In the summer of 1936, Franklin Delano Roosevelt's nomination for a second term as president was duly noted on the front pages of St. Louis newspapers, but gathering much bigger headlines that day was the indictment of St. Louis socialite Nellie Tipton Muench. Raised in Columbia, the daughter of a Confederate veteran and Baptist preacher, Nellie was accused of kidnapping, baby snatching and fraud. Author Bill Lhotka will discuss Nellie's rise to infamy, as well as several other stories involving historic figures typically absent from books on crime, including Abraham Lincoln, Daniel Boone and Senator Thomas Hart Benton. Lhotka, a long-time St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter, has combed through old police blotters and other records to uncover the stories of notorious crimes and criminals in local St. Louis history—as well as some new surprises!

The rolling hills of southern Jackson County still shelter the white and green farmhouse Harry S. Truman occupied in the days before his journey to the presidency. Following his father's death in 1914, the duties of the 600-acre farm fell to then 22 year-old Harry, who bore them until he enlisted to serve in World War I. It was at the farm that his nine-year courtship with Bess Wallace blossomed through the letters the couple exchanged between Grandview and Independence. During the 12 years he worked the farm, Truman also joined the National Guard, honing his negotiating skills that later proved an asset in his political career. Join us for an evening with author Jon Taylor as he discusses his book, "Truman's Grandview Farm," in which he elegantly draws on photographs, letters and even farm receipts, to piece together a picture of the farmer from Missouri whose humble beginnings prepared him to lead the nation.

Magazine and newspaper cartoons have always provided insight into the political issues of the day. This was particularly true during the Civil War, when their popularity dramatically increased because they reflected the tragic events in humorous and sometimes disturbing ways. In his new book, "Political Cartoons of the American Civil War," author Robert Schultz analyzes the political turmoil of the war through a large body of thought-provoking and cutting editorial cartoons from publications such as Harper's Weekly, Vanity Fair, Punch and Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper. The cartoons help explain the events and opinions surrounding the war by illuminating the social, political and cultural climate of the time. Schultz will discuss select illustrations, offering a unique perspective on the explosive political atmosphere of the time.