Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, folklorist William Ferris toured his home state of Mississippi, documenting the voices of African Americans as they spoke about and performed the diverse musical traditions that form the authentic roots of the blues. Now, Give My Poor Heart Ease puts front and center a searing selection of the artistically and emotionally rich voices from this invaluable documentary record. Illustrated with Ferris's photographs of the musicians and their communities and including a CD of original music, the book features more than twenty interviews relating frank, dramatic, and engaging narratives about black life and blues music in the heart of the American South. Here are the stories of artists who have long memories and speak eloquently about their lives, blues musicians who represent a wide range of musical traditions--from one-strand instruments, bottle-blowing, and banjo to spirituals, hymns, and prison work chants. Celebrities such as B. B. King and Willie Dixon, along with performers known best in their neighborhoods, express the full range of human and artistic experience--joyful and gritty, raw and painful. In an autobiographical introduction, Ferris reflects on how he fell in love with the vibrant musical culture that was all around him but was considered off limits to a white Mississippian during a troubled era. This magnificent volume illuminates blues music, the broader African American experience, and indeed the history and culture of America itself.

Fort George G. Meade: The First 100 Years is a visually engaging depiction of Fort Meade's century of service to the nation. Using historical essays, personal memories, postcards and news articles, the book chronicles Fort Meade's varied and rich history. The journey starts with the construction of Camp Meade from the ground up, training and shipping Doughboys in WWI, to legendary tales of a young George Patton, Dwight Eisenhower and the first Tank Corps. From Fort Meade's role through the establishment of the NSA, to the current role of leading our nation's fight in cyberspace, this book outlines Fort Meade's journey From Saddles to Cyberspace in a Century of Innovation and Security. Proceeds from the sale of this book go to the Fort Meade Alliance, the Fort Meade Alliance Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, which manages charitable initiatives designed to support the Fort Meade installation, military personnel and their families, civilians and the broader Fort Meade community. To learn more about The Fort Meade Alliance Foundation, go to www.ftmeadealliancefoundation.org. Contributors: M. L. Doyle, Sherry Kuiper, Ben Rogers, Barbara Taylor, Chad Jones, 55th Signal company, Col. (Ret) Charles Albrecht, Anita Burdette-Dragoo, David Cole, Merle Cole, Robyn Dexter, Gene Fax, Gisele Ferretto, Joseph Frechette, Jerald Glodek, Charles Hessler, Don Hirst, Diana Ives, Col. (Ret) John Ives, Robert Johnson, Dr. Lawrence Kaplan, Kevin Leonard, Karen Lubieniecki, Martha McClary, Col. (Ret.) Kenneth McCreedy, Michael McLaughlin, Rev. Dr. Phoebe McPherson, Timothy Mulligan, Col. (Ret) Bert Rice, Betsy Rohaly Smoot, Marc Romanych, Nancy Schaff, Carroll Sykes, Roger White, Glenn Williams, Patrick Osborn.

The Beat! was the first book to explore the musical, social, and cultural phenomenon of go-go music. In this edition, updated by a substantial chapter on the current scene, authors Kip Lornell and Charles C. Stephenson, Jr., place go-go within black popular music made since the middle 1970s—a period during which hip-hop has predominated. This styling reflects the District's African American heritage. Its super-charged drumming and vocal combinations of hip-hop, funk, and soul evolved and still thrive on the streets of Washington, DC, and in neighboring Prince George's County, making it the most geographically compact form of popular music. Go-go—the only musical form indigenous to Washington, DC—features a highly syncopated, nonstop beat and vocals that are spoken as well as sung. The book chronicles its development and ongoing popularity, focusing on many of its key figures and institutions, including established acts such as Chuck Brown (the Godfather of Go-Go), Experience Unlimited, Rare Essence, and Trouble Funk; well-known DJs, managers, and promoters; and filmmakers who have incorporated it into their work. The Beat! provides longtime fans and those who study American musical forms a definitive look at the music and its makers.

The first systematic, comprehensive reference covering the ideas, genres, and concepts behind digital media. The study of what is collectively labeled “New Media”—the cultural and artistic practices made possible by digital technology—has become one of the most vibrant areas of scholarly activity and is rapidly turning into an established academic field, with many universities now offering it as a major. The Johns Hopkins Guide to Digital Media is the first comprehensive reference work to which teachers, students, and the curious can quickly turn for reliable information on the key terms and concepts of the field. The contributors present entries on nearly 150 ideas, genres, and theoretical concepts that have allowed digital media to produce some of the most innovative intellectual, artistic, and social practices of our time. The result is an easy-to-consult reference for digital media scholars or anyone wishing to become familiar with this fast-developing field.

"During the War of 1812 the U.S. Navy came of age. In fleet actions on the lakes and single ship engagements at sea, American men of war defeated Royal Navy ships of similar force. Naval officers such as Isaac Hull, Stephen Decatur, Oliver H. Perry, David Porter and Thomas Macdonough became heroes, and their ships, Constitution, United States, Niagara, Essex, and Saratoga, symbols for an American public proud of its navy. The three volumes will again call to mind the famous naval actions and events of our second war of independence with Great Britain"--Introduction.