Holly Tucker's Blog, page 96
July 14, 2011
From Ann Patchett to the History of Blood Transfusion
By Holly Tucker What it's like for an interviewer to go from Ann Patchett to the history of blood transfusion? Several weeks ago, I was interviewed by Memphis book critic Seven Usery about Blood Work. As you know, I've done lots of interviews about the book…but this one was different. One of my superstar hero [...]
July 13, 2011
Mightier than the Sword
By David S. Reynolds In writing my book Mightier than the Sword, which shows how Harriet Beecher Stowe's antislavery best-seller Uncle Tom's Cabin fueled the passions behind the Civil War, I realized just how important cultural history is. Lincoln brought attention to the power of culture when he declared, "Public sentiment is everything…He who moulds [...]
July 6, 2011
Machiavelli: A Biography
By Miles Unger During the years I lived in Florence, it was hard to escape the shadow of Niccolò Machiavelli. His presence is not as immediately obvious as that of his near contemporaries: Brunelleschi, Donatello, Leonardo, and Michelangelo. These artists represent the sunny side of the Renaissance, the chamber-of-commerce approved representatives of the city. Their [...]
July 4, 2011
Olmsted, The Environmentalist
By Justin Martin In researching my latest biography, Genius of Place: The Life of Frederick Law Olmsted, I was struck by the extent to which the celebrated landscape architect was also a pioneering environmentalist. Best known for crafting urban spaces – New York's Central Park, Boston's Emerald Necklace – Olmsted was also deeply involved in [...]
June 24, 2011
Heat, Light, and Emilie du Châtelet
By Laurel Corona In 1800, when William Herschel shot a beam of sunlight through a glass prism and measured the temperature of each color of light, he noticed that the temperature increased from the violet to the red ends of the spectrum. Going further, he measured the temperature just beyond the edge of the visible [...]
World Without Fish
From WORLD WITHOUT FISH (Workman Publishing) by Mark Kurlansky: It was in the North Sea in the late nineteenth century that innovations in fishing began to take place. The North Sea is a body of water rich in fish, which is surrounded by the great European fishing nations, such as Scotland, England, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, [...]
June 18, 2011
What's Your Research Work Flow?
The great response to last week's post about writing groups (I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends) has really gotten me thinking that–in addition to sharing great stories in history–we might do some more talking about the ups and downs, joys and challenges, of writing on this blog. I sure could use [...]
June 16, 2011
Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony: A Friendship That Changed the World
By Penny Colman Having been immersed in the lives of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony for the past several years, I'm finding it hard to let them go, although my book has been out since May 10th. Because I happen to live near the house where Elizabeth lived in New Jersey for many [...]
June 12, 2011
I get by with a little help from my friends…
Writing can be lonely business. No one can write your book for you (unless you're a celebrity or pseudo-celebrity and can hire a ghost writer). Nope, it's just you. You have to wage your own battle with words and ideas…and wrestle them all to the ground. Three years ago, I read a book that changed [...]
June 7, 2011
Fireworks Over the Civil War
By Catherine Clinton Historians have argued long and hard about the causes of the Civil War. The battle over the war's origins began even before Confederate surrender at Appomattox in April 1865, as Americans continue to explore and re-fight this fascinating chapter of our nation's history. A June 2011 poll published in Vanity Fair, conducted [...]
