In 2011 the Richards Civil War Era Center launched the Journal of the Civil War Era, a peer-reviewed periodical of 19th century American history.
According to associate editor Anthony Kaye, the new journal is playing a substantive role in revitalizing the field.
"[Founding editor] Bill [Blair] had this very good insight that there were all these little subfields of 19th century history where people weren't talking to one another," Kaye says. "So creating this journal where they can all get into a conversation is a very useful thing."
Others agree. The Library Journal selected the Journal of the Civil War Era as one of the ten best new periodicals of 2011. The Journal also was adopted as its official publication by the Society of Civil War Historians, and this provides a substantial readership that gives authors broader visibility.
Published in partnership with the University of North Carolina Press, the journal is guided by founding editor Blair, associate editors Judith Giesberg, Kaye, Aaron Sheehan-Dean, and managing editor Matthew Isham. Its editorial board is comprised of distinguished historians from the Smithsonian Institution, Brown University, Yale University, Duke University, and the Universities of Virginia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Texas, and Iowa, among others.