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American Heritage: Great Minds of History [Paperback]

American Heritage (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

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Book Description

September 1, 2000 0471390224 978-0471390220 1
The great historians of our day take you on an exhilarating tour through the crucial moments in American history . . .

"Easy reading and very informative."- Civil War News


"All the interviews are fascinating."- Tampa Tribune-Times


"Fascinating . . . Highly recommended."-Library Journal American Heritage Great Minds of History


In a series of interviews that are as valuable as they are engrossing, today's best and brightest historians weigh in on the crucial moments in American history. Whether it's the First Continental Congress or the Cold War, American Heritage Great Minds of History takes you there, imbuing the past with an immediacy that goes well beyond the scope of formal histories.


Conducted by Roger Mudd, the highly respected news commentator and anchor for the History Channel, this collection shares the fascinating insights and rare anecdotes of: Gordon Wood on the Colonial era and the American Revolution; James McPherson on the Civil War and Reconstruction; Richard White on westward expansion; David McCullough on the early twentieth century; and Stephen Ambrose on World War II and the postwar era.


American Heritage magazine, the country's leading magazine of history, has published dozens of highly acclaimed books, including American Heritage History of the United States, American Heritage New History of the Civil War, American Heritage New History of World War II, American Heritage Dictionary of American Quotations, and American Heritage Encyclopedia of American History.

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Even as academics increasingly break down the historical profession into areas of subspecialization, American Heritage continues to satisfy the public demand for "master narratives" of the American experience. The latest tome, Great Minds of History, is a lively collection of question-and-answer sessions conducted by veteran journalist Roger Mudd with five renowned scholars of the American Revolution, the Civil War, the West, the Gilded and Progressive Ages, and the late 20th century.

These conversations (drawn from the transcripts of a TV documentary series) allow each author to expound upon the more significant aspects of his field of expertise. Gordon Wood, for example, airs his controversial thesis that the words of the founding fathers and the egalitarianism of New England artisans made the American republic significantly different from its English progenitor. Other interviews stress the historian's craft in constructing causal relationships between events. When James McPherson is asked if the South came close to winning the Civil War, he offers three fully detailed, plausible scenarios for Confederate independence. Pressed to identify the most important Western historian, Richard White answers, "Buffalo Bill Cody," calling the showman's mixture of fiction and authenticity the first example of postmodern historical thought. David McCollough and Stephen Ambrose also make thoughtful (and occasionally bellicose) contributions to this collection, which should please fans of the History Channel and American Heritage alike. --John M. Anderson --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From the Back Cover

The great historians of our day take you on an exhilarating tour through the crucial moments in American history . . .

"Easy reading and very informative."– Civil War News

"All the interviews are fascinating."– Tampa Tribune-Times

"Fascinating . . . Highly recommended."–Library Journal American Heritage Great Minds of History

In a series of interviews that are as valuable as they are engrossing, today’s best and brightest historians weigh in on the crucial moments in American history. Whether it’s the First Continental Congress or the Cold War, American Heritage ® Great Minds of History takes you there, imbuing the past with an immediacy that goes well beyond the scope of formal histories.

Conducted by Roger Mudd, the highly respected news commentator and anchor for the History Channel, this collection shares the fascinating insights and rare anecdotes of: Gordon Wood on the Colonial era and the American Revolution; James McPherson on the Civil War and Reconstruction; Richard White on westward expansion; David McCullough on the early twentieth century; and Stephen Ambrose on World War II and the postwar era.


American Heritage magazine, the country’s leading magazine of history, has published dozens of highly acclaimed books, including American Heritage® History of the United States, American Heritage® New History of the Civil War, American Heritage® New History of World War II, American Heritage® Dictionary of American Quotations, and American Heritage® Encyclopedia of American History.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (September 1, 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0471390224
  • ISBN-13: 978-0471390220
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,339,756 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Average Customer Review
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Shows How to Make History Come Alive!, October 7, 1999
By A Customer
This book is a fabulous resource for those of us who have tried to explain why the study of history is so important. The "interviewees" show that the best way to present history is by "story telling" about the lives of real people rather than making a dry recitation of facts. All of them are extreemly enthusiastic about their subjects.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Interaction with Great Minds, June 28, 2001
Perhaps you saw the television programs or have viewed the videos of one or more of them. Perhaps you have listened to the audiocassettes. In any event, this book consists of a series of thought-provoking questions posed by Roger Mudd which are answered by five of our nation's most eminent historians: Stephen Ambrose, David McCullough, James McPherson, Richard White, and Gordon Wood. Their respective subjects are:

The Colonial Era and Revolution (Wood)

The Civil War and Reconstruction (McPherson)

Westward Expansion (White)

The Industrial Era (McCullough)

World War II and Postwar America (Ambrose)

Obviously, a reader's specific interests will determine which of the Q&A exchanges are of greatest value. Richard Snow provides an excellent Introduction. His associates at American Heritage are also to be commended for completing background research and then writing profiles of the five historians. Mudd is a skillful interviewer. In book form, inevitably, his style and pace can only be suggested but are in great form when the exchanges are heard or (better yet) seen.

Snow is quite correct when observing that the five-part narrative "is always kinetic, darting, and oblique; and the narrators have at once too high and too close a regard for their subject to sentimentalize it. Nevertheless, the cumulative message is clear and heartening." For Ambrose, here is the clear and heartening message: "this is the best country that ever was. This is the freest and, right now, the most prosperous that has ever been conceived anywhere. And, by God,, somebody had to be doing something right to bring us to this point. I want to celebrate the people who brought us to this point." He does so with passion and eloquence. The perspectives and insights provided by the other historians (whose contributions precede Mudd's exchange with Ambrose) also expand and clarify the context within which our nation's history has evolved from one dynamic era to the next.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Like taking a top college American history course, March 19, 1999
The five historians give you a wonderful overview of American history from the Revolution to Nixon...and they are all the best and the brightest. Great book...easy read...fun.
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