December 6, 2021
Kansas History publishes its Autumn 2021 issue
Kansas History, a joint publication of the K-State history department and the Kansas Historical Foundation, recently released its Autumn 2021 issue. The Autumn issue covers a variety of topics, including the economic development of early Kansas City, efforts to preserve the Menninger Foundation records and the history of psychiatry, and how a Kansas-based publisher in the 1920s and 1930s educated the public on sexually transmitted diseases.
"'The Original and Genuine Kansas': Robert Van Horn, Kansas City, and Civic Rivalry in the Civil War Era" by Jeremy Neely examines the role of newspaperman and entrepreneur Robert Van Horn in the promotion of early Kansas City as a vital hub of commerce for the great western migration of the mid-19th century. Neely's article explores the rivalries between the towns along the Kansas-Missouri border as they vied for economic and political supremacy in the years up to and during the American Civil War.
"How Word Got Around: An Examination of the Little Blue Books and Public Discourse on Venereal Disease in Modern America" by Shelly Lemons examines the influence of the nationally popular Little Blue Books, printed in Girard, Kansas, in educating the American public about sexually transmitted diseases in an era in which public discussions of such topics was highly taboo.
"Preserving Psychiatry on the Plains: The Complicated Case of the Menninger Foundation Archives" by Marcella Huggard follows the story of the Menninger family, an influential dynasty of Kansas psychiatrists, as they expanded their organization and sought to preserve records essential to the history of American psychiatry.
To learn more about the journal or to subscribe, please visit the website. Subscriptions can be purchased by clicking on the seal in the right sidebar. Kansas History is a peer-reviewed, quarterly journal that publishes scholarly articles, edited documents, and other materials that contribute to an understanding of the history and cultural heritage of Kansas and the Central Plains.