Outlines the characteristics, problems, and progress of the nine Great Plains states and describes the region's geographical features.

West of the Mississippi and east of the Rockies, stretching from the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico, lie the nine states of level prairie and rolling high plains that constitute the very heart of the American continent. Here is the story of those states in our times, related by Neal Peirce as part of his sensitive account of people, politics, and power in the U.S.A. today.

The Encyclopedia of Politics in the American West is an A to Z reference work on the political development of one of America’s most politically distinct, not to mention its fastest growing, region. This work will cover not only the significant events and actors of Western politics, but also deal with key institutional, historical, environmental, and sociopolitical themes and concepts that are important to more fully understanding the politics of the West over the last century.

The unprecedented geographic and socioeconomic mobility of twentieth-century America was accompanied by a major reshuffling of political support in many parts of the country. Yet at the dawn of the new century these local and regional movements are still poorly understood. How can we account for persistent political regionalism and the sectional changes that have radically altered the nation's political landscape, from the Sun Belt to the Rust Belt? Patchwork Nation retrieves this lost knowledge, restoring geography to its central role in our nation's political behavior. "A primer on the importance of regional identity in the electoral system. ... [A]nyone interested in learning more about how America's diversity drives its political systems would do well to take a spin through Patchwork Nation." ---Meg Kinnard, NationalJournal.com "Location, location, location. What matters in politics is not just who the voters are, but where they are. Just ask Al Gore. Or read this book, a compelling demonstration that geography is often destiny." ---Bill Schneider, Senior Political Analyst, CNN "This accessible and well-written book challenges us to reflect on the role that political context plays in shaping the vote. By tracing how regional politics evolves over time within and across states, Gimpel and Schuknecht have revived the important but often neglected field of political geography." ---Donald Green, Yale University "In the spirit of V. O. Key, Gimpel and Schuknecht make a fundamental contribution. They demonstrate that states and regions are not simply important as units of aggregation, but rather as complex political arenas with profound consequences for processes of democratic politics both within and beyond their boundaries." ---Robert Huckfeldt, University of California, Davis

" . . . an impressive collection of essays . . . gives as clear a picture of the Midwest as a whole as one is likely to get." —Journal of American History " . . . excellent insight into how and why the midwest ticks so well in a unique beat of its own." —South Bend Tribune "[Madison] can take a bow for a job well done." —Indianapolis News "I found Heartland to be a treasure. Had I turned a dog-ear each time I read something worth remembering, the book would be in tatters. . . . a wonderful companion." —Myron A. Marty, St. Louis Post-Dispatch "An ambitious book, full of insight, which provides a useful first step in trying to understand that elusive entity—the Midwest." —Clifford E. Clark, Jr., Minnesota History " . . . strong and interestingly written . . . " —Indianapolis Star " . . . should be of interest to the serious reader of history who is curious about the Midwest, its origins, its development and its constituent states." —Northwest Ohio Quarterly " . . . these essays are the stuff of excellent and readable intellectual history . . . " —History " . . . a successful achievement. Heartland is an enjoyable book . . . " —Great Plains Quarterly "Because this book has the capacity to affect one's thinking, it deserves to be read. It may even persuade some readers to discard the term Middle West." —Richard S. Kirkendall, Gateway Heritage "Heartland is an excellent presentation, in summary, of the history and background of the 12 Midwestern states." —Journal of the West To the cultural czars of the two coasts, America's heartland is frequently depicted as an amorphous, undifferentiated mass of land and people. Twelve experts examine individual states of the Midwest, examining the origins and nature of the unique midwestern cultural phenomena: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

History of Nebraska was originally created to mark the territorial centennial of Nebraska and then revised to coincide with the statehood centennial. This one-volume history quickly became the standard text for the college student and reference for the general reader, unmatched for generations as the only comprehensive history of the state. This fourth edition, revised and updated, preserves the spirit and intelligence of the original. Incorporating the results of years of scholarship and research, this edition gives fuller attention to such topics as the Native American experience in Nebraska and the accomplishments and circumstances of the state’s women and minorities. It also provides a historical analysis of the state’s dramatic changes in the past two decades.