Albany Antiquarian Book Fair

SUNY Press was one of 60 exhibitors at the 35th Annual Albany, NY Antiquarian Book Fair in the historic Washington Avenue Armory. Dealers from at least ten states and Canada were selling antiquarian and out-of-print books, manuscripts, autographs, postcards, maps, posters, photographs and ephemera. Because many of the dealers specialized in New York/Northeast items, we brought along some of our Excelsior titles, which highlight the cultural and historical impact of New York state on the world.

We had a steady stream of people browsing and buying all day, and the fair itself seemed very well attended. Thanks to our partners at the Albany Institute of History & Art for sponsoring this event once again.

Cooking your way through the Hudson Valley

Food historian and writer Peter G. Rose's new cookbook, Summer Pleasures, Winter Pleasures, offers a variety of recipes that spotlight the historical and culinary heritage of New York's Hudson Valley. Peter was interviewed in today's Albany Times Union. The interview is followed by a series of recipes from the book. We hope you have fun creating these Hudson Valley dishes in your kitchen.

As a teaser, here's one of the recipes from the book:

Pork Chops with Pears and Blue Cheese

Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 thick pork chops
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 large pears, quartered, cored and peeled
1/2 cup white wine or water
4 ounces crumbled blue cheese

In a frying pan, heat oil. Season pork chops with salt and pepper and fry until browned on both sides.

In the meantime, cut each pear quarter lengthwise into 3 slices. Add pears to the browned chops, along with the wine or water. Cover pan, reduce heat, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the chops are done.

Uncover pan and sprinkle crumbled blue cheese on top. Turn off heat, replace the cover and allow pan to stand for a few minutes.

Peter will be at "Sip & Sign," a free book signing with 25 authors, from 1 to 4 pm Nov. 14 at Millbrook Vineyards & Winery, 26 Wing Road, Millbrook, NY. Call (845) 677-8383 for details.

Wilson Center event photos

Renée Jones-Bos, Ambassador of the Netherlands to the United States

Following up our post from last week about the recent panel discussion at the Wilson Center on U.S.-Dutch relations, we have some photos of panel participants to share. Thanks go out to Timothy McDonnell at the Wilson Center for sending along these photos.

For more info on the event, check out our earlier blog post. For more on the SUNY Press book Four-Centuries of Dutch-American Relations, which was featured at the event, click here.

L. Paul Bremer III, former U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands

Hans Krabbendam, Assistant Director of the Roosevelt Study Center

Giles Scott-Smith, Senior Researcher at the Roosevelt Study Center

Hudson 400 Dinner in Downtown Albany

Albany Institute of History & Art curator Doug McCombs and Marché's Executive Chef Brian Molino

(photo from the Table Hopping article on the event)

This Saturday, September 26th, Marché at 74 State will be offering a Hudson Quadricentennial dinner. The menu for the event was developed by the Albany, NY restaurant’s head chef, Brian Molino, in consultation with curators Tammis Groft and Doug McCombs, from the Albany Institute of History & Art. Molino also found inspiration in our new cookbook Summer Pleasures, Winter Pleasures: A Hudson Valley Cookbook. Albany Times Union senior writer Steve Barnes wrote about the upcoming event:

The meal, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the restaurant in the downtown hotel, features five courses modeled after food found on menus and in records at the Albany Institute, for which the meal is a fundraiser.

Besides sturgeon—served lightly smoked and roasted, with butter-braised cabbage—dinner will feature oysters, turkey, lamb, rabbit, pork, local vegetables and, for dessert, warm bread pudding with black currants and candied quince; the courses will be paired with beverages from Brewery Ommegang, which makes Belgian-style ales in Cooperstown.

Molino describes the fare as refined, fine-dining interpretations of dishes he found in records at the museum and books by food historian Peter G. Rose, whose works include Food, Drink and Celebrations of
the Hudson Valley Dutch and the recently released Summer Pleasures, Winter Pleasures: A Hudson Valley Cookbook.

Sounds delicious. Click here for the rest the article. Do you need reservations, you ask? Yes, you do. It may be too late at this point, but it's worth giving them a call at 518-434-7410. This promises to be a fantastic culinary experience.

Four Centuries of Dutch-American Relations

Last Friday, the Wilson Center, in cooperation with the Netherland-America Foundation, Roosevelt Study Center, and the Embassy of the Netherlands, hosted a discussion of U.S.-Dutch relations in the post-1945 era in connection with the publication of Four Centuries of Dutch-American Relations.

The panel consisted of L. Paul Bremer III, former U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands; Renée Jones-Bos, Ambassador of the Netherlands to the United States; Cornelis A. van Minnen, Director of the Roosevelt Study Center and Professor of American History at Ghent University, Belgium; Hans Krabbendam, Assistant Director of the Roosevelt Study Center and the author of The Model Man: A Life of Edward William Bok, 1863-1930; and Giles Scott-Smith, Senior Researcher at the Roosevelt Study Center and Ernst H. van der Beugel Professor of Diplomatic History of Atlantic Cooperation at the University of Leiden, the Netherlands.

Our very own James Peltz was on hand and sent along a link to video of the event, which you can watch at the Wilson Center's website.

The new book, which is based on the most up-to-date research, will be a valuable and much-used reference work for anyone interested in the history and culture of the United States and the Netherlands and the larger transatlantic framework in which they are embedded.

SUNY Press partners with the Albany Institute of History & Art

We're happy to share with you that we are now partnering with the Albany Institute of History & Art to offer digital and print editions of previously published works by the Albany Institute, one of the oldest and most prestigious museums in the United States. These works showcase a wide range of topics, including colonial Dutch arts and crafts, contemporary painters of the Hudson River, artists Paul Cushman and Richard Callner, and a celebrated overview of the two-hundred-year history of the Albany Institute. Visit our website for a complete list of these titles.

We're also collaborating with the Institute on new publishing ventures, so stay tuned for more information!

Founded in 1791, the Albany Institute is one of the oldest museums in the United States. Visit their website for more information about the museum and for current exhibitions.

New York's 400th

Recently, the rebuilt Onrust was joined by a replica of Henry Hudson's Half Moon and other vessels in a flotilla on River Day, a quadricentennial celebration along New York's Hudson River. The Onrust was originally built by a stranded Dutch crew in America in 1614. The Half Moon is an 85-foot replica of the ship Henry Hudson sailed while exploring the Hudson River in 1609.

SUNY Presser Greg Smith watched the flotilla arrive in Albany and snapped some beautiful pictures. For more on New York's 400th celebration, check out the official site. We've even put together a collection of SUNY Press titles to celebrate the anniversary as well. Now enjoy some lovely photos from River Day.