GDG- Killing Lincoln

[Dennis Lawrence]

At 01:58 PM 1/14/2012, you wrote:
>Recent examples of American popular historians with academic affiliations
>include Stephen Ambrose, Doris Kearns Goodwin and Pauline Maier.
>Non-academics include Bruce Catton, Shelby Foote and Barbara Tuchman.

Hello,

      Yes, there is no negativity  implied in the term  popular 
historians.  Like academic historians, some do a better job than others.

Academics write books that maybe only read by other academics.  I 
have a friend who  is publishing a detailed primary source 
documentation of the trial of Gabriel for the Virginia slave 
rebellion.  Few people have a use for that except other scholars.

  So it is a question of audience that drives the content and focus 
of the publication , not quality of the work  that defines the two.


Take Care

Dennis





Take Care

Dennis