Indiana: An Interpretation―Indiana Bicentennial Edition - Softcover

Martin, John Bartlow

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0253023467 ISBN 13: 9780253023469

Publisher: Quarry Books, 2016

Synopsis

Indiana: An Interpretation is arguably the best single book about Indiana. Originally published in 1947, John Bartlow Martin's work sparked controversy in Indiana for challenging Hoosiers' assumptions about their history and how they saw themselves and their state. Although the book only covers the period from the Civil War to just after World War II, Martin's interpretation of the Hoosier character, thought, and way of living is still as relevant today as when it was first written. A new afterword by Martin biographer Ray E. Boomhower contextualizes the book for today's readers and reveals why it has become a modern Indiana classic.

About this title

About the Author

John Bartlow Martin (1915–1988) was a journalist and freelance writer who grew up in Indianapolis and graduated from DePauw University. He worked for the Associated Press, was a reporter for the Indianapolis Times, and was the author of numerous articles, stories, and books.

James H. Madison is the Thomas and Kathryn Miller Professor of History Emeritus, Indiana University Bloomington. His books include Hoosiers: A New History (IUP, 2014); Eli Lilly: A Life, 1885-1977; Slinging Doughnuts for the Boys: An American Woman in World War II (IUP, 2007); and A Lynching in the Heartland: Race and Memory in America. Madison serves on the boards of Indiana Humanities and the Indiana Historical Society and is a member of the Indiana Bicentennial Commission.

Ray E. Boomhower is author of John Bartlow Martin: A Voice for the Underdog (IUP, 2015); The People’s Choice: Congressman Jim Jontz of Indiana; and Robert F. Kennedy and the 1968 Indiana Primary (IUP, 2008). He is Senior Editor of Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History, the quarterly magazine of the Indiana Historical Society.

Review

"A lot of things started in Indiana―the automotive industry for one―and Indiana has produced a great many ideas, many wrongheaded and some downright wicked. Viewed one way, this book is a study of Indiana ideas, for threads run through it―the quest for the better life, bigotry, provincial protest. Viewed another, it is a study of an idea itself, the Hoosier, or Indiana, idea. By the 'Indiana idea' I mean the idea of Indiana and the Hoosiers that is held by people elsewhere. It is a conception of Indiana as a pleasant, rather rural place inhabited by people who are confident, prosperous, neighborly, easygoing, tolerant, shrewd."

(from the Preface)

About this edition

• Publisher: Quarry Books
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0253023467
• ISBN 13: 9780253023469
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 348