Professor publishes book with Cambridge University Press

March 25, 2008

James Jaffe, a history professor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, is living proof that hard work really does pay off. His book, "The Affairs of Others': The Diaries of Francis Place, 1825-1836," was recently published in England by the Royal Historical Society and distributed worldwide by the Cambridge University Press as part of the Camden Series.

Jaffe started the book at the end of 2004 and submitted the final draft this past summer. "I worked very hard to get this project approved by the editors at the Royal Historical Society and was very pleased when they accepted it," he said.

The Royal Historical Society was founded in 1868 and remains the foremost society in Great Britain promoting and defending the scholarly study of the past. The society produces the "Bibliography of British and Irish History."

His book was also published as part of the Camden Series, which has been publishing important historical documents continuously since the 1830s. Jaffe said, "It's probably the longest-running and most prestigious series of books of its kind in the world. The series is now run by the Royal Historical Society and has a very strict review policy for publication. It's also published by the Cambridge University Press which is, without a question, the most prestigious academic publisher in the world."

"The Affairs of Others': The Diaries of Francis Place, 1825-1836" is an annotated transcription of the diary of a famous political radical of the first decades of the 19th century in England. It covers his daily activities, meetings and social and political comments of the era. It also includes an extended introductory on Place's background, role in the radical movements of the period and the nature of diaries as historical records.

"I came across his diary in manuscript while working in the British Library on the history of trade unions and industrial relations in early nineteenth-century England. It was obvious to me that others in history, English literature and similar fields would find this diary a useful source for their own work," Jaffe said.

Jaffe has been teaching history at UW-Whitewater for 20 years and has been writing books just as long. He wrote two previous books and many journal articles. His first book, "The Struggle for Market Power," was published by the Cambridge University Press and his second book, "Striking a Bargain: Work and Industrial Relations in England, 1800-1840" was published by the Manchester University Press.

Currently, he has another book and an edited collection of essays in the works.