1001 People Who Made America [Hardcover]

Alan Axelrod (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 27, 2007

Who are the pivotal figures in American history—the men and women who have helped shape who we are as a people and how we look at ourselves as Americans? In this companion to his popular 1001 Events That Made America, Alan Axelrod suggests we can answer this question only after we look with an open mind into all the areas of our collective past.

1001 People Who Made America does just that, highlighting the famous as well as the infamous, the virtuous as well as the notorious, from the nation's earliest days to the present. Serving up history in lively, accessible bits, the book presents a who's who of American politics, arts, science, business, religion, and pop culture, along with concise explanations of each figure's historical significance. Featured personalities range from Jesse James to Al Capone, Harriet Beecher Stowe to Betty Friedan, George Washington to George W. Bush, Harriet Tubman to Martin Luther King, Jr., Stephen Foster to Elvis, John L. Sullivan to Muhammad Ali, Edwin Booth to Marlon Brando, Washington Irving to Thomas Pynchon, Jacob Aster to Bill Gates.

Axelrod's writing is packed with information and insight, giving readers a deeper understanding of what it means to be an American. The appealing design and easy-to-read format invite browsing and make this book a great gift for history buffs and all thoughtful Americans.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–Most of the individuals included here made positive contributions to the nation's development: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., but others are known for their negative impact: Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Leon Czolgosz. Axelrod highlights the famous and infamous in government, business, sports, entertainment, literature, art, and science. The entries are indeed brief, with Robert E. Lee getting as much space as anyone at three quarters of a page, or a little more than 200 words; many people receive only one or two sentences. The value of the collection is threefold. Students who are looking for subjects for term papers can skim quickly through the pages and find a wide variety of possibilities. Second, the book serves as a handy reference source to check the key facts on many Americans. And third, it is fun to browse. This title is not a necessary choice for any library, but it's a good one for those lacking compact sources on notable Americans.–Robert Saunderson, Berkeley Public Library, CA
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Review

"...a handy reference source...fun to browse." —School Library Journal


From the Trade Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic (February 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1426200528
• ISBN-13: 978-1426200526
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 1 x 7.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,856,000 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great Concept Undermined By Sloppy Fact-Checking, May 11, 2007

By 

Notnadia (Currently upstairs.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 1001 People Who Made America (Hardcover)

Great concept but this book is riddled with inaccuracies that limit its credibility, from page ten's incorrect date of birth for Abigail Adams (shown as 1774, making her supposedly two when her husband signed the Declaration of Independence), to page 208's stating Charles Manson was initially sentenced to life imprisonment for his crimes (his sentence was death, later commuted to life imprisonment along with all of those on California's death row), to a number of other minor and fairly major mistakes that disappointed me and left me unable to recommend this book as a source of reliable information.

2.0 out of 5 stars People famous as viewed by the National Geographic Society, June 21, 2008

By 

Alan G. Elze (Auburn, Maine, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 1001 People Who Made America (Paperback)

Again, another mini book by the National Geographic. Trust this doesn't become a habit as they have a good history of publishing quality material. If you don't have much room for books and want one on very brief biographies of people deemed famous by the National Geographic, this one might be for you. Much rather have a standard dictionary of biography.

4.0 out of 5 stars A variety of people, August 22, 2007

By 

JPGRfan "Alex" (Ohio) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 1001 People Who Made America (Hardcover)

With over 350 pages, and over 1000 people,
this makes a good reference for all ages.
It's not too big and bulky, it's a hand-held compact book.

There are some well known people in here,
from the 10th? century till the 21st century.
a fair desk reference for school or office.

On the downside I seen some typos. On the upside it has a wide variety of names and careers in here, such as movies, music, politics, and much more.

Ok, I've seen better, but I give it 3-4 stars.