RIP David McCullough

[Inky_Wretch]

The two-time Pulitzer winning author was 89.

 

[Justin_Rice]

Thumbs down.

 

[User 149557]

He spoke at my college graduation. Enjoyed his books and his voicework, as long as you knew his books were just introductions to a subject.

 

[Justin_Rice]

... his books were just introductions to a subject.

I have a hard time believing anyone could write about Truman in more detail than he did.

 

[Liut]

I have a hard time believing anyone could write about Truman in more detail than he did.

The late Robert Ferrell's work might be of interest to you. His biography of Truman was released, oh, a couple of years after McCullough's.

Ferrell's book is more of a dry read, him being an academic. The major difference I remember between the two is McCullough claimed Truman was not told by Secretary of War Stimson about the atomic bomb until later in the evening of his swearing-in. Ferrell claims Truman already had been made aware of the weapon.

RIP David McCullough.

 

[Azrael]

An early Sports Illustrated trainee.

An affable giant, and a friend to the household. A long time ago we worked together writing copy for a new museum.

He'll be sorely missed. May his memory be a blessing.

David McCullough, Best-Selling Explorer of America’s Past, Dies at 89

 

[garrow]

No! Loved his work. First book of his I read was his Panama Canal work. His Truman book is sitting right behind me on my bookshelf.

RIP.

 

[Jake from State Farm]

The Civil War wouldn’t have been the same with someone else doing the narration

 

[Small Town Guy]

There was good HBO documentary on him several years ago; he had an awesome little shed/office out in the yard I was terribly envious of.

Here's that section, but whole thing is worth a watch:

 

[Brooklyn Bridge]

Damn. I read the Great Bridge, 1776 and currently working on the Pioneers. Gifted author with a way with words.
Will be missed.

 

[Woody Long]

Damn. I read the Great Bridge, 1776 and currently working on the Pioneers. Gifted author with a way with words.
Will be missed.

I'd have hoped you'd have read the first one!

I've read The Johnstown Flood and The Great Bridge; the former when I lived in Johnstown and the latter when I moved back to New York City. Both are tremendous.

 

[User 149557]

I have a hard time believing anyone could write about Truman in more detail than he did.

The late Robert Ferrell's work might be of interest to you. His biography of Truman was released, oh, a couple of years after McCullough's.

Ferrell's book is more of a dry read, him being an academic. The major difference I remember between the two is McCullough claimed Truman was not told by Secretary of War Stimson about the atomic bomb until later in the evening of his swearing-in. Ferrell claims Truman already had been made aware of the weapon.

RIP David McCullough.

His treating of the atomic bomb knowledge bothered me. It was careless.

I believe McCullough had a narrative (and I don’t mean that in the pejorative way a certain bean grinder would.) He naturally wanted you to like the subject he was writing about as much as he did. and his considerable gifts made that something you were apt to do. I found his writing about Adams to suffer from that more than his Truman book, but it was there, too.

But he also sent me on reading journeys on the Wright Brothers, Adams, Johnstown and Truman, which is a credit to how accessible he made history.

He was great, but I think you should dig deeper after reading his stuff. The more boring, academic ones probably include some stuff the romantic won’t.

 

[Liut]

His treating of the atomic bomb knowledge bothered me. It was careless.

I believe McCullough had a narrative (and I don’t mean that in the pejorative way a certain bean grinder would.) He naturally wanted you to like the subject he was writing about as much as he did. and his considerable gifts made that something you were apt to do. I found his writing about Adams to suffer from that more than his Truman book, but it was there, too.

But he also sent me on reading journeys on the Wright Brothers, Adams, Johnstown and Truman, which is a credit to how accessible he made history.

He was great, but I think you should dig deeper after reading his stuff. The more boring, academic ones probably include some stuff the romantic won’t.

Well said.

I dove back into Robert Ferrell's biography a bit last night. It's not romantic but, man, is it detailed.

I would note that Ferrell mentioned the late Dr. Francis Heller in the acknowledgements of his book. Heller was a young guy recruited from the University of Kansas to work with Truman on his memoir. The story of the hiccups involved in getting the manuscript finished is a heck of a story just by itself. McCullough and Ferrell both touch on that subject in their works.

It would be well worth anyone who is interested in Truman to look up Heller to get a more detailed idea of what a pain in the ass Truman was (in a good way) during production of the memoir.

 

[tea and ease]

I believe McCullough had a narrative (and I don’t mean that in the pejorative way a certain bean grinder would.) He naturally wanted you to like the subject he was writing about as much as he did. and his considerable gifts made that something you were apt to do. I found his writing about Adams to suffer from that more than his Truman book, but it was there, too.

Imagine a Trump biography.