Wisconsin Historical Society Press

14/08/2025

When Fred Risser retired from the Wisconsin Senate in 2021, his sixty-four years in state government made him the longest serving legislator in US history.

Risser always maintained an unwavering belief that political action can change people’s lives for the better. Over six decades, and working with thirteen governors, Risser authored more than 240 bills that became Wisconsin law.

Fred Risser and Doug Moe coauthored “Forward for the People.” The autobiography provides a unique peek behind the political curtain from the viewpoint of someone who saw it all. Risser recounts interactions with prominent national figures such as Robert La Follette Jr., Hubert Humphrey, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton. “Forward for the People” also details Risser’s experiences out of state, from a stint in the Panama Canal Zone as a navy hospital corpsman to his undergraduate debate-team days at Minnesota’s Carleton College to his years studying law at the University of Oregon and his travels to all seven continents.

Learn more about America’s longest serving legislator here: https://wihist.org/3Gbj9NO

Image:
Senator Risser and Governor Tommy Thompson shaking hands before a joint session of the legislature. Early 1990s.

11/08/2025

Happy birthday to our beloved Green Bay Packers!!

Today is the 106th anniversary of the founding of the Green and Gold! The Green Bay Packers franchise was established on August 11, 1919, during a meeting organized by Curly Lambeau and George Calhoun and held in an editorial room at the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

Last Saturday, thousands of Packers fans filled Lambeau Field for Family Night, and those eager to cheer on their team ranged in all ages! Young fans can continue to immerse themselves in Packer fanhood with the WHS Press book “Curly Lambeau: Building the Green Bay Packers,” a biography for young readers: https://wihist.org/3DNoa9r

Image:
Wisconsin Historical Images, ID #92948. Document certifying that articles of incorporation for Green Bay Football Club were received by the Register of Deeds and filed with the Department of State. The document bears the Brown County Register of Deeds official seal.

10/08/2025

Milwaukee has taken many names over the years, such as the Midwest’s “Brewtown” and America’s “Cream City,” but none more telling than the “City of Stories” for those who know its secrets. Few people share those stories better than celebrated Wisconsin historian and author John Gurda, who has been studying his hometown since 1972.

As a columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Gurda’s work had a common theme: working to understand history as “why things are the way they are.” Now retired, Gurda’s story-telling legacy lives on through his many books, including “Brewtown Tales: More Stories from Milwaukee and Beyond.”

In this collection of essays, Gurda’s “Brewtown Tales” captivates with his personal reflections on growing up and growing older in his home city and offers wise insight of the personalities, places, politics, and distinctive charm that has made Milwaukee famous.

Learn more about this title or other work published by John Gurda here: https://wihist.org/3V1PubM

09/08/2025

Happy National Book Lovers Day!

Let us know what book you’re reading and what WHS Press book you’d like to read in the comments below📚📖📕📘

09/08/2025

Pioneer diver, underwater explorer and scuba innovator Max Gene Nohl experienced the bends numerous times.

The bends, or decompression sickness, occur when high-pressure air forms bubbles in the diver’s bloodstream. As the diver rapidly ascends, pressure decreases on their body before these bubbles have time to clear from their bloodstream. The bends can cause severe joint and bone pain.

Max Nohl wrote about the bends: “Suddenly, I thought a streak of lightning had hit me. A blinding pain raged through my legs. A moment later, the same pain flowed through my arms, and I felt as if a steel wedge were being split through the very marrow of my bones.”

It was Nohl’s work with Dr. Edgar End that produced numerous techniques to avoid the bends, namely by regularly using a helium-oxygen gas mixture to breathe and innovating timetables for decompressing after deep dives.

You can read Max Nohl’s personal stories about the bends and many more thrilling tales of chasing deeper dives in “I Live Underwater”: https://wihist.org/3SrrvDv

08/08/2025

It may not be fall quite yet but our forthcoming titles are beginning to drop!

From the history of North America’s biggest cross-country ski race, the American Birkebeiner, to an engrossing ode to the mighty chainsaw, our new season is loaded with interesting stories for everyone!

View our Fall 2025 Catalog to learn more about our upcoming books: https://wihist.org/4fmKIki

07/08/2025

It’s National Lighthouse Day!

Few symbols capture Wisconsin’s rich maritime history better than the lighthouse. These historic beacons conjure a bygone era full of history, from the dedicated keepers manning the lights to eerie tales of haunted structures and ghosts of the past. Our lighthouses are constant reminders of their important service to anxious mariners who sought their beams to reach safe haven around our rocky shorelines.

The WHS Press book, “Wisconsin Lighthouses: A Photographic and Historical Guide” by Barb and Ken Wardius, captures Wisconsin’s lighthouses in full glory! Together, the authors have traveled across the state in pursuit of their hobbies of photography, history, hiking, and lighthouses. Their experiences come together in “Wisconsin Lighthouses,” where readers will discover the stories of the lighthouses on Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, and Lake Winnebago.

Learn more about lighthouses and their historic importance in this classic publication from WHS Press: https://wihist.org/3s6HeKd.

06/08/2025

Today is Farmworker Appreciation Day!

Wisconsin’s rich agricultural history could not have been possible without the state’s many generations of hard-working farmers. WHS Press invites you to join in celebrating Wisconsin farmworkers and explore the numerous resources we have to offer!

From beautifully illustrated books to insightful histories of “America’s Dairyland,” WHS Press has various books that share the history and experiences of Wisconsin’s farms and farmers.

Learn more here: https://wihist.org/3WI1McI.

05/08/2025

Channel 3000 hosted Fred Risser alongside Doug Moe, his coauthor for “Forward for the People.” And Moe presented Risser with a surprise!

In a fitting tribute, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway issued a Mayoral Proclamation announcing August 5, 2025, as “Fred Risser Day” in the city of Madison to honor his decades of service and the release of his book, “Forward for the People.”

You can watch the interview on Channel 3000’s YouTube page:

New book details Fred Risser's story, receives Mayoral proclamation.

05/08/2025

WHS Press is proud to announce the official release of our newest book, “Forward for the People,” today!!

When Fred Risser retired from the Wisconsin Senate in 2021, his 64 years in state government made him the longest serving legislator in US history. Now, with candor and wit, Risser shares his singular perspective on events that transformed the state and the nation over the course of his remarkable career in “Forward for the People: The Autobiography of America’s Longest Serving Legislator,” cowritten with journalist and author Doug Moe.

To commemorate the release of the book and in recognition of his monumental legacy, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway issued a Mayoral Proclamation announcing August 5, 2025, as “Fred Risser Day” in the city of Madison.

WHS Press is honored to bring Senator Risser’s inspiring story to the people of Wisconsin and beyond. Learn more here: https://wihist.org/4mqfwCO

04/08/2025

Last month, author Mark D. Van Ells presented his book, "Red Arrow across the Pacific: The Thirty-Second Infantry Division during World War II,” for a History Sandwiched In program at the History Makers space in Madison, WI.

Four members of the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s Command Team were in attendance to support Van Ells and his contribution to preserving the history and heritage of the Red Arrow division! All four men deployed with the 32nd Brigade Combat team during their careers:

Brigadier General Brion Aderman
Command Sgt. Maj. Aaron J. Johnson
Command Sgt. Maj. Duane Weyer
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Charles Mattison

The presentation was recorded and published by PBS Wisconsin. You can watch it online! http://wihist.org/4fvQbFp

02/08/2025

It’s National Coloring Book Day!

Our "Ojibwe Traditions Coloring and Activity Book” series offers children and their families the opportunity to learn about Ojibwe life ways and teachings in an engaging and accessible manner.

Here, you'll find a couple of pages from "The Powwow Coloring and Activity Book". You can find this title and the other three books in the series through online retailers and several of your favorite local booksellers. Learn more here: https://wihist.org/3TX7JjT