“Florey writes with verve.”—Slate.com

“Florey . . . rattles off crackling prose in a no-nonsense voice.”—The San Diego Union-Tribune

Steeped in the Palmer Method of handwriting she learned in Catholic school, Kitty Burns Florey is a self-confessed “penmanship nut” who loves the act of taking pen to paper. So when she discovered that schools today forego handwriting drills in favor of teaching something called keyboarding, it gave her pause: “There is a widespread belief that, in a digital world, forming letters on paper with a pen is pointless and obsolete,” she says, “and anyone who thinks otherwise is right up there with folks who still have fallout shelters in their backyards.”

Florey tackles the importance of writing by hand and its place in our increasingly electronic society in this fascinating exploration of the history of handwriting. Weaving together the evolution of writing implements and scripts, pen collecting societies, the golden age of American penmanship, the growth in popularity of handwriting analysis, and the pockets of aficionados who still prefer scribbling on paper to tapping on keys, she poses the question: Is writing by hand really no longer necessary in today’s busy world?

Kitty Burns Florey is the author of Sister Bernadette’s Barking Dog: The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences. A veteran copy editor, she has also written nine novels and many short stories and essays. She lives in central Connecticut with her husband, Ron Savage.

The definitive account of the buildup, chaos, and aftermath of one of the worst urban riots in US history: the 1967 Newark riots. Being re-issued on the fortieth anniversary of the devastating event, No Cause For Indictment is a must-read to understand issues still facing urban America: poverty, political corruption, and racism.

Forty years ago, Newark's oppressed black majority erupted in revolt and were ruthlessly put down by the police and National Guard units. When other reporters were too afraid, Ronald Porambo walked the streets of Newark and took four years to research and write the whole story. Its publication resulted in two attempts on his life.

This edition includes an introduction from the editor of the original manuscript about the tumult surrounding the book's publication, and an afterword interviewing the author about the struggles he faced after publication.

Ronald Porambo lived in Newark and was a journalist at several New York City-area newspapers, including the Elizabeth Daily Journal in New Jersey.

Warren Sloat helped edit the final manuscript of No Cause For Indictment. He is the author of A Battle for the Soul of New York and 1929. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Fred Bruning was a reporter for Newsweek and Newsday. He lives in Huntington, New York....