One of America's most influential and popular historians, David McCullough, has passed away 89 years old.
McCullough was popular with both liberal and conservative Americans and some of his books are the bestselling American history books that have ever been written.
From the New York Times:
Mr. McCullough won Pulitzer Prizes for two presidential biographies, "Truman" (1992) and "John Adams" (2001). He received National Book Awards for "The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal" (1977) and "Mornings on Horseback" (1981), about the young Theodore Roosevelt and his family.
Deep research and lively readability were hallmarks of his books, and so was their tendency to leap off the shelves. "Truman" topped The New York Times's best-seller list for 43 weeks; "John Adams" was No. 1 in its first week and has since gone through dozens more printings.
His readers got a lot of work for their money: The Adams project took Mr. McCullough seven years, "Truman"took him 10 (and when at last he showed his wife the massive typescript, he said, she was amazed that it hadn't taken longer). "The Great Bridge" (1972), his exhaustive account of the technology, personalities and politics involved in building the Brooklyn Bridge, was hailed as a monument in its own right. Yet there was hardly anything in his writing to suggest that he had ever staggered under the weight of his homework.
In addition to his books, I remember going to see McCullough speak at my university back when I was a history student. His balance between his depth of knowledge and his storytelling ability was unmatched.
The world has lost a great historian.
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