Sherow selected to receive Kansas Notable Book Award
By Tom Roesler
Communications Coordinator
The State Library of Kansas announced that James Sherow’s book, "Railroad Empire Across the Heartland: Rephotographing Alexander Gardner’s Westward Journey," is one of 15 works that has been selected to the 2015 Kansas Notable Book List.
Sherow, a professor of history in the College of Arts & Sciences at Kansas State University, collaborated with photographer John Charlton to reexamine the work of Alexander Gardner, who documented the construction of the Union Pacific Railway across Kansas in 1867. This book presents 90 pairs of recent photographs by Charlton paired with scenes Gardner recorded, duplicating the exact location and time of day of the originals. Sherow uses the paired images to show how Indian and Anglo-American land-use practices affected the landscape.
“I am honored to receive the recognition of the Kansas Center for the Book,” Sherow said. “It was a privilege to work with John Charlton, who inspired this work. Charlton is a gifted photographer whose artistry and knowledge of Alexander Gardner’s historic photography made this work possible.”
The Kansas Notable Book List is the only honor for Kansas books by Kansans, highlighting the state’s contemporary writing community and encouraging readers to enjoy some of the best writing of Kansas authors. A committee of Kansas Center for the Book (KCFB) Affiliates, Fellows, librarians and authors of previous Notable Books identifies these titles from among those published the previous year, and the State Librarian makes the selection for the final List. An awards ceremony will be held at the Kansas Book Festival, September 12, 2015, to recognize the 2015 Notable Book authors.
