Wisconsin Historical Society Press

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Wisconsin Historical Society Press

Publishing Wisconsin history and culture since 1855. https://linktr.ee/whspress

11/27/2025

The annual WHS Friends and Family Sale is live!!

Starting today, all WHS Press books are 25% off in our online store: https://bit.ly/4oioyCk

Stock up on books for the holiday giving season! With a wide variety of WHS Press titles that speak to Wisconsin’s unique history, landscape, and culture, you’ll be sure to find the perfect gift for the book lover on your list.

Offer valid until 11:59 PM on Monday, December 1.

11/25/2025

Our official book launch celebration for "Radical Family: Trailblazing Le***an Moms Tell Their Stories" this past Saturday was fantastic!

Many thanks to the books’ contributors for sharing with the standing-room-only crowd their reflections on raising their families at a time when there were many obstacles in front of them. Also thanks to Harmony Bar & Grill, A Room of One's Own Bookstore, and Wisconsin Book Festival for their partnership on the event.

Learn more about "Radical Family" here: https://wihist.org/3LZ9KLJ

11/23/2025

"This fascinating, well-researched, and important history of the American Birkebeiner chronicles not just a half-century of ski races but the genius of founder Tony Wise, Telemark Lodge, the trail, and the people who have helped make this world-famous event a reality."

—Ernie St. Germaine, the only skier to complete the first 50 Birkebeiner races

Learn more about this book, “American Birkebeiner: The Nation's Greatest Ski Marathon,” on our website: https://wihist.org/4omBkjG

: Hayward native Tony Wise (shown in this undated photo in front of the Telemark Lodge, founded the ski resort located in Cable in 1947. He also created the World Lumberjack Championships in Hayward in 1960 and founded the American Birkebeiner cross-country ski race in 1973. - Courtesy of U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum

11/20/2025

Join us this Saturday at the Harmony Bar & Grill to celebrate the official book launch for WHS Press' powerful new essay collection, "Radical Family: Trailblazing Le***an Moms Tell Their Stories." Hear readings from the book's contributors and enjoy complimentary pizza and appetizers! Learn more at https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Event/EV10284

11/20/2025

Thrilled to share that our children's book "Valiant Vel: Vel Phillips and the Fight for Fairness and Equality," written by Jerrianne Hayslett and illustrated by Aaron Boyd, is included in New York Public Library's Best Books of 2025! 📚

Compiled by expert NYPL librarians and staff, this list reflects the vast breadth of New York City readers' interests.

Explore the full list: http://nypl.org/bestbooks

11/20/2025

Such exciting news to share.

11/18/2025

Check out our first book we published 170 years ago!

11/12/2025

Happy National Young Reader’s Week!

At WHS Press, we believe stories spark curiosity—and we have books that do just that. Meet “Sport,” the brave ship dog who once helped keep sailors safe on Lake Michigan, or learn about the successful conservation efforts that saved Wisconsin’s ancient fish in “Saving Our Sturgeon.”

Explore our collection of titles here: https://wihist.org/3q7LkAq

Looking for ways to keep young minds inspired? Our free Kids’ Activities section includes coloring pages, storytime videos, book discussion guides, and more: https://wihist.org/3nux2wM

Celebrate young readers. Celebrate imagination.

11/11/2025

Happy Veteran’s Day. Today we honor the millions of service members—past and present—who have sacrificed for our country.

WHS Press is proud to provide Wisconsin with numerous resources to honor the legacy of United States service members. Today, we direct you to a YouTube video about the 32nd “Red Arrow” Infantry Division and the key role these men played during World War II. These soldiers, many just out of high school, left rural towns and familiar landscapes for dense jungles and island battlefields thousands of miles away. Their courage and sacrifice helped shape the course of the Pacific War.

Watch historian and Wisconsin native Mark D. Van Ells provide an overview of the division’s service and its lasting legacy:
https://youtu.be/dEBxfoFngDU?si=OAl6QSRCxckRJ9sL

11/10/2025

On this day in 1975, the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald was lost with all 29 crew members on Lake Superior.

The Fitzgerald departed Superior, Wisconsin, on November 9, carrying more than 26,000 tons of taconite pellets. As a fierce November storm rolled in, Captain Ernest McSorley steered north toward the Canadian shore, hoping for shelter.

The next day, on November 10, Captain McSorley radioed a nearby ship, the Arthur M. Anderson, to report “a fence rail down, two vents lost or damaged, and a list.” The Edmund Fitzgerald slowed its speed, started running pumps, and waited for the Anderson to close the distance gap between the two ships.

Around 7 pm, according to the Captain of the Anderson, “the Anderson just raised up and shook herself off of all that water – barrooff – just like a big dog. Another wave just like the first one or bigger hit us again. I watched those two waves head down the lake towards the Fitzgerald, and I think those were the two that sent [the Edmund Fitzgerald] under.”

The Anderson made contact with the Fitzgerald one last time at 7:10 pm on November 10, 1975. (Information courtesy of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum).
Though the Edmund Fitzgerald rests at the bottom of Lake Superior, her story lives on — a haunting reminder of the power of the Great Lakes and the bravery of those who sailed them.

Discover more Great Lakes shipwreck stories in “Stories from the Wreckage: A Great Lakes Maritime History Inspired by Shipwrecks” by John Odin Jensen — available at your local library.

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Image:
From “Stories from the Wreckage,” pg. 7, by John Odin Jensen and published by WHS Press. Image credit to the Kenneth Thro Collection, University of Wisconsin-Superior. “The Edmund Fitzgerald, launched in 1958, retained the basic shape of the Great Lakes bulk steamer pioneered with the R. J. Hackett in 1869, but carried more the twenty times the cargo. The Fitzgerald foundered with all hands while carrying iron ore in Lake Superior in November 1975.”

11/08/2025

Based on research for her award-winning title for adults, “Indian Nations of Wisconsin: Histories of Endurance and Survival,” Professor Patty Loew has a great resource for upper elementary students to explore Wisconsin’s Indigenous history and culture: “Native People of Wisconsin.”

“Native People of Wisconsin” tells the stories of the twelve Native Nations in Wisconsin, including the Native people’s incredible resilience despite rapid change and the impact of European arrivals on Native culture. Young readers will become familiar with the unique cultural traditions, tribal history, and life today for each nation.

Complete with maps, illustrations, and a detailed glossary of terms, this edition includes two chapters on the Brothertown Indian Nation and urban Indians, as well as updates on each tribe’s current history and new profiles of outstanding young people from every nation. Learn more: https://wihist.org/INOW

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Publishers Since 1855

The mission of the Wisconsin Historical Society Press supports that of the Wisconsin Historical Society. By collecting, preserving, and sharing our stories, we help people connect to the past by publishing the best in Wisconsin history and culture.

Throughout our long history, we have explored the state's past in a variety of formats and styles. Today we create publications of enduring value that appeal to a broad audience of general readers:

Lively narratives about interesting people, events, and places

Wisconsin Historical Society Press

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Publishers Since 1855

The mission of the Wisconsin Historical Society Press supports that of the Wisconsin Historical Society. By collecting, preserving, and sharing our stories, we help people connect to the past by publishing the best in Wisconsin history and culture.