Robert Gould Shaw Biography: Book Proposal

It occurs to me that I have never shared the proposal for my current book project about Robert Gould Shaw, which is under advance contract with the University of North Carolina Press. I’ve done this in the past for my other two books to give readers a sense of what goes into the proposal specifically and how the broader publication process works.

This should give you a sense of the kinds of questions that I am thinking about and what the book will look like, though the organization of individual chapters has changed.

My initial plan was to have the manuscript completed by April-May of this year, but the ongoing pandemic has made it very difficult to travel to various repositories, including the National Archives in D.C. I am also hoping to travel to Port Royal/Beaufort, South Carolina to try to infuse my writing with a sense of place. I’ve never been to this part of the state and it is crucial to understand Shaw’s time there, beyond the fateful assault at Battery Wagner. With this in mind I was able to get an extension till October. My hope is to have the manuscript completed beforehand, since I am currently looking to get back into teaching full time in the Fall.

As always, thanks for your interest and enthusiasm about this project.

Finally, I wanted to take a minute to say how much I’ve enjoyed reconnecting with many of you on this blog over the past few weeks. I’ve tried to maintain a regular posting schedule, having taken a much needed break from Twitter. Look for regular postings here moving forward.

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6 comments… add one
  • Kathy Miller Jan 20, 2022 @ 5:59

    I, too, have missed your blog postings.

    • Kevin Levin Jan 20, 2022 @ 6:19

      Thanks, Kathy. I very much appreciate it.

  • Terry Yount Jan 20, 2022 @ 4:41

    I’m glad your blogging more. I missed reading your informative posts. I’m not much of a twitter follower.

    • Kevin Levin Jan 20, 2022 @ 4:47

      Thanks, Terry. I appreciate the positive feedback.

  • Mike D Jan 19, 2022 @ 15:17

    Best of luck. Looking forward to the book. We were in the Beaufort area last year.

    • Kevin Levin Jan 19, 2022 @ 15:19

      Thanks for the encouraging words, Mike.

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