North Dakotiana

The Digital Press is proud to have published a wide range of scholarly and popular books on the history of North Dakota! From our translation of Jacok Skarstein’s War with the Sioux to our collaboration with Prairie Public Broadcasting on the publishing of Dakota Datebook, The Digital Press has something for almost anyone interested in the history of North Dakota and the Northern Plains. Click here and download four digital books on North Dakota. If you like them, order one today from Amazon as a perfect stocking stuffer for the historian in your life!

Dakota Datebook is the book length version of the beloved Prairie Public Radio program. Its 365 entries will never leave you wondering what happened on this day in North Dakota history. This might be the ultimate end table book for anyone who likes bit-sized bits of the history of the Northern Plains.

The Old Church on Walnut Street offers an enthralling microhistory of Grand Forks from the turn of the 20th century to the flood of 1997 through the stories and communities centered on the last wood-framed church in the city. Immigrants, evangelicals, citizens, and community rub shoulders in this vivid depiction of the city’s past.

David Haeselin’s Haunted by Waters tells the story of the Red River Flood of 1997 and how its memory has shaped the Grand Forks community some 25 years after the waters receded. Documents, stories, images, and accounts rub shoulders in this vivid and evocative book. A must have for any student of Grand Forks and North Dakota history.

The War with the Sioux offers a unique perspective on the Dakota Wars that comes from Jacob Skartstein’s thoughtful study of the dairies of Norwegian immigrants who experienced the Dakota Wars first hand. Translated from Norwegian by Melissa Gjellstad and Daniel Skjelver and expanded with two new interpretative essays, this book approaches an under-studied war from a new perspective.

Politics and Petroculture

For readers who want to dig deeper into the controversies surround contemporary politics and engage nuanced reading of petroculture and climate change, check out a one-click four-pack of books that deal with these challenging and important topics. Any one of these books make a great holiday gift for the thoughtful reader!

Picking the President: Understanding the Electoral College has become an unexpected best seller in the Digital Press catalogue. By bringing together a wide range of views on the Electoral College, this stocking stuffer lets you cut through the political rhetoric and see the historical issues at the core of our electoral system.

The Beast: Making a Living on a Dying Planet is a graphic novel that presents a nuanced picture of the human side of oil and climate change. The expanded digital version has supplemental essays that consider this acclaimed work more broadly and the paper version is available from AK Press in the U.S. and Ad Astra Comix in Canada.

Protesting on Bended Knee: Race, Dissent, and Patriotism in 21st Century America is an expansive exploration of Colin Kaepernick’s famous kneeling protests and the history of activist athletes. Eric Burin’s introduction remains the best single work on Kaepernick’s place in history and impact and the wide range of essays in the book flesh out the significance of protest, race, and pro sports in America.

The Bakken Goes Boom is the best single volume study of North Dakota’s 21st-Century oil boom. It goes beyond the media hype and headlines to consider the challenges facing boom communities and temporary workers on the ground.

The Art of Archaeology

With one click, download four great digital books that explore the art and humanity of archaeology! The paper versions make great holiday gifts!

Punk archaeology is where The Digital Press all started and it is emerging as a chaotic classic in the field. It’s a great gift for any radical archaeologist.

Micah Bloom’s Codex is a powerful exploration of books and nature in the aftermath of the Souris River flood in 2011 in Minot North Dakota. The trade paperback version is a great stocking stuffer which opens up to a wonderful assemblage of digital media.

Epoiesen is an amazing collection of creative engagements with history and archaeology. It’s another wonderful stocking stuffer for any archaeologist who likes to think outside the box.

Shawn Graham’s Failing Gloriously and Other Essays offers a disarmingly honest perspective on failure in archaeology, academia, and life. It explores the pressing question of what we all can do to make the world safer for failure.