Great comments over at Inside Higher Education on its recent Ward Churchill post. Scroll on through. There are several long-winded academic types who take forever to make points, of course, but University of Maryland history professor Art Eckstein and a few others are refreshingly cogent about Chutch and his defugalties.
Perhaps more interesting, a "former student" of Churchill's, one "Canary Slim," claims (starting 8:30 p.m., June 1) that every textbook required (five of 'em) in a class he took from Churchill was written by Wardo himself, and that (get this) students had to buy them directly from the Perfesser. The books cost him almost $150, he says.
Let's compare (and contrast!) five more-or-less random Churchill titles at Amazon:
The Cointelpro Papers: new, 16.50.
Since Predator Came: used paperback, 17.12. Hardcover (yeah, right, like any student would voluntarily pay for hardcover): $40.00.
Kill the Indian, Save the Man, $11.96 new (and eligible for "FREE Super Saver Shipping"!).
A Little Matter of Genocide: 13.57.
Speaking Truth in the Teeth of Power: $14.93
Total (lemme take my shoes off): $74! That's all new paperback except Since Predator, which apparently is out of print in that form. Buying the cheapest used copies, of course, you could get Churchill's entire oeuvre for about six bucks. But Ward sells direct to his students for the low, low price of--what was it again?--$150 (cash or check only, please).
Quite a racket. And as the anonymous Jim Paine of Pirate Ballerina wonders (via whom, @ss-pats be upon him), do you think Chutch pays taxes on all those books he sells?
Answer: It is to laugh.
Update: PB has posted an interesting e-mail he received on the subject of Ward's publishing enterprises.
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