American Heritage (r) : Great Minds of History (ISBN 0471327158)

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

Shows How to Make History Come Alive!:
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.

a truly wonderful book!:
What a truly wonderful book! A unique opportunity to explore American history with several of the country's most exceptional historians.

Interaction with Great Minds:
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.

Mindful of Great History:
This was my first audio book. Purchased from Amazon (because they delivered overseas) to keep me company on my daily metropolitan Tokyo commute from Uraga-Cho to Yokosuka Naval Base. My only complaint is that I wanted more. So compelling are the topics, questions, answers and analysis of assorted aspects of American history, that upon initial trial, you are addicted. GIVE ME MORE! Make a volume 2, please. I found the period between the Civil War and WW1 most compelling, probably because I was least familiar with this area. Yet I learned it was these decades that truly set America on its path of economic greatness as well the ability to rise to, meet and destroy the forces of fascism, and additionally place the roots for the future expansion of civil liberties. Of course the other topics of American history are gripping too; especially when framed by the discerning questions of Roger Mudd and answered insightfully from great historians. As a bonus we get to listen to the great voices of Roger Mudd, David McCullough, Stephen Ambrose, the others are enjoyable as well.

Excellent, just excellent:
Roger Mudd interviews 5 prominent historians. Interestingly, these are all historians who specialize in writing readable histories that outsell the dense, uninteresting treatises many of us were forced to read in college. These are men who do their research, know their facts but also understand that historians should be, first and foremost, the storytellers - the modern, well-researched equivalent of the old person in the village that memorized the stories of the old days and passed them down. -Gordon Wood talks about the Revolutionary War/Constitutional era. -Richard White talks about the American West. -James McPherson - the Civil War -David McCullough talks primarily about the late 19th century, but he also veers into other topics - he meanders the most and is, perhaps, the most enjoyable. Stephen Ambrose talks about World War II, Eisenhower and Nixon. Along the way, lots of personal observations about the past, the recent past and the present are tossed in and it makes an enjoyable read for any serious readers of history.