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Holiday gift recommendations from the Univeristy of Massachusetts Press, including the books Lexington Six, Testing Education, Malcolm Before X, The American College Town, Book of Webs, Cultures of Femininity in Modern Fashion, Crimes of August, Bob Dylan in the Attic, Early American Gardens, Our Science Ourselves and Time for Childhoods.

The UMass Press holiday sale is here!

Ready or not, the holiday shopping season is here! Luckily, it’s also time for our annual holiday sale. Starting today, all books are 40% off, right here on our website—just make sure you use code HOLIDAY at checkout. The sale runs through 1/5, but make sure you order by 12/6 to qualify for holiday shipping!

Not sure what to buy? Don’t worry, we are here to highlight some of our recommendations for the season based on what we’re gifting. From past Juniper Prize winners to newly acclaimed titles, we outline a guide fit for sisters, friends, grandparents, colleagues, and many more. Below we have just a few standout recommendations, but if you’d like more, follow along with us on social media for the duration of the sale (FacebookInstagramX, or LinkedIn).

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The Innermost House, A Memoir

"Salt air and the limits of memory animate this heartrending debut. . . . Readers will be captivated."—Publishers Weekly

The Innermost House is a stunning book that will make you reassess everything you thought you knew about remembering, forgetting, and storytelling.”—Adrienne Brodeur, author of Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me

“This is a book I will cherish and return to again and again.”—Natasha Trethewey, nineteenth US Poet Laureate, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, and author of the memoirs Memorial Drive and House of Being

Read an excerpt on the book’s webpage by clicking “read more.”

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Malcolm Before X

"Parr has written the definitive story of the youth and early adulthood of one of the most dazzling and controversial civil rights leaders in American history."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“This first-rate biography looks at. . . one of the great conversion stories of modern history: a young man mired in crime raises himself up and, through self-discipline, becomes an explosive spokesperson for Black Americans.”—Library Journal, starred review

Malcolm Before X focuses on the early years of Malcolm X’s life and the experiences that shaped the man he became. . . . Excerpts [from Malcolm X’s autobiography] are supplemented with accounts from his family and friends, providing external perspectives that at times conflict with his own. The multiple accounts are managed well, adding layers and widening the scope of the narrative.”—Foreword Reviews

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Democratic Spaces, Land Preservation in New England, 1850–2010

Democratic Spaces was selected for the 2024 Forest History Society Charles A. Weyerhaeuser Book Award!

​“Democratic Spaces is an excellent account of the land preservation movement in New England from 1850 to the present. The author has made many discoveries through his painstaking research in the archives of land trusts and in local newspapers and journals.”—James Warren, H-Environment

“Judd tells a story of the development of landscape and access policy which. . .portrays a USA that is rather different to the one we might imagine from having watched television throughout the past few years; it is an optimistic book and worth reading for that reason as well.”—Graham FaircloughLandscapes

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