David McCullough

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David McCullough (mə-kŭl'ə) (born July 7, 1933) is an American historian and bestselling author. A two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize, he has been called a "master of the art of narrative history." His books include The Johnstown Flood, The Great Bridge, The Path Between the Seas, Mornings on Horseback, Brave Companions, Truman, and John Adams. His most recent book, 1776, was a New York Times and Amazon bestseller. None of his books have ever been out of print, a rare feat for an author with many published works.

McCullough was educated at Shady Side Academy, a private high school in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Yale University, where he received his bachelor's degree with honors in English literature in 1955, and became a member of Skull and Bones. At Yale as an undergraduate with a first interest in art, he ate lunch many times with Thornton Wilder [1], who inspired McCullough to become a writer.

McCullough has been an editor, essayist, teacher, lecturer, and familiar presence on public television — as host of Smithsonian World, The American Experience, and narrator of numerous documentaries including Ken Burns' The Civil War and Napoleon. He has also narrated portions of the motion picture Seabiscuit. He is a past president of the Society of American Historians and has also been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has received 31 honorary degrees.

In October 2002, McCullough delivered the 13th annual T.H. White Lecture, sponsored by the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy. "While a great deal about our country has changed since September 11, everything hasn't, including our history - an inexhaustible source of strength," he said. "These are dangerous, uncertain times, but not the worst we've ever been through, by any means."

In December 2006, McCullough was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

McCullough lives in West Tisbury, Massachusetts (Martha's Vineyard) with his wife Rosalee Ingram (Barnes) McCullough, whom he met at Yale. They have five children and 17 grandchildren.

[edit] Works

• The Johnstown Flood (1968)
• The Great Bridge (1972)
• The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal 1870—1914 (1977)
• Mornings on Horseback (1981)
• Brave Companions: Portraits in History (1992)
• Truman (1993) Pulitzer winner
• John Adams (2002) Pulitzer winner
• 1776 (2005)

[edit] Quotes

• "I used to see the old fellows in their 40s, talking about the book they were going to write someday. I was determined I was not going to be like that."

• "I am convinced that the only way we ever really learn anything is by doing it."

• "Real success is finding your lifework in the work that you love."

[edit] External links

• Simon & Schuster Publishing site
• Barnes and Noble book site bio
• David McCullough at the Internet Movie Database