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Booknotes: Stories from American History

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I was watching the Don Imus Radio Program "Imus In the Morning" when he recommended to his listeners this book edited by Brian Lamb, the founder and current executive of C-SPAN. After hearing numerous recommendations from other viewers and notables on the Imus program, I decided to purchase the book myself and see if it was as good as others said it was. I was not disappointed in the least.

The book is in overview exerpts of interviews of notable historians and other personalities who have written a book about a historical figure or event and was on the C-SPAN show "Booknotes" to talk about the book they have written. Such authors as James McPherson, the excellent Civil War Historian to NBC News Anchorman Tom Brokaw who talked about the World War II generation. The book starts with the American Revolution and ends with the year 2000. Each chapter is a brief overview of what the historians/authors on C-SPAN said during the show that they appeared and it is interesting and to the point.

The chapters are short 5 to 8 pages at the most, but they keep the reader's interest throughout. There is an introduction at the beginning of each chapter that tells the date that the historian/author appeared on Booknotes and what the name of the book was that they have written.

Each chapter is interesting and dare I say "fun" to read. From the founding of America, to the Civil War, to current day is fascinating reading. Such notable figures as U.S. Grant, J.P. Morgan, John F. Kennedy and so many others are discussed as well. From historical acts to controversy, this book has them all. It provides a "taste" of the individual book that is presented by the authors and also some tell the motivation to why they wanted to write about an event or historical figure.

This is easy to read and does not get bogged down in detail. If you want detail, then buy the actual book that the various authors have written about.

This is the kind of book that would be excellent for a upper level high school U.S. History Class or for College U.S. History Classes as well to use as a companion to the required textbooks assigned for the classes. This is also the perfect book for the "armchair" historian who enjoys a good read about interesting people and events, but dosent want to know the minute details involved in a huge biography or book on a historical event.

Highly Recommended!

What we have here are 79 condensations of one-hour interviews of eminent historians previously conducted by Lamb, founding CEO and host of the the C-SPAN "Booknotes" television series. ("My interview questions are omitted so that readers can focus on the author's words.") It is important to keep in mind that these are, literally, "stories from American history" rather than traditional academic briefs. That is to say, they are not dull and dry. On the contrary, their format, tone, and style are casual but at no time careless. Credit Lamb and his associates for a first-rate job of editing the material. Those interviewed are erudite raconteurs. Lamb organizes the essays within nine parts: Revolution and Founding (1776-1815), The Young Nation (1815-1850), Slavery and the Civil War (1850-1865), Rebuilding America and the Guided Age ((1865-1901), Progressive Era and Reaction (1901-1929), Depression and War (1929-1945), Early Cold War (1945-1957), Social Transformation (1957-1975), and The Culture Wars (1975-2000). I am especially grateful to Lamb for his headnotes for each chapter. Here is how he introduces Joyce Appleby and her comments on "The First Generation of Americans":

"The census of 1800 reported 1.1 million people living in the United States -- more than twice the number in the colonies at the beginning of the American Revolution. There were four cities with a population greater than 10,000 -- Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia, and New York. Half of the population was under sixteen years of age. On June 18, 2000, Joyce Appleby, a U.C.L.A. professor and author of Inheriting the Revolution: The First Generation of Americans, published in 2000 by Belnap Press, appeared on Booknotes to tell us about this era and how this `first generation' helped shape the young nation."

Headnotes such as these serve as appropriate introductions, of course, but also suggest additional sources which readers may wish to explore. It is also helpful to have the "Complete List of C-SPAN Booknotes (1989-2001)," then totaling 619. This is one of three books published thus far, based on 79 of those interviews. The other two, also edited by Lamb, are Booknotes: Life Stories, Notable Biographers on the People Who Shaped America and Booknotes: America's Finest Authors on Reading, Writing, and the Power of Ideas. If you have an especially strong appetite for American history, Lamb and his associates offer a "feast."

Bon Appetit!

Finally, the perfect gift for people who wished they paid more attention in high school history class.

Brian Lamb, the host of the long running C-SPAN author interview program, Booknotes, has edited interviews with more than 80 historians, writers, journalists and politicians on the great and small events that have shaped American history. Lamb's original interview questions have been omitted, allowing the author to conversationally describe each event with the passion that is generated only a person who loves his or her work.

Among my favorite tales recounted is Robert Frost's reading of "The Gift Outright" at the Presidential Inauguration of John F. Kennedy as told by Jay Parini. President Kennedy, the Middlebury College professor tells us, initially resisted Stewart Udell's attempts to include 86 year old poet fearing he would steal the show. Events would prove him right.

Another favorite is James M. Perry, the long-time political reporter for The Wall Street Journal, discussing Civil War Correspondents. The demand for timely and accurate dispatches from the front lines transformed American Journalism and provided the antecedents for today's personality-driven electronic Journalism.

So if you are sorry you slept through American history class, or if you loved it as much as I did, here is a book for you - an engaging compendium that will provide hours of interesting readings.

If you've ever read any of the BOOKNOTES series by C-SPAN host, Brain Lamb, you already know their value. I personally find this volume, STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY, to be the best of them all. As with all of Lamb's books, the list of contributing writers reads like a Hall of Fame roster.

This volume is divided into nine different time periods. Each one covers not just historic and political events, but also offers pieces on social events, biographic profiles and more. For example, in the chapter on the Gilded Age, you will find an essay on the building of Central Park, the first Transcontinental Railroad, the political career of Grover Cleveland, historian H. W. Brands on the events of the 1890's, a look at William Randolph Hearst and the rise of "yellow journalism" (so named for Hearst's introduction of one of the first colorized print cartoons, "The Yellow Kid"), and concludes with an essay on J.P. Morgan and the banking industry.

This is a wonderful addition to your library and critical for home-schoolers. The writing is superb and unbiased, allowing the reader to form their own conclusions to events of American History. This volume concludes with 23 pages of a complete list of C-SPAN Booknotes, where you are sure to find more to add to your reading list.

Monty Rainey
www.juntosociety.com

I loved this book ! Brian Lamb, CEO of C-Span, provides readers with 7-8 page excerpts of interviews he conducted with 78 authors of books about American history and politics.

Taking an approach of "the story of the story of the book," we get a distilled, inside look at how each author wrote their book: problems they had to overcome to see it through to completion; unusual events, personalities and archival material they encountered; and, aspects of the subject matter of the book that historians, viewers and readers may not have previously considered.

Of particular interest are quotes the authors present from their interviewees and archival sources that help the reader better understand how the author reached the conclusions or positions taken. It's a wonderful way to illustrate to students how historians think, do their research and write.

Lamb divides the interviews into nine periods of American History: "Revolution and Founding, 1776-1815" (nine books); "The Young Nation, 1815-1850" (three books); "Slavery and the Civil War, 1850-1865" (nine books); "Rebuilding America and the Gilded Age, 1865-1901" (six books); "Progressive Era and Reaction, 1901-1929" (nine books); "Depression and War, 1929-1945" (eight books); "Early Cold War, 1945-1957" (six books); "Social Transformation, 1957-1975" (seventeen books); and, "The Culture Wars, 1975-2000" eleven books).

A wonderful gift for anyone interested in American history and culture, this book should be considered an essential purchase for every public and academic library in America.

R. Neil Scott
Middle Tennessee State University

Brian Lamb is the greatest interviewer of authors I have ever observed. He asks pointed, non-judgmental questions, allowing the author to answer without interruption.
Recently I am reading "Booknotes: Stories from American History" The chapter on the Federalist Papers describes Hamilton's efforts to prevent elected government officials from exercising the primary motive of financial gain. As he penned: men are ambitious, vindictive, and rapacious. Think about what is happening in our nations Capitol today and see if you don't agree with our founders concerns

Lamb is just great at this kind of compilation. A great take-along or for kids who show an interest in American history.

As usual, this is a quality presentation by Brian Lamb. Over the years, I have somewhat tracked his over 500-book reading list, having read most of them myself. There are a few books, however, I have come across that are not beholden to the book business' "iron triangle" of publisher-distributor-chainstore (thanks to Amazon.com) that he has not read. I don't think he has, anyway, or he would have wanted to talk with the authors, and would have had them on and in "Booknotes". One that currently comes to mind is a little known but wonderful book called "West Point" by Norman Thomas Remick. It explains how and why Thomas Jefferson's founding of West Point (ground breaking history, itself!) was a key to his SAVING AMERICA from both domestic and foreign efforts to end the "American experiment". Explaining "why" covers a broad sweep of the history and philosophy books that Jefferson himself read that molded his thoughts and words back then. It all informs the reader on contempory issues such as term limits, democracy, corporate power, the aristocracy of wealth, and morals, ethics, and character in America. Yes, I said character. Before prejudging the Sally Hemings allegation, get to know Thomas Jefferson and see with the eyes of an era of different moral standards, an era that would see men willing to die in a pistol duel over honor. Perhaps Brian Lamb's next book will be a compilation of "the lost chords" of non-fiction literature in America. Meanwhile, we'll have to be led by the nose by the "iron triangle" and its unquenched thirst for money and power --- but at least it's by Brian Lamb and another excellent effort with "Booknotes".