Clifford Lindsey Alderman

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Clifford Lindsey Alderman, born in 1902 in Springfield, Massachusetts, graduated from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1924. He did graduate work in chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but spent only a short time in chemistry and engineering fields. He served on the staffs of naval units at Columbia University, Holy Cross College and Millsaps College during World War II, eventually commanding an officer training school at Middlebury College in Vermont. After the war, he worked as an editor and did public relations for shipping and foreign trade industries.

An avid student of American history, Alderman wrote historical novels for adults, and both fiction and nonfiction for young adults. He wrote under his full name, Clifford Lindsey Alderman, as a sentimental tribute to his mother, whose maiden name was Lindsey. Alderman believed that his mother could have become a fine novelist in her own right were it not for her family responsibilities and untimely death at a relatively young age. He also believed that his own interest in the American colonial and Revolutionary periods was a natural occurrence since he was a direct descendant of John and Priscilla Alden and had two ancestors who fought in the American Revolution.

Alderman believed in the importance of visiting the places of which he wrote. He and his wife, Mildred, traveled extensively in their native New England, and took repeated research trips to Canada, England, Ireland, France, and the Caribbean.

The Aldermans lived most of their married life in Seaford, New York, close enough to Manhattan for him to do weekly research at the New York Public Library. The beauty and warmth of Florida appealed to them by their retirement years, however, and they moved to an adult community in Pinellas Park, Florida in the mid-1970s. Cliff Alderman died in 1988 at the age of 86. His books include many historical novels as well as fiction and nonfiction books.

By organizing his books in a sequential manner the reader is able to establish changes through time. After reading any one of Alderman's many books it is obvious what he is trying to get across because he reiterates his thesis many times throughout the entire book. His unique writing style keeps the reader engaged throughout the book, he accomplishes this by adding interesting details. What truly make his books successful is that he does not just list facts but rather he seems to turn facts into a story. Annie Oakley and the World of Her Time (1979)

[edit] Books

  • Blood-Red the Roses: The Story of the Wars of the Roses (1971)
  • A Cauldron of Witches: A Story of Witchcraft (1971)
  • Colonists for Sale: The Story of Indentured Servants in America (1975)
  • The Dark Eagle: The Story of Benedict Arnold (1976)
  • Death to the King: The Story of the English Civil War (1968)
  • The Devil's Shadow: The Story of Witchcraft in America (1967)
  • Flame of Freedom: The Peasants' Revolt of 1381 (1969)
  • Gathering Storm: The Story of the Green Mountain Boys (1970)
  • The Golden Century: England Under the Tudors (1972)
  • The Great Invasion: The Norman Conquest of 1066 (1969)
  • Joseph Brant: Chief of the Six Nations (1958)
  • Liberty, Equality, Fraternity: The Story of the French Revolution (1965)
  • Osceola and the Seminole Wars (1973)
  • The Privateersmen (1965)
  • Retreat to Victory: The Life of Nathanael Greene (1967)
  • The Rhode Island Colony (1969)
  • The Royal Opposition: The Story of the British Generals in the American Revolution (1970)
  • Rum, Slaves, and Molasses: The Story of New England's Triangular Trade (1972)
  • Samuel Adams: Son of Liberty (1961)
  • Stormy Knight: The Life of Sir William Phips (1964)
  • The Story of the Thirteen Colonies (1966)
  • Symbols of Magic: Amulets and Talismans (1977)
  • That Men Shall Be Free: The Story of the Magna Carta (1964)
  • The Vengeance of Abel Wright (1964)
  • The War We Could Have Lost: The American Revolution (1974)
  • The Way of the Eagles (1965)
  • The Wearing of the Green: The Irish Rebellion, 1916-1921 (1971)
  • Witchcraft in America (1974)

[edit] References

Compiled from sources within the Clifford Lindsey Alderman Papers