A distinctive urban publisher since 1941

Wayne State University Press

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Painted Turtle

Named after Michigan’s state reptile, Painted Turtle publishes books on regional topics of cultural and historical interest for a general readership.

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Brewed in Michigan: The New Golden Age of Brewing in the Great Beer State is William Rapai’s "Ode on a Grecian Urn"—a discussion of art and art’s audience. The art in this case is beer. Craft beer. Michigan craft beer, to be exact. Like the Great Lakes and the automobile, beer has become a part of Michigan’s identity. In 2016, Michigan ranked fifth in the number of craft breweries in the nation and tenth in the nation in craft beer production. Brewed in Michigan is a book for beer enthusiasts and for people who want a better understanding of what makes Michigan beer special. Cheers!

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Reimagining Detroit

Opportunities for Redefining an American City

John Gallagher

Suggests ways for Detroit to become a smaller but better city in the twenty first century and proposes productive uses for the city’s vacant spaces.

Paperback
Published: September 2010
ISBN: 9780814334690
$24.99
eBOOK
Published: September 2010
ISBN: 9780814336052
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Boneyards

Detroit Under Ground

Richard Bak

An exploration of burial sites and customs in Metro Detroit and the historical and social changes behind our treatment of the dead.

Hardback
Published: September 2010
ISBN: 9780814333532
$34.95
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Picturing Hemingway's Michigan

Michael R. Federspiel

A compilation of personal photographs, historical images, and written excerpts illuminating Ernest Hemingway’s significant ties to northern Michigan.

Hardback
Published: May 2010
ISBN: 9780814334478
$39.99

Techno Rebels

The Renegades of Electronic Funk

Dan Sicko
With a Foreword by Bill Brewster

An updated, expanded history of techno music with special attention to its roots in Detroit.

Paperback
Published: April 2010
ISBN: 9780814334386
$24.99
eBOOK
Published: April 2010
ISBN: 9780814337127
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A Motor City Year

By John Sobczak
Foreword by Jeff Daniels

Photographs of the unique people, places, and events that make up a year in the life of Metropolitan Detroit.

Hardback
Published: September 2009
ISBN: 9780814334102
$39.95
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The Slasher Killings

A Canadian Sex-Crime Panic, 1945-1946

Patrick Brode

Examines the postwar Windsor slasher killings and the social consequences of the public paranoia that followed.

Paperback
Published: September 2009
ISBN: 9780814334485
$24.99
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Up the Rouge!

Paddling Detroit's Hidden River

Text by Joel Thurtell
Photographs by Patricia Beck

Chronicles in words and pictures a five-day trip made by two Detroit Free Press journalists up the abused Rouge River in metro Detroit.

Paperback
Published: February 2009
ISBN: 9780814334256
$34.95
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The Guardian Building

Cathedral of Finance

James W. Tottis

Detailed photographic history of the Union Trust Building, now known as the Guardian Building, one of the architectural gems of Detroit’s skyline.

Hardback
Published: September 2008
ISBN: 9780814333853
$60.00

It Was All Right

Mitch Ryder's Life in Music

James A. Mitchell
With a Foreword by Mitch Ryder

The story of Detroit rock icon Mitch Ryder’s life in the context of the many changes in popular music, politics, and American culture since the 1960s.

Hardback
Published: March 2008
ISBN: 9780814333372
$24.99

Amos Walker's Detroit

Text by Loren D. Estleman
Photographs by Monte Nagler

A photographic tour of famous and infamous Detroit-area locations from Loren D. Estleman’s popular Amos Walker series of detective novels.

Hardback
Published: August 2007
ISBN: 9780814333570
$34.95
eBOOK
Published: August 2007
ISBN: 9780814335512

Sonny Sez!

Legends, Yarns, and Downright Truths

Sonny Eliot
Drawings by Draper Hill
Edited by Stanley D. Williams
Foreword by Dick Guindon

A charming collection of wit and wisdom from Detroit personality Sonny Eliot, fully illustrated by award-winning cartoonist Draper Hill.

eBOOK
Published: August 2007
ISBN: 9780814335574
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Connecting the Dots

Tyree Guyton's Heidelberg Project

A collection of varied reflections on the Heidelberg Project, a Detroit art installation that has garnered international acclaim and has been the focus of local controversy.

Hardback
Published: June 2007
ISBN: 9780814333204
$60.00
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American City

Detroit Architecture, 1845-2005

Text by Robert Sharoff
Photographs by William Zbaren

A stunning tribute to Detroit’s architectural heritage, this book features 90 full-color photographs of the city’s most impressive buildings.

Hardback
Published: October 2005
ISBN: 9780814332702
$60.00

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