Dear VA-Histers: I would like to invite you to the next in the Library's noon book talks. (A full listing of forthcoming lectures and programs at the Library of Virginia is appended to the bottom of this message.) On Wednesday, September 3, 2003, Virginia author Dr. Eugene P. Trani will speak on his book The First Cold War: The Legacy of Woodrow Wilson in U.S.-Soviet Relations, co-authored with Dr. Donald E. Davis, and published by the University of Missouri Press. Dr. Trani is President of Virginia Commonwealth University and the author of several books, including The Presidency of Warren G. Harding. His coauthor, Dr. Donald E. Davis, is Professor of History at Illinois State University in Normal and is the editor of No East or West: The Memoirs of Paul B. Anderson. The book will be available in the Library Shop and a book signing in the lobby will follow the lecture. In The First Cold War, Davis and Trani review the Wilson administration's attitudes toward Russia before, during, and after the Bolshevik seizure of power. They argue that before the Russian Revolution, Woodrow Wilson had little understanding of Russia and made poor appointments that cost the United States Russian goodwill. Wilson later reversed those negative impressions by being the first to recognize Russia's Provisional Government, resulting in positive U.S.-Russian relations until Lenin gained power in 1917. The authors see in Wilson's approach the foundations for the "first Cold War"-meaning not simply a refusal to recognize the Soviet Union, but a strong belief that its influence was harmful and would spread if not contained or quarantined. Wilson's Soviet policy in essence lasted until Roosevelt extended diplomatic recognition in the 1930s. But The First Cold War suggests that Wilson's impact extended beyond Roosevelt to Truman, showing that the policies of Wilson and Truman closely resemble each other with the exception of an arms race. Wilson's intellectual reputation lent credibility to U.S. Cold War policy from Truman to Reagan, and the reader can draw a direct connection from Wilson to the collapse of the USSR. Wilsonians were the first Cold War warriors, and in the era of President Woodrow Wilson, the first Cold War began. " 'The First Cold War' brings new ideas and a fresh viewpoint to one of the most significant subjects in twentieth-century international relations....It persuasively advances the thesis that the policy position Wilson arrived at through trial and error...formed the basis for America's long and ultimately successful prosecution of the Cold War. This is an important book with a fascinating, pertinent message." -John Milton Cooper, Jr. ". . . [the book] is written with style and verve...it runs contrary to the conventional American memory of Woodrow Wilson purely as an idealist...." -Richmond Times Dispatch FORTHCOMING LECTURES AND PROGRAMS The Library of Virginia is located at 800 East Broad Street in historic downtown Richmond. The event schedule is subject to change. Please call 804/692-3592 to confirm dates and times. Tuesday, September 16, 2003 Eastern Shore Andes and Other Virginia Myths Time: Noon Place: Conference Rooms FREE Historian Brent Tarter will explore some of the most famous and not-so-famous myths about Virginia. His talk is tied to the lobby exhibition Virginia I Hardly Know Ye about the inaccuracies, false impressions and false conclusions that color Virginia's history. Saturday, September 20, 2003 6th Annual Library of Virginia Literary Awards Celebration Time: 6:30 PM-8:30 PM FEE These awards honor outstanding Virginia authors in the areas of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. The event attracts authors, publishers, and those who enjoy the written word. It is a chance to rub elbows with promising new writers and literary legends. Saturday, September 27, 2003 Celebrate the 200th Anniversary of Marbury v. Madison Time: 2:00 PM Place: Lecture Hall FREE 2003 marks the 200th anniversary of Marbury v. Madison, the landmark U. S. Supreme Court decision that established The U. S. Constitution as the supreme law of the land. The program will begin with a historical re-enactment of a family debate between President Thomas Jefferson and Chief Justice John Marshall. Professor R. Kent Newmyer will speak on "Marbury v. Madison: John Marshall and the American Judicial System." Justice Donald W. Lemons of the Virginia Supreme Court will close with a talk on "John Marshall: The Character of the Man." This event is co-sponsored by the Library of Virginia, The John Marshall Foundation, and APVA's John Marshall House. A tour of the John Marshall House and refreshments in the garden follow the talks. October 3-4, 2003 James River Writers Festival Place: Lobby and Conference Rooms FEE A two-day writing workshop featuring speakers of national and local stature, a plenary focusing on the craft and business of publishing, breakout discussion groups, open question-and-answer sessions and panels. See http://www.jrwf.org <http://www.jrwf.org/> Thursday, October 9, 2003 Unboxing the Past: A Symposium on the Underground Railroad, Abolitionism, and Slavery in Virginia Time: 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM Place: Conference Rooms and Lecture Hall NOONTIME LECTURE AND EVENING ARE FREE; FEE FOR MORNING SESSION, LUNCH, AND WALKING TOUR (Registration required, 804-692-3722.) This day-long event includes a morning session with the Library of Virginia's staff on archival collections, a noontime lecture and book signing by Jeffrey Ruggles, author of the Library's recently published Unboxing of Henry Brown, a bus tour of sites related to antebellum African American life, and an early-evening symposium with noted scholars. October 12-18, 2003 A Commonwealth of Cultures: Virginia's Archives and Special Collections Celebrate Archives Week in Virginia: Tuesday, October 14, 2003 The Many Worlds of Littleton Waller Tazewell: Hidden Histories in the Tazewell Family Papers Time: Noon Place: Conference Rooms Trenton Hizer, senior archivist at the Library of Virginia, will discuss the Tazewell Family papers, just one example of the rich private papers collections at the Library of Virginia. This collection offers many windows into the past. In addition to containing the political correspondence of senators Henry Tazewell and Littleton Waller Tazewell, the Tazewell Family papers also provide great insight into other aspects of national, state, and local history, including African-American, agricultural, legal, maritime, and social and cultural history, as presented through the writings and documents of several generations of one prominent Virginia family. Wednesday, October 15, 2003 Bringing History to Life: Using Primary Sources in Living History Presentations Time: Noon Place: Conference Rooms FREE EVENT Mark Greenough, a co-founder and director of Living History Associates, Ltd., has been a history interpreter for more than 20 years. Greenough will discuss his experiences using Virginia's rich historical resources and the importance of archival records to his work creating authentic 17th, 18th and 19th-century historical characters. Thursday, October 16, 2003 Our Collective Memory: A Panel Discussion on the Enduring Value of Archives Time: 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM Place: Lecture Hall How do archival records shape and change our perceptions of the past? What will their creation in the present mean to future generations? What are our responsibilities to all Virginians - past, present & future - in documenting "our collective memory"? Using their experiences working in archives as both researchers and archivists the panel will try to answer these questions and others, as they explore the nature and enduring value of archives in a democratic society. Scheduled speakers include DeAnne Blanton, senior military archivist with the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and co-author of They Fought Like Demons: Women Soldiers in the American Civil War; James E. Wooten, executive director of the Capitol Square Preservation Council; and Dianne Swann-Wright, project historian for Getting Word, the African-American Oral History Project at Monticello. Joan Echtenkamp Klein, Assistant Director for Historical Collections at the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library at the University of Virginia, will moderate. Wednesday, October 29, 2003 An Expendable Man: The Near-Execution of Earl Washington, Jr. Time: Noon Place Conference Rooms FREE EVENT Award-winning Virginia author and journalist Margaret Edds will discuss An Expendable Man, the story of Earl Washington, Jr., a black farmhand wrongly convicted of rape and murder. Edds argues that Washington's execution was prevented only by exceptional lawyering and pure luck, and raises the possibility that less fortunate death-row inmates have been wrongly executed. A book signing will follow the talk. Wednesday, November 12, 2003 Saving Private Aaron through Zyvith: Virginia's World War II Separation Notices Time: Noon Place Conference Rooms FREE EVENT In honor of Veterans Day, state records archivist Roger Christman will discuss the collection of separation notices for Virginia World War II veterans at the Library of Virginia. This collection, part of the records of the World War II History Commission, includes a wealth of valuable information on veterans who were discharged between 1942 and 1950 and were seeking employment in Virginia. Thursday, December 4, 2003 Sparrowhawk: Writing Historical Fiction Time: Noon Place: Conference Rooms FREE EVENT Edward Cline will speak on his series of Sparrowhawk historical novels set in Virginia. A book signing will follow the talk and will feature all three of the Sparrowhawk series, including the new third book, Caxton. Tuesday, December 9, 2003 Anne Orthwood's Bastard: Sex and Law in Early Virginia Time: Noon Place: Conference Rooms FREE EVENT Author John Pagan will discuss and sign Anne Orthwood's Bastard: Sex and Law in Early Virginia. In 1663, an indentured servant, Anne Orthwood, was impregnated with twins in a tavern in Northampton County, Virginia. Orthwood died soon after giving birth; one of the twins, Jasper, survived. Orthwood's illegitimate pregnancy sparked four related cases that came before the Northampton magistrates between 1664 and 1686. These interrelated cases and the decisions reveal the cultural and economic values of this Eastern shore community. To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html