Copper Chorus: Mining, Politics, and the Montana Press, 1889-1959

by Dennis Swibold

This is the first book devoted to Montana's long history of industrial newspaper ownership and the consequences for democracy. The work also reveals the costs paid by owners and their journalists, whose credibility eroded as their increasingly constricted newspapers lapsed into ambivalence and indifference. The story offers a timeless study of the conflict between commerce and the notion of a free and independent press.

Copper Chorus is the colorful story of how a ruthless mining company secretly bought control of Montana's major daily press--and eventually gave it up.

432 pages, 100+ illus.
paper, ISBN 0-9759196-0-1, $24.95
cloth, ISBN 0-9721522-8-8, $39.95

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Jeannette Rankin, America's Conscience

by Norma Smith

Preface by Joan Hoff

Introduction by Kathryn Anderson

Suffragist, social worker, first woman elected to the United States Congress, a lifelong peace activist, and a tireless advocate for political reform, Jeannette Rankin is often remembered as the woman who voted "No" to the United States' involvement in both world wars. Rankin's determined voice shines in this biography, written by her friend, Norma Smith.

168 pages, illus.
paper ISBN 0-917298-79-9, $17.95

Mavericks: The Lives and Battles of Montana's Political Legends

by John Morrison and Catherine Wright Morrison

Born of admiration for the careers and contributions of Montana's distinguished public leaders and concern for the effective conduct of public affairs, Mavericks offers readers a look at Montana's remarkable political heritage. The lives and careers of Montana's political giantsââ'¬"Joseph K. Toole, Ella Knowles, Joseph M. Dixon, Thomas Walsh, Jeannette Rankin, Burton K. Wheeler, James E. Murray, Mike Mansfield, and Lee Metcalfââ'¬"are inextricably interwoven with Montana political history. Their careers were launched and their values hewn by a state rich with populism, progressivism, and activism. At a time when Americans search for reasons to reinvolve themselves in government, the stories of these nine politicians remind us of the qualities that underpin effective leadership. This is essential reading for Montanans, those interested in the dynamics of politics, and general readers wishing to gain a greater understanding of our nation's political heritage as exemplified in the lives of nine dedicated individuals.

340 pages, illus.
paper, ISBN 0-917298-93-4, $18.95

Montana's State Capitol: The People's House

by Patricia M. Burnham, Kirby Lambert, and Susan R. Near

An imposing symbol, Montana's Capitol reflects the values and aspirations of the Treasure State's founders. Its neoclassical design echoes the architecture of early Greece and Rome, while the murals and statues that embellish the building's grand interior spaces commemorate important events and people in the state's history.

Lavishly illustrated with both historic and modern photographs, Montana's State Capitol: The People's House provides a long overdue tribute to the crown jewel of Montana architecture. Essays explore the building of the Capitol and the creation of the sculpture and murals that adorn its hall's murals that include one of artist Charles M. Russell's most admired works. Published to honor the building on its centennial anniversary, Montana's State Capitol will provide readers with a fresh appreciation for this "Temple of Democracy."

112 pages, 88 illustrations
paper, ISBN 0-917298-83-7, $19.95

The Red Corner: The Rise and Fall of Communism in Northeastern Montana

by Verlaine Stoner McDonald

The Red Corner chronicles the meteoric rise and decline of Communism on the prairies of northeastern Montana. During the 1920s and early 1930s, Sheridan County boasted a government largely run by Communists, a Communist camp for local youth, and an official newspaper of the Communist Party USA - the Producers News. By the mid 1930s, however, Communist influence in the region had waned. Author Verlaine Stoner McDonald reveals the colorful stories of influential local Communists, offering insights into how this remote part of the West came to be home to one of the nation’s most successful rural Communist organizations and how it eventually rejected radicalism and reconstituted itself as a typical farming community.

232 pages, 100+ illustrations
paper, ISBN 978-0-9759196-7-5, $16.95

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