Northwest Reading |
This has been a real transitional year for Ridenbaugh Press, unlike any before in our quarter-century or so. Our small publishing operation has published considerably more books in the last year, and by more different authors, than we ever have before, and we've been selling more of them.
More of this is coming. We have a pile of projects just ahead in 2014, and we'll be publishing books in January and in pretty rapid fire for months to come.
2013 was the first year, for example, when because of the number of titles we've produced, the idea of a list of Top 10 bestselling books actually made some sense. So here at the very end of the year, is our list of Ridenbaugh Press bestsellers for 2013.
1 - Medimont Reflections, by Chris Carlson. This collection of essays about the author's take on Idaho and public affairs over the last half-century or so was enlightening and entertaining, and a fine followup to his biography of Cecil Andrus.
2 - Diamondfield: Finding the Real Jack Davis, by Max Black. This has to be one of the most remarkable regional history books of the year. Black not only researched what has been written before about the infamous Diamondfield Jack murder case, he found new troves of files and written records never touched by previous historians, and even found the (previously uncertain) spot where the event occurred, and a gun and buried bullet missing for more than a century. It's a great read as history and as detective story.
3 - Without Compromise, by Kelly Kast. 2014 marks the 75th anniversary of the Idaho State Police, and Kelly Kast did its history proud with this thoroughly researched story of the force, from its early days barely able to move around the state, to the achievements and controversies of modern times. It's lively and informative.
4 - Idaho 100 - by Randy Stapilus and Martin Peterson. Published in September 2012, this refractured history of Idaho, ranking the 100 people who most influenced its direction from distant past to the present day, continued to sell well in 2013. If you want to know what makes Idaho tick, this book may be your best first read.
5 - New Editions - by Steve Bagwell and Randy Stapilus. Published this last October, this is the book that tells you about the Northwest's newspapers - where they came from, how they developed, and what's happening to them now.
6 - The Intermediary: William Craig Among the Nez Perce - by Lin Tull Cannell. Published in the fall of 2010, this stunning and meticulously researched history of the early Inland Northwest continues to sell well as it reaches more readers. If you're interested at all in the pre-territorial days of the Pacific Northwest, this book will throw a light for you on a lot of history you never suspected.
7 - Transition - by W. Scott Jorgensen. What's it like to be a young professional adult caught up in the economic crunch of recent years? Jorgensen takes an unsparing look at the difficulties, but also at the possibilities that lie beyond.
8 - Idaho Briefing Yearbook 2012 - edited by Randy Stapilus. Drawing from Ridenbaugh's weekly Briefing reports, this takes a thorough look at the year in Idaho you may not have known.
9 - From Scratch - by Dennis Griffin. This 2011 book recounts the story of the founding of the College of Western Idaho at Boise and Nampa, telling how a college could and did get from concept to classroom within two years. and told by someone who should know: Its first president.
10 - The Idaho Political Field Guide - by Randy Stapilus. The statistics and the background you need to get a handle on politics in the Gem State, circa 2012. A new edition will be coming within a few weeks.