Wednesday, March 17, 2010

David McCullough: Literary Historian


I am a big fan of the historical writings of David McCullough. You might be familiar with his recent popular titles, 1776 and John Adams (probably his best known book, which also spawned the HBO miniseries by the same name, directed by Tom Hanks). I am currently listening to his The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge as I drive around town.


I was pleasantly surprised to come across this assessment of one of my favorite authors--McCullough--in Gordon's Why Johnny Can't Preach:


"Now, some historians border on the literary. My family lives just north of Pittsburgh, and the city's own David McCullough is a historian who has developed a fairly compelling narrative style over the years. . . . his later books (especially his book on John Adams, but also his volumes on the Panama Canal and the Brooklyn Bridge) disclose a command of narrative that certainly approaches artful."


Treat yourself to a McCullough book; you won't regret it!
*photo credit here

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