In literature and popular culture, small town America is often idealized as distilling the national spirit. Does the myth of the small town conceal deep-seated reactionary tendencies or does it contain the basis of a national re-imagining? During the period between 1940 and 1960, America underwent a great shift in self-mythologizing that can be charted through representations of small towns. Authors like Henry Bellamann and Grace Metalious continued the tradition of Sherwood Anderson in showing the small town--by extension, America itself--profoundly warping the souls of its citizens. Meanwhile, Ray Bradbury, Toshio Mori and Ross Lockridge, Jr., sought to identify the small town's potential for growth, away from the shadows cast by World War II toward a more inclusive, democratic future. Examined together, these works are key to understanding how mid-20th century America refashioned itself in light of a new postwar order, and how the literary small town both obscures and reveals contradictions at the heart of the American experience.

The problem of human evil is never far beneath the surface of mystery fiction. This was particularly true in the wake of the horrific events of World War II. One figure who set out to investigate this crisis was Ellery Queen. This book provides a much-needed intervention in the study of detective fiction by giving sustained attention to Ellery Queen as well as suggesting possible directions for broader discussions of the genre. After the war, Queen mounted an inquiry into the state of masculinity and of the world in the wake of unimaginable horrors represented by the death camps and the atomic bomb. During his investigation, Ellery rummaged through the ruins of culture, invoking and evoking figures such as Walt Whitman, Henry David Thoreau, and (naturally) Edgar Allan Poe. Ultimately, this quest brought him up against an unexpected foe: God himself. This book examines the ways Queen pushes against the boundaries of what was (and, in some circles, still is) considered possible or desirable in the genre.

Personal narrative of Robert T. Booth, a U.S. Army officer who was a field artillery forward observer who became a German prisoner of war during World War II. He was awarded the Silver Star Medal for his battlefield bravery prior to his capture and eventual liberation.

General description of the collection: The Robert T. Booth papers consist of his 1996 memoir, "The personal experiences of Robert T. Booth who was a prisoner of war in Belgium and Germany January-May 1945." In his memoir, Booth describes the events leading to his surrender to German forces on 8 January 1945. He describes the importance of food to POWs, and credits German black bread and Red Cross food packages with his survival. He also describes the sickness and lice among the POWs, the friendships that he made, and his brief interrogation. Booth compares the conditions at the different German POW camps where he was housed. He found that the better camps had strong leadership among the POWs. Stalag XIIIC benefited from the leadership of U.S. Army Colonel Paul Goode. Booth notes the positive changes in the POW's lives during April 1945, as food packages arrived more regularly and the marches to more distant camps ceased.

In its third printing this priceless volume is a pictorial study of the City of Grants Pass from its early days. Many of the photographs were printed from the Booth collection of glass negatives and many are published for the first time, including the first known photograph of Grants Pass, taken in the summer of 1884.

This 60 page volume is the story of Indian Mary, a Rogue Indian who lived in the deep canyons of the Rogue River and operated a ferry at the present site of Indian Mary Park. The book also contains pioneer pictures of the area and other historical stories of early trailblazers. This book is very popular throughout the Rogue Valley and even at Indian Mary Park near Galice, Oregon, the location of the pioneer ferry. A great companion book to Valley of the Rogues. Cover painting by Richard Booth.