The Filson Club History Quarterly, first published in 1926, has long enjoyed a reputation as one of the nation's finest regional historical journals. Over the years it has published excellent essays on virtually every aspect of Kentucky history. Gathered together here for the first time are twenty-eight selections, chosen from the first fifty years of the journal's publication. These essays span the range of Kentucky history and culture from frontier criminals to best sellers by Kentucky women writers, and from Indian place names to twentieth century bank failures. Included among the essayists are Thomas D. Clark, J. Winston Coleman, Jr., Robert E. McDowell, Lowell Harrison, Hambleton Tapp, Julia Neal, Allan M. Trout, and many other well-known authorities on Kentucky history. The editors have arranged these essays into five chronological periods, which include the pioneer era, the antebellum years, the Civil War, the late nineteenth century, and the twentieth century. They have carefully chosen essays that provide a topical diversity within each category. Included in this volume are two brief introductory essays sketching the history of The Filson Club and The Filson Club History Quarterly.

Louis D. Brandeis is a figure of perennial significance in American history. Brilliant lawyer, innovative reformer, seminal thinker, and judicial giant, he left few significant issues in American society untouched during the course of his long and productive career. The last several decades have been particularly rich in Brandeis historiography, creating the need for a work surveying current scholarship and addressing critical issues. Brandeis and America more than meets this need. Six distinguished Brandeis scholars -- David J. Danelski, Nelson L. Dawson, Allon Gal, David W. Levy, Philippa Strum, and Melvin I. Urofsky -- offer richly analytical essays illuminating key aspects of Brandeis's impact on American life: his relationship to the Progressive movement, his involvement in Zionism, his role as a New Deal advisor, and his significance in constitutional law. In addition, the book contains a comprehensive survey of Brandeis historiography, a reference chronology of his life, and an exploration of the deeply controversial issue of judicial propriety. It should prove a powerful stimulus to future Brandeis research. These essays not only contribute to an understanding of Brandeis himself but also cast light on vital political, social, and economic issues in twentieth-century America, issues that are sure to be with us well into the next century.