History Matters
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In this posthumous collection of thought-provoking essays—many never published before—Pulitzer Prize–winning historian and bestselling author David McCullough affirms the value of history, how we can be guided by its lessons, and the enduring legacy of American ideals.
History Matters brings together selected essays by beloved historian David McCullough, some published here for the first time, written at different points over the course of his long career but all focused on the subject of his lifelong passion: the importance of history in understanding our present and future. Edited by McCullough’s daughter, Dorie McCullough Lawson, and his longtime researcher, Michael Hill, History Matters is a tribute to a master historian and offers fresh insights into McCullough’s enduring interests and writing life. The book also features a foreword by Jon Meacham.
McCullough highlights the importance of character in political leaders, with Harry Truman and George Washington serving as exemplars of American values like optimism and determination. He shares his early influences, from the books he cherished in his youth to the people who mentored him. He also pays homage to those who inspired him, such as writer Paul Horgan and painter Thomas Eakins, illustrating the diverse influences on his writing as well as the influence of art.
Rich with McCullough’s signature grace, curiosity, and narrative gifts, these essays offer vital lessons in viewing history through the eyes of its participants, a perspective that McCullough believed was crucial to understanding the present as well as the past. History Matters is testament to McCullough’s legacy as one of the great storytellers of this nation’s history and of the lasting promise of American ideals.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Pulitzer Prize winner McCullough (John Adams), who died in 2022, extols the importance and craft of writing history in this resonant collection of 20 speeches, essays, and interviews selected by his daughter Dorie McCullough Lawson and his longtime researcher Michael Hill. Some of the pieces play on historiographical themes, like the human ingenuity that built the Golden Gate Bridge, and the centrality of luck, as seen in the sudden fog that hid the Continental Army long enough to escape from the Redcoats across the East River at the Battle of Brooklyn. Several entries proffer practical advice for aspiring writers, such as the importance of cultivating discipline—"four pages a day" was the best advice he says he ever got. At the heart of the volume are McCullough's biographical sketches of historical figures, including the painter Thomas Eakins, Uncle Tom's Cabin author Harriet Beecher Stowe, and George Washington. Though these are mostly minor, off-the-cuff pieces, the collection displays McCullough's eye for engrossing anecdotes and ebullient prose ("History should not ever be dull," he declares). The historian's admirers will find this an enjoyable and warmhearted valedictory hymn to the American spirit.
