Ann Arbor Paperbacks

Portrait of Chekhov the man, devoted to his family and his actress wife, his medical career, his literary accomplishments, and his fatal illness.

Published in 1934 as a second edition to James Jeans' popular work on the general understanding of the physical universe, The New Background of Science took advantage of a comparatively 'quiescent' period in physical investigation when fundamental theories and findings gained wide acceptance. Jeans' aim in writing this book was to depict this situation in broad outline and in the simplest possible terms. I have drawn my picture against a roughly sketched background of rudimentary philosophy ... because I believe, in common with most scientific workers, that without a background of this kind we can neither see our new knowledge as a consistent whole, nor appreciate its significance to the full.'

Sarah Grand's dual novel of the diabolically mischievous twins Diavolo and Angelica and the coming of age of nineteen-year-old Evadne valiantly explores subjects considered taboo for a female writer of the Victorian age. Through her characters, Grand, considered one of the "New Woman" writers of the late 1800s, courageously advocated "rational dress," financial independence, personal fulfillment over marriage and motherhood, and the freedom of women to initiate sexual relationships outside of wedlock and to openly discuss such volatile sexual topics as a woman's right to contraception. She was one of the first to explore the complexity of gender roles and their inherent constraints.

The two most important and impartial accounts of the Spanish Civil War are Orwell's Homage to Catalonia and Borkenau's The Spanish Cockpit. Borkenau went to Spain before Orwell, however and gives details from almost the beginning of the war, including the first riots and fighting in Barcelona . Orwell arrived in Spain in December of 1936 and covers the Zaragosa front as well as the May fighting in Barcelona. Both authors can be counted upon for unbiased reporting.

Set against the backdrop of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in 1941, When the Rainbow Goddess Wept tells the story of nine-year-old Yvonne, forced to flee her home and childhood when her family joins the resistance effort. Witnessing death and destruction on an unimaginable scale, Yvonne finds comfort in the stories her people have passed down over generations: the legends of Bongkatolan, the Woman Warrior, and the merciful rainbow goddess. Her tale combines Filipino myth and legend with an important chapter in Filipino history to create a compelling story of courage and determination.

The Conjure Woman is a collection of fantastical stories narrated by Julius, a former slave, about life on the nearby plantations prior to the Civil War. Each involves an element of magic, be it a vine that dooms those who eat from it or a man transformed into a tree to avoid being separated from his wife. Julius’s audience, a married couple who have just moved to the South to cultivate grapes, listen on with mixed sympathy and disbelief. They disagree on whether Julius is telling the truth and whether there is some deeper significance to the tales. At turns humorous and unsettling, these stories provide a surprising lens into the realities of slavery. The text is notable for spelling out Julius’s spoken accent. Although Julius has some stereotypical features of a simple-minded old slave, he is often regarded as a more clever and complicated figure. He seems to tell his tales not only to entertain his listeners, but to trick them to his advantage. Many of these stories first appeared in national magazines, where they received popular acclaim, before being assembled as their own volume in 1899. Charles W. Chesnutt’s race was not mentioned by the publisher, nor could many guess his African heritage based on his appearance. However, Chesnutt embraced his African-American identity and was a prominent activist for black rights. The Conjure Woman, his first book, is considered an important early work of African-American fiction. This edition includes four additional Julius tales that appeared in magazines but were not collected during Chesnutt’s lifetime.

Narrates the study of Hodgkin's disease by Anne Brito and her colleagues.