Historical and Legal Commentary
Books and (Semi) Mass Media
Having published my book on James Madison last month (Madison’s Gift), I share one trait with most authors of a recently-released book: A wistful desire that great chunks of the…
Read MoreNew "Hamilton" Show in NYC: HipHop Hooray!
Nah, I don’t listen to hiphop. Not ever. But Lin-Manuel Miranda is building a beautiful bridge between that music and old farts like me with his new “Hamilton” musical, which…
Read MoreThe Emerging Indian Colossus
A 10-day visit to India this month kindled thoughts about a part of the world I have known only through novels and Merchant/Ivory movies. The ambitions and dreams of the…
Read MoreOne Perilous Joy of the Season
I vividly recall the Christmas morning. My father opened the book I had carefully picked out for him. I hadn’t read it, but I thought it would be perfect for…
Read MoreWhy F. Scott?
This morning brings the inaugural installment of a monthly piece I’ll be writing for the Washington Independent Review of Books. The subjects will be what I’m reading, writing, or thinking about.…
Read MoreFive Books on Impeachment
The conservative-inspired “Impeach Obama” campaign will wax and wane over the next two political years, a weird residue of the benighted effort to impeach President Bill Clinton fifteen years ago.…
Read MoreWWI: Who was the enemy?
As the World War I centennial continues to gear up, and as I slouch to the end of my novel on the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, I have stumbled…
Read MoreWorld War I: Fragging Officers and PTSD?
The sequel to my historical novel, The Lincoln Deception, is set at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. Accordingly, I’ve been doing some considerable reading about World War I and the peace…
Read MoreNine Breeds of Historical Fiction
[This piece first appeared in the Washington Independent Review of Books] Historical fiction is flourishing, and its advantages are many. For readers, it combines the familiar with the unknown, as novelists…
Read MoreFear of the Shallows
Looking back over the year just ended, I am struck by the proliferation of door-stopper books. This phenomenon — which afflicted both fiction and non-fiction — emerged in many of…
Read More