Last year I wrote about Swiss Jesuit missionary Philip Segesser’s letters being published online:
http://tucsoncitizen.com/community/2011/04/07/jesuit-missionary-philipp-segessers-letters-to-be-published/.

Recently this book “The Letters of the Swiss Jesuit Missionary Philip Segesser (1689-1762)”, edited by UA University Distinguished Professor Albrecht Classen (my husband) has appeared in print by the Arizona Center for Medieval & Renaissance Studies (ACMRS) in Tempe, Arizona. Here’s the description of the book from their website:

The early history of Sonora/Arizona (Pimería Alta) was profoundly influenced and determined by the Jesuit missionaries from Europe. After Padre Eusebio Kino’s death in 1711, an increasing number of German-speaking Jesuits arrived in our region and soon dominated the entire missionary district. The Swiss Philipp Segesser, one of the most effective, pragmatic, and industrious members of the Jesuit Order active here in the Southwest, has not yet been fully noticed because, until now, his large collection of letters has never been translated into English. Segesser’s reports about his daily life in our region, his insightful observations about local agriculture, fauna, flora, climate, and geology, and his numerous comments about the American Indian lifestyle, clothing, food, hunting habits, religion, and culture at large are a most intriguing and fascinating glimpse into early Arizona history.

The cover illustration was done by Jere Freeh, one of my husband’s UA undergraduate students who collaborated on the project with him.

Today radio talk show host Bill Buckmaster interviewed Professor Classen about his new book. Click here for the interview on the Buckmaster Show, KVOI 1030 AM.

The book costs $49.95 and can be purchased by clicking here.

Save the Date: My husband will be giving a talk at Himmel Park Branch Library on Monday October 29 at 6 p.m. about missionary Segesser and other German Jesuits, including Padre Kino.