Taking a good idea from our colleagues at Columbia University Press, we thought you’d enjoy a roundup of what we’re reading from other social university presses and what goes on in our corner of the publishing world.  Dare we ask the question:  SUP friends?  And be sure to check out the new What SUP? column on the Yale Press Log to catch up  on all the news you’ve missed!

Columbia University Press features a series of articles this week about Atlas: The Archaeology of an Imaginary City. In this excerpt, the unidentified archaeologist explores the history of Victoria’s (which stands in for Hong Kong) public square.

Over at Duke University Press they are celebrating the centennial birthday of world-renowned, French chef Julia Child.

Today’s post from New York University Press explores a growing trend in the United States that finds more and more people choosing to be single over coupledom. It also features the striking cover of Single: Arguments for the Uncoupled.

Harvard University Press has an insightful and entertaining commentary on the trend of re-working classic literature to include Fifty Shades of Grey-style erotica. From zombies to sea monsters, the adapting of these classic novels should now include a deeper exploration of the homo-erotica in The Picture of Dorian Gray.

The United States elected its first African American president almost four years ago and last week Gabby Douglas became the first African American to win the women’s gymnastics gold medal, but the Indiana University Press features a podcast about why we are still so hesitant to address racial issues in America.

Race is also a topic at Louisiana University Press which features Faster Than Light which explores the histories of well-known African Americans like Emmitt Till through poetic form.

Temple University Press author Lisa Arellano describes what sparked her interest in studying vigilantes and what historical accounts of vigilante groups can teach us today.

The tales of Merlin, Arthur, and Avalon are today’s topic at Oxford University Press. They explore the Isles of Wonder so beautifully presented by Danny Boyle in the Opening Ceremonies of the London 2012 Olympics on the eve of the Closing Ceremonies.

University of Pennsylvania Press catches dancing fever with a post about the dance and cultural elements featured in Miguel de Cervantes’ “The Great Sultana”.

Princeton University Press provides us with a little education on the types of ceremonial adornments were used by men in Ancient Europe. These adornments were often a sign of wealth and power in early culture.

The Syracuse University Press blog continues its journey around New York in search of some of its most famous sculptures, this time stopping in Westfield. Here stands the statue commemorating the meeting between President-elect Abraham Lincoln and 11-year-old Grace Bell who wrote him a letter that advised Lincoln to grow a beard so that more ladies would vote for him.

Blues fans will know the man featured in this University of Chicago post. Blues legend Muddy Waters was photographed by Art Shay who shares an unpublished photo of Muddy Water and his wife Geneva.

For any Olympic fans watching the diving events these last few days MIT Press has a post for you. They feature a series of instructional images describing what the judges have been looking for during the competition.

The University of North Carolina Press continues its exploration of some of the state’s biggest icons by focusing on Loggerhead Sea Turtles. These sea turtles inhabit the Carolina cost from May until August when their eggs hatch and they return to the sea.

After the Olympics crowned the best athlete in the world yesterday after the completion of the decathlon listen to a discussion about the man who made the sport famous, Jim Thorpe, from the University of Nebraska Press.