-making early days.

#2 (#6)
Black Elk Speaks / Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux, the Premier Edition
Neihardt, John G.
State Univ of New York Pr

The famous life story of the Lakota healer and visionary, Nicholas Black Elk.

#3 (--)
Nadirs / (Niederungen
Muller, Herta/ Lug, Sieglinde (TRN)/ Lug, Sieglinde
Univ of Nebraska Pr

From the winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Literature, a collection of largely autobiographical stories.

#4 (#2)
Pathologies of Power / Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor
Farmer, Paul/ Sen, Martha (FRW)
Univ of California Pr

Harrowing stories of life— and death— in extreme situations interrogates our understanding of human rights.

#5 (#7)
Death in a Prairie House / Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders
Drennan, William R.
Univ of Wisconsin Pr

The brutal murders in 1914 of seven adults and children dear to the architect and the destruction by fire of Taliesin.

#6 (--)
One Fantastic Ride / The Inside Story of Carolina Basketball's 2009 Championship Season
Lucas, Adam/ Kirschner, Steve/ Bowers, Matt/ Williams, Roy (FRW)/ Camarati, Jeffrey A. (PHT)
Univ of North Carolina Pr

A behind-the-scenes portrait of the unforgettable journey to UNC's 2009 basketball national championship.

#7 (#8)
To the Gates of Stalingrad / Soviet-German Combat Operations, April-August 1942
Glantz, David M./ House, Jonathan M.
Univ Pr of Kansas

The battle between the Germans and Soviets was a turning point in WWII and a symbol of that war's power and devastation.

#8 (#5)
Lights on a Ground of Darkness / An Evocation of a Place and Time
Kooser, Ted
Univ of Nebraska Pr

An attempt to keep the beloved people alive against the relentless erosion of time.

#9 (--)
Pittsburgh / A New Portrait
Toker, Franklin
Univ of Pittsburgh Pr

A former rustbelt city is now routinely acclaimed as one of the most promising and livable of America's cities.

#10 (#15)
The Sheriff of Ramadi / Navy Seals and the Winning of al-Anbar
Couch, Dick
Naval Inst Pr

The SEALs' ability to adapt and evolve in an urban battle space and their code of brotherhood were key to their success.

#11 (#10)
Elephant Reflections
Ammann, Karl (PHT)/ Peterson, Dale
Univ of California Pr

A book to change the way the world thinks about elephants while we still have some measure of control over their fate.

#12 (#3)
Pedaling Revolution / How Cyclists Are Changing American Cities
Mapes, Jeff
Univ of Arizona Pr

The growing bike culture that is changing the look and feel of cities, suburbs, and small towns across North America.

#13 (#13)
Fearless Confessions / A Writer's Guide to Memoir
Silverman, Sue William
Univ of Georgia Pr

How to craft compelling art out of personal experience.

#14 (--)
Warrior's Rage / The Great Tank Battle of 73 Easting
MacGregor, Douglas A.
Naval Inst Pr

An assault against Iraq's Republican Guard becomes the U.S. Army's largest tank battle since World War II.

#15 (#22)
Galapagos / A Natural History
Jackson, Michael H.
Michigan State Univ Pr

The natural history of the plants and animals found in the Galapagos Islands.

#16 (--)
Danger Close / Tactical Air Controllers in Afghanistan and Iraq
Call, Steve
Texas A & M Univ Pr

A fascinating look at a dedicated, courageous, innovative, and often misunderstood & misused military professionals.

#17 (--)
What Can I Do With My Herbs? / How to Grow, Use, & Enjoy These Versatile Plants
Barrett, Judy/ Martin, Victor Z. (ILT)
Texas A & M Univ Pr

A fun and lively look at forty common herbs and the creative and useful things people do with them.

#18 (#12)
Crow Killer / The Saga of Liver-Eating Johnson
Thorp, Raymond W./ Bunker, Robert
Indiana Univ Pr

One of the most gripping feuds-- one man against a whole tribe-- in American history.

#19 (#20)
The Battle of Kursk
Glantz, David M./ House, Jonathan M.
Univ Pr of Kansas

Nearly 200,000 Soviet & 50,000 German casualties in the first 10 days of one of the largest tank battles in history.

#20 (#4)
Creating Moments of Joy for the Person with Alzheimer's or Dementia
Brackey, Jolene
Purdue Univ Pr

Focusing beyond the challenges of Alzheimer's disease to create moments of joy.

#21 (#24)
Long Story Short / Flash Fiction by Sixty-five of North Carolina's Finest Writers
Gingher, Marianne (EDT)
Univ of North Carolina Pr

Very short stories by some of North Carolina's best contemporary writers.

#22 (#11)
Truth, Lies, and O-Rings / Inside the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster
McDonald, Allan J./ Hansen, James R.
Univ Pr of Florida

The first look at the Challenger tragedy from someone who was on the inside and tried to prevent it.

#23 (#21)
Field Guide to the Songbirds of South America / The Passerines
Ridgely, Robert S./ Tudor, Guy
Univ of Texas Pr

The definitive guide for professional ornithologists and avocational birders alike.

#24 (--)
All That Work and Still No Boys
Ma, Kathryn
Univ of Iowa Pr

Ten stories of the immigrant experience, illuminating the confounding nature of duty, transformation, and loss.

#25 (#14)
DES Daughters, Embodied Knowledge and the Transformation of Women's Health Politics
Bell, Susan E.
Temple Univ Pr

...