Kenneth C. Davis
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Kenneth C. Davis is a popular historian best known for his Don't Know Much About... series.
Born and educated in public schools in Mount Vernon, New York, Davis attended Concordia College, Bronxville in New York, and Fordham University at Lincoln Center, New York City. His first book, Two-Bit Culture: The Paperbacking of America (Houghton Mifflin, 1984) offered an overview and in-depth history of paperback books, although some important publishers, such as Walter Zacharius and Irwin Stein's Lancer Books, were given little or no coverage.
Published by Crown in 1990, Don't Know Much About History spent 35 consecutive weeks on The New York Times bestseller list and sold nearly 1.5 million copies. This unexpected success launched the Don't Know Much About... series. The standardized format is a chronological coverage of a subject with each chapter divided into boldface subheads of questions, such as, "Did Pocahontas really save John Smith's life?" Davis then answers the questions with basic facts delivered in short easy-to-read essays which have a straight-forward approach, but sometimes grab the reader's attention by beginning with light humor and anachronistic comparisons, for example: "Even the astronauts who flew to the moon had a pretty good idea of what to expect; Columbus was sailing, as Star Trek puts it, 'where no man has gone before'." Quotes from historical figures often follow the essays. [1]
The titles were initially inspired by Sam Cooke's song "Wonderful World," with the lyrics, "Don't know much about history" or "geography," etc. Because Davis makes history palatable to bored students, the series has received much praise from teachers and librarians. However, there are occasional negative reviews. When Don't Know Much About History was revised and updated in 2003, Joe Hartlaub wrote a mixed review for Book Reporter:
- Davis has a breezy and entertaining style that makes Don't Know Much About History hard to put down. If you open it in search of one topic, you'll undoubtedly read at least five or six before putting it down again. Davis also, as a general rule (with some lapses), takes pains to present all available facts regarding an issue and does so quite effectively... Where Don't Know Much About History breaks down is when Davis treats his subject matter as a vehicle for his own editorials... While he is certainly entitled to take umbrage at historical events, selectively or not, Davis's intermittent lapses of objectivity unfortunately result in turning Don't Know Much About History into a subjective treatise and casts doubt on the accuracy of what he presents. While Don't Know Much About History is worthwhile as informative entertainment, it is not necessarily a work one would want to wholly rely on as a reference. If its intent is to make history interesting and relevant, it does so quite handily. However, one seeking an objective, more scholarly work would be better served looking elsewhere. [2]
Davis makes frequent media appearances, including NPR's All Things Considered, and he has lectured at museums, including the Smithsonian Museum and American Museum of Natural History. He has been a contributor to The New York Times, Newsday and other publications.
His current publisher is HarperCollins. In his most recent book, America's Hidden History: Untold Tales of the First Pilgrims, Fighting Women, and Forgotten Founders Who Shaped a Nation (2008), he drops the earlier Q&A format for a more traditional style of writing which he uses to explore little-known aspects of American history. Spanning a period from the Spanish arrival in America to George Washington's 1789 inauguration, these narratives have a more serious tone than the earlier books, are more expansive and focus not only on well-known names but also on forgotten figures such as Hannah Duston.
Davis lives in New York City and Dorset, Vermont, with his wife and two children.
[edit] Books
- Two-Bit Culture: The Paperbacking of America(1984)
- Don't Know Much About History (1990)
- Don't Know Much About Geography (1992)
- Don't Know Much About the Bible(1999)
- Don't Know Much About the Civil War (1999)
- Don't Know Much About Space(2001)
- Don't Know Much About the Planet Earth(2001)
- Don't Know Much About the Presidents(2001)
- Don't Know Much About the Kings and Queens of England(2002)
- Don't Know Much About the Universe (2002)
- Don't Know Much About the Pilgrims (2002)
- Don't Know Much About Sitting Bull (2002)
- Don't Know Much About the Pioneers (2003)
- Don't Know Much About American History (2003)
- Don't Know Much About George Washington (2003)
- Don't Know Much About the 50 States (2004)
- Don't Know Much About the Solar System (2004)
- Don't Know Much About Dinosaurs (2004)
- Don't Know Much About Thomas Jefferson (2005)
- Don't Know Much About Abraham Lincoln (2005)
- Don't Know Much About World Myths (2005)
- Don't Know Much About Mummies (2005)
- Que Se Yo De Historia (2005)
- Don't Know Much About Martin Luther King Jr. (2002)
- Don't Know Much About Rosa Parks (2005)
- Don't Know Much About Mythology (2005)
- Don't Know Much About Anything (2007)
- America's Hidden History: Untold Tales of the First Pilgrims, Fighting Women, and Forgotten Founders Who Shaped a Nation (2008)
