Nicola Pasic and Ante Trumbic: The book will provide the first parallel biographies of two key Yugoslav politicians of the early 20th century: Nikola Pasic, a Serb, and Ante Trumbic, a Croat. It will also offer a brief history of the creation of Yugoslavia (initially known as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes), internationally accepted at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919-20 (at the Treaty of Versailles). Such an approach will fill two major gaps in the literature - scholarly biographies of Pasic and Trumbic are lacking, while Yugoslavia's formation is due a reassessment - and to introduce the reader to the central question of South Slav politics: Serb-Croat relations. Pasic and Trumbic's political careers and their often troubled relationship in many ways perfectly epitomize the wider Serb-Croat question.

The Slovenes represent a small but important microcosm of Michigan history. Thousands followed the pioneering missionary Frederic Baraga and settled in the mining regions and forests of the Upper Peninsula before many of them scattered to the auto industry of the Lower Peninsula in the early twentieth century. Everywhere they traveled and settled, they left a detectable imprint that was clearly Slovene. The first Slovene in Michigan, Bishop Frederic Baraga, traveled extensively throughout the state. In his wake, families such as the Vertins and Ruppes followed, each playing an important role in their communities. In many regions of the state, the most recognizable names, buildings, and businesses bear their names and illustrate the long-lasting influences of Slovenes on the history of Michigan. To understand the history of Slovene immigration in the Great Lakes is to better understand Michigan history.