LSU Libraries welcomes Jeffery Hobson as the Civil War Book Review editor.

A historian of the Civil War Era, he has published a review in the CWBR and served on the CWBR editorial board for the past two years. These experiences familiarized him with the CWBR publication and editing process. He edited published work for senior historians, and he worked as a copy editor for various websites after graduated college. Hobson also wrote feature stories and conducted interviews for the University of Arkansas yearbook and newspaper.

As the editor, Hobson hopes to expand the CWBR's readership by emphasizing the fact it is open access, which means anyone can read the reviews regardless of institutional affiliation. This is important because scholars increasingly work on their research outside traditional institutions because there are so few jobs available in higher education. That means they lack access to most scholarly journals, which limits their ability to create new scholarship. The open-access nature of the CWBR makes it an invaluable resource for scholars without institutional affiliations. Hobson wants to expand the CWBR's social media presence and will emphasize the Review's open-access availability. He also wants to make the interviews into podcasts, which he believes will expand the CWBR's readership. Lastly, Hobson hopes to emphasize young scholars or junior scholars among reviewers. Book reviews are among a scholar's duties, and young and junior scholars need all the experience they can get before going on the job market or earning tenure.

Born and raised in Marion, Arkansas, Hobson attended the University of Arkansas for his undergraduate degree where he majored in English and political science. Hobson earned his master's degree in American history at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia before coming to LSU for his Ph.D. in American history. He specializes in the history of the New South and Civil War Era. Hobson recently wrote an essay, "Football Culture at New South Universities: Lost Cause and Old South Memory, Modernity, and Martial Manhood," which investigates the history of the Lost Cause (Confederate memory and tradition) in southern college football culture. It will be published as a chapter in The History of American College Football: Institutional Policy, Culture, and Reform by Routledge Press in 2021. This is Hobson's first published piece of original scholarship, and he says it represents a dream come true.

Hobson spends most of his time on his dissertation, "Billy Reb and Johnny Yank in the Land of the Pharaohs: American Civil War Veterans as Agents of American and Egyptian Empire." However, he recently picked up on embroidery work--a creative outlet that he said does not require too much time or skill. Lastly, Hobson enjoys spending time with and walking his two dogs, Ruby and Maxwell.