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Brave Companions: Portraits in History
Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780671792763
From Alexander von Humboldt to Charles and Anne Lindbergh, these are stories of people of great vision and daring whose achievements continue to inspire us today, brilliantly told by master historian David McCullough.
The bestselling author of Truman and John Adams, David McCullough has written profiles of exceptional men and women past and present who have not only shaped the course of history or changed how we see the world but whose stories express much that is timeless about the human condition.
Here are Alexander von Humboldt, whose epic explorations of South America surpassed the Lewis and Clark expedition; Harriet Beecher Stowe, “the little woman who made the big war”; Frederic Remington; the extraordinary Louis Agassiz of Harvard; Charles and Anne Lindbergh, and their fellow long-distance pilots Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Beryl Markham; Harry Caudill, the Kentucky lawyer who awakened the nation to the tragedy of Appalachia; and David Plowden, a present-day photographer of vanishing America.
Different as they are from each other, McCullough’s subjects have in common a rare vitality and sense of purpose. These are brave companions: to each other, to David McCullough, and to the reader, for with rare storytelling ability McCullough brings us into the times they knew and their very uncommon lives.
From Alexander von Humboldt to Charles and Anne Lindbergh, these are stories of people of great vision and daring whose achievements continue to inspire us today, brilliantly told by master historian David McCullough.
The bestselling author of Truman and John Adams, David McCullough has written profiles of exceptional men and women past and present who have not only shaped the course of history or changed how we see the world but whose stories express much that is timeless about the human condition.
Here are Alexander von Humboldt, whose epic explorations of South America surpassed the Lewis and Clark expedition; Harriet Beecher Stowe, “the little woman who made the big war”; Frederic Remington; the extraordinary Louis Agassiz of Harvard; Charles and Anne Lindbergh, and their fellow long-distance pilots Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Beryl Markham; Harry Caudill, the Kentucky lawyer who awakened the nation to the tragedy of Appalachia; and David Plowden, a present-day photographer of vanishing America.
Different as they are from each other, McCullough’s subjects have in common a rare vitality and sense of purpose. These are brave companions: to each other, to David McCullough, and to the reader, for with rare storytelling ability McCullough brings us into the times they knew and their very uncommon lives.
240 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1991
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About the author
David McCullough
99 books10.9k followersDavid McCullough was a Yale-educated, two-time recipient of both the Pulitzer Prize (Truman; John Adams) and the National Book Award (The Path Between the Seas; Mornings on Horseback). His many other highly-acclaimed works of historical non-fiction include The Greater Journey, 1776, Brave Companions, The Great Bridge, The Wright Brothers, and The Johnstown Flood. He was honored with the National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the National Humanities Medal, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in addition to many other awards and honors. Mr. McCullough lived in Boston, Mass.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 910 reviews
December 5, 2018
While most of this book is a set of biographical essays, there are a few chapters that are simply historical essays. So, it sort of feels like a set of essays that David McCullough put together from his writings over the years. There is no single theme holding the book together.
Most of the essays are interesting; the book contains essays about Alexander von Humboldt, Charles Lindbergh, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and lesser-known people. Then the book wanders off into an essay about Washington, DC and an essay about the US Senate of bygone years. Like other books that I've read by David McCullough, the book is enjoyable, but some of the essays simply didn't retain my interest.
Perhaps my neutral attitude toward this book is guided by the fact that I listened to this book as an audiobook. The problem is that the author reads his own book, and his narration has no spark. And as he reads, his voice drifts off toward the end of each sentence, and becomes difficult to hear. I suggest reading the book instead of listening to it.
Most of the essays are interesting; the book contains essays about Alexander von Humboldt, Charles Lindbergh, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and lesser-known people. Then the book wanders off into an essay about Washington, DC and an essay about the US Senate of bygone years. Like other books that I've read by David McCullough, the book is enjoyable, but some of the essays simply didn't retain my interest.
Perhaps my neutral attitude toward this book is guided by the fact that I listened to this book as an audiobook. The problem is that the author reads his own book, and his narration has no spark. And as he reads, his voice drifts off toward the end of each sentence, and becomes difficult to hear. I suggest reading the book instead of listening to it.
October 12, 2021
This book is a compilation of articles that David McCullough has written over the years, consisting of mini-biographies and historical scenes. McCullough has a wonderful way of bringing history to life. As I usually expect in a collection of essays, some are more compelling than others. I particularly enjoyed the articles on Alexander von Humboldt, Louis “look at your fish” Agassiz, artist Frederic Remington, the construction of the Panama Railroad in the 1850s, and highlights of his visits to Washington DC. There is also an article written for Life Magazine’s 50th anniversary that distills the history of the US since 1936. I found it interesting that we are still learning the lessons McCullough recounts at the end of the book, which was published in 1991. I listened to the audio book, competently read by the author in his gravelly baritone.
July 26, 2019
This is a collection of McCullough's essays mostly about prominent figures and interesting folks. Topics include, but are not limited to:
German scientist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt
19th-century scientist and educator Louis Agassiz
Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin
Theodore Roosevelt and the Marquis de Mores as relates their time in North Dakota in the 1880s
Western artist Frederic Remington
Construction of the original Panama Railway in the 1850s
Engineer John A. Roebling and his son, Washington Roebling, architects of the Brooklyn Bridge
Early aviators Charles Lindbergh, Antoine de Saint Exupéry, and Beryl Markham
American author Conrad Richter
Author and anti-strip mining political activist Harry M. Caudill
English zoologist and entomologist Miriam Rothschild
American photographer David Plowden
Overall, it's a bit of a mixed bag and you never get your teeth into a subject herein quite like you do in other McCullough books. All the same, I love the man's stuff and this isn't bad at all. It would make a great primer for those who want to be exposed to some historical personages who they perhaps have not discovered yet.
German scientist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt
19th-century scientist and educator Louis Agassiz
Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin
Theodore Roosevelt and the Marquis de Mores as relates their time in North Dakota in the 1880s
Western artist Frederic Remington
Construction of the original Panama Railway in the 1850s
Engineer John A. Roebling and his son, Washington Roebling, architects of the Brooklyn Bridge
Early aviators Charles Lindbergh, Antoine de Saint Exupéry, and Beryl Markham
American author Conrad Richter
Author and anti-strip mining political activist Harry M. Caudill
English zoologist and entomologist Miriam Rothschild
American photographer David Plowden
Overall, it's a bit of a mixed bag and you never get your teeth into a subject herein quite like you do in other McCullough books. All the same, I love the man's stuff and this isn't bad at all. It would make a great primer for those who want to be exposed to some historical personages who they perhaps have not discovered yet.
July 4, 2013
In McCullough's introduction he explains that to him history is not just what someone has accomplished, it is also how they lived, the things that made them come alive as he certainly does in this book. He takes little known characters, or characters we do know but may not know these particular facts and he brings them alive for the reader.
Humboldt, whose journey was overshadowed by Lewis and Clark's but rivaled their in his contributions to the study of glaciers and ice floes, skeletons and so many others of the natural sciences. Agassiz, who started the first museum of Zoology and whose wife, after his death, became a founder of Radcliffe College and was their first president.
Harriet Beecher Stowe, who was extremely poor until she started writing and than spent more than she earned by buying into various ventures with the hope of improving someones lot in life.
Teddy Roosevelt, who fell in love with the Badlands, the start of his natural park and though many found his fascination with the Wild West a little tiresome to the point that when William McKinley died, "Mark Hanna is said to have exclaimed , Now Look! That damn cowboy is president."
So much more, the painter Remington, the men who built the Panama Bridge, who death toll would only be rivaled years later when the Panama canal was built. The builders of the Brooklyn Bridge, whose architects had an average age of only 31.
So much more and all so interesting. Little tidbits about their marriages, their personal lives, their children and the times in history they were alive.
Conrad Richter, who was a personal friend of his is also poignantly portrayed and now I want to read a copy of his novel, "Lady", which is McCullough's favorite.
He makes history accessible, he brings it alive.
January 29, 2016
Haven’t read much by McCullough. Seems just a hair pretentious, like all liberal historians (I majored in history). But never mind all that. This is really good. It’s like having coffee with maybe the most fascinating collection of people you could pick. Just look who is here:
Alexander von Humboldt, geographer, naturalist, surveyor, and much more, an “academy unto himself.” When visiting Jefferson in the White House to describe his, the first, explorations of South America, Humboldt flummoxed his listeners – but not Jefferson himself – by slipping unknowingly from English to German to French and Spanish.
Harriet Beecher Stowe, who Lincoln called “the little woman who made this big war.” She knew her share of tragedy and wrote a great deal more than Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Frederic Remington who put “the West” in our mind’s eye.
Teddy Roosevelt in his Medora, North Dakota, incarnation.
Louis Agassiz, the Harvard professor who made vast institutional and scientific contributions to zoology, geology, and elsewhere, rooted in his admonition to his students to “look at your fish.”
Pioneering pilots Charles and Anne Lindbergh, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Beryl Markham.
Harry Caudill, the Kentucky lawyer who made strip mining an issue.
Dame Miriam Rothschild (yes, of those Rothschilds) who earned international recognition for her study of fleas, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, and collected paintings by schizophrenics.
The men who made the Brooklyn Bridge, its designer John A. Roebling, and his son Washington Roebling who erected it. They invented technologies and tools to do it, and put up the longest bridge in the world at the time and, perhaps still, the most beautiful.
Conrad Richter, the author who brought the American frontier to the readership of the world.
David Plowden, gifted photographer of vanishing industrial and agricultural America.
In the introduction, McCullough tells us he found these people much more alike than he imagined before collecting his essays about them into a book. I won’t spoil the fun of discovering just how they were alike or what the significance of that is. However, McCullough also included two speeches at the end, one extolling travel and the other history that drive his main thoughts home.
Alexander von Humboldt, geographer, naturalist, surveyor, and much more, an “academy unto himself.” When visiting Jefferson in the White House to describe his, the first, explorations of South America, Humboldt flummoxed his listeners – but not Jefferson himself – by slipping unknowingly from English to German to French and Spanish.
Harriet Beecher Stowe, who Lincoln called “the little woman who made this big war.” She knew her share of tragedy and wrote a great deal more than Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Frederic Remington who put “the West” in our mind’s eye.
Teddy Roosevelt in his Medora, North Dakota, incarnation.
Louis Agassiz, the Harvard professor who made vast institutional and scientific contributions to zoology, geology, and elsewhere, rooted in his admonition to his students to “look at your fish.”
Pioneering pilots Charles and Anne Lindbergh, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Beryl Markham.
Harry Caudill, the Kentucky lawyer who made strip mining an issue.
Dame Miriam Rothschild (yes, of those Rothschilds) who earned international recognition for her study of fleas, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, and collected paintings by schizophrenics.
The men who made the Brooklyn Bridge, its designer John A. Roebling, and his son Washington Roebling who erected it. They invented technologies and tools to do it, and put up the longest bridge in the world at the time and, perhaps still, the most beautiful.
Conrad Richter, the author who brought the American frontier to the readership of the world.
David Plowden, gifted photographer of vanishing industrial and agricultural America.
In the introduction, McCullough tells us he found these people much more alike than he imagined before collecting his essays about them into a book. I won’t spoil the fun of discovering just how they were alike or what the significance of that is. However, McCullough also included two speeches at the end, one extolling travel and the other history that drive his main thoughts home.
January 21, 2025
David McCullough was a wonderful storyteller. This collection of his early essays is no exception. Brave Companions may be a peculiar title, but the journey was a beautiful one.
It was an unexpected thrill to read short stories by the author of the tremendous tomes Truman and John Adams, and some of the chapters were hints or previews of his later works, including Truman, Mornings on Horseback, The Great Bridge, The Path Between the Seas, and The Johnstown Flood. Thankfully, I own all of those, but I have more reading to do!
Companions covers a variety of subjects: Events, places, people, and times. McCullough’s charms come through in each, and his friendships and love of history shine. After finding myself in love with a bridge at the start of my reading path a decade ago, I met more of its builders, and then oohed and ahhed at its architectural drawings. I saw man carving his way through nature, and frozen in time in sculpture. All of this in a book with no pictures. That’s McCullough’s talent.
He speaks of artist friends with admiration, but did he know that he was an artist, too, and crafting his own story as he told theirs? He yearns for biographies not yet written (as of 1992, but how many still unwritten, today?), and the reader may want more of his own. McCullough died in 2022, a loss for non-fiction and for history itself. He had a rare eye for seeing the past in the present; the present in the past.
I would like to have seen original publication dates and sources at the start of each chapter, but they are there, on the copyright page, if you look. Otherwise, I have no complaints. I just wish I were an adventurer, too.
It was an unexpected thrill to read short stories by the author of the tremendous tomes Truman and John Adams, and some of the chapters were hints or previews of his later works, including Truman, Mornings on Horseback, The Great Bridge, The Path Between the Seas, and The Johnstown Flood. Thankfully, I own all of those, but I have more reading to do!
Companions covers a variety of subjects: Events, places, people, and times. McCullough’s charms come through in each, and his friendships and love of history shine. After finding myself in love with a bridge at the start of my reading path a decade ago, I met more of its builders, and then oohed and ahhed at its architectural drawings. I saw man carving his way through nature, and frozen in time in sculpture. All of this in a book with no pictures. That’s McCullough’s talent.
He speaks of artist friends with admiration, but did he know that he was an artist, too, and crafting his own story as he told theirs? He yearns for biographies not yet written (as of 1992, but how many still unwritten, today?), and the reader may want more of his own. McCullough died in 2022, a loss for non-fiction and for history itself. He had a rare eye for seeing the past in the present; the present in the past.
I would like to have seen original publication dates and sources at the start of each chapter, but they are there, on the copyright page, if you look. Otherwise, I have no complaints. I just wish I were an adventurer, too.
August 20, 2020
Another fine and refreshingly nice-to-read look at history by McCullough, this time a loosely-bound series of vignettes of various historical personages. They're all fascinating and all worthy of reading. My favorites were the sections on Humboldt, Miriam "Microscopes are my marijuana" Rothschild, and the essay on the guy fighting strip-miners in eastern Kentucky (there is Appalachian anti-corporate terrorism, people!). They're all good, though. You'll pick up something new to delve into deeper (Conrad Richter, for me) and learn a lot about little windows on our past that goes to show how any schmuck with an idea can make good.
December 29, 2020
Less than 300 pages in length, this is a collection of Mr. McCullough’s shorter works — magazine articles, lectures, etc. It paints vivid portraits of a wide variety of people — some famous, others rather obscure, but all fascinating. It was just enough to whet my appetite to learn more about these people. Over the course of reading this book, I jotted down the titles of 22 other books I’d like to read.
The section I found most interesting was entitled “Pioneers.” It included an article about the building of the Panama Railroad — yes, railroad. As in, before the canal. Forty-seven and a half miles of track, and 170 bridges of more than 12 feet in length. Next was an article about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. I had no idea how interesting pneumatic caissons were! This was followed by a lovely vignette about the man who discovered and helped to preserve the thousands of intricate hand-drawn plans for the Brooklyn Bridge. The section closed with an intriguing look at the aviation pioneers of the 1920s, many of whom were also prolific writers. I’d read and loved many of the works of pioneer aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupery, but was inspired to look up some of the others.
There’s something for everyone in this collection: science, photography, architecture, history, exploration, ecology. All written in David McCullough’s spare, ringing style, these portraits of people and places will spark the imagination and make you want to read more.
The section I found most interesting was entitled “Pioneers.” It included an article about the building of the Panama Railroad — yes, railroad. As in, before the canal. Forty-seven and a half miles of track, and 170 bridges of more than 12 feet in length. Next was an article about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. I had no idea how interesting pneumatic caissons were! This was followed by a lovely vignette about the man who discovered and helped to preserve the thousands of intricate hand-drawn plans for the Brooklyn Bridge. The section closed with an intriguing look at the aviation pioneers of the 1920s, many of whom were also prolific writers. I’d read and loved many of the works of pioneer aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupery, but was inspired to look up some of the others.
There’s something for everyone in this collection: science, photography, architecture, history, exploration, ecology. All written in David McCullough’s spare, ringing style, these portraits of people and places will spark the imagination and make you want to read more.
August 25, 2024
McCullough’s books have always been a kind of a refuge for me. Whenever I get to feeling a little down about the United States and the incredibly messy process of moving into a responsible future, I always revisit one of his books.
“Brave Companions” feels like sitting down with an old friend who’s brimming with fascinating stories. The book is a collection of short stories, each one a wonderful little gem about famous figures in American history. What makes this collection stand out is the way McCullough manages to turn each story into a miniature adventure, finding the extraordinary in the lives of a wide variety of different people.
The thing I’ve always loved most about David McCullough is his absolutely unbridled optimism about the world. Oh, if I could only capture the joy that this amazing man sees in the world. He’s such an incredible cheerleader for American history. You can sense his deep admiration and respect for the people who’ve shaped the nation, and it’s contagious. When you read “Brave Companions,” it’s just impossible not to be swept away in that pie-eyed enthusiasm.
He finds the bright side, even when times are at their darkest. He doesn’t shy away from the fact that history is full of challenges, corruption, and moments when it seems like America has lost its way. But he always manages to show that, somehow, the system finds its way back to the center, and the right thing is done in the end. It’s like he’s saying, “Yes, it’s complicated, and yes, it’s messy, but look at all the amazing things we’ve accomplished!” This optimism is contagious and always leaves me with an amazing sense of hope for the future.
Whether he’s writing about naturalist Louis Agassiz or aviator Charles Lindbergh, McCullough brings these dusty historic figures to life in a way that feels both intimate and grand. He manages to capture the essence of what made these people extraordinary while still grounding them in their humanity. There’s a sense of adventure in every story, and you can tell that McCullough is genuinely fascinated by the people he’s writing about.
Another standout attribute of this book is the way McCullough highlights some of the lesser-known people who played crucial roles in American history. He gives these people their due, showing that history isn’t just made by the big names, but by a whole cast of characters, each contributing in their own way. These little stories add a human element to the book, making it feel like a celebration of all the different threads that make up the fabric of American history.
If I had to sum up “Brave Companions” in one word, it would be “uplifting.” McCullough’s writing is full of hope and positivity, and it’s hard not to come away from the book feeling a little bit better about the world.
So, if you’re looking for a book that will not only educate but also leave you with a smile on your face, “Brave Companions” is well worth your time. It’s a comforting, inspiring read, and in typical McCullough fashion, it’s a book that reassures you that, somehow, everything will be alright.
“Brave Companions” feels like sitting down with an old friend who’s brimming with fascinating stories. The book is a collection of short stories, each one a wonderful little gem about famous figures in American history. What makes this collection stand out is the way McCullough manages to turn each story into a miniature adventure, finding the extraordinary in the lives of a wide variety of different people.
The thing I’ve always loved most about David McCullough is his absolutely unbridled optimism about the world. Oh, if I could only capture the joy that this amazing man sees in the world. He’s such an incredible cheerleader for American history. You can sense his deep admiration and respect for the people who’ve shaped the nation, and it’s contagious. When you read “Brave Companions,” it’s just impossible not to be swept away in that pie-eyed enthusiasm.
He finds the bright side, even when times are at their darkest. He doesn’t shy away from the fact that history is full of challenges, corruption, and moments when it seems like America has lost its way. But he always manages to show that, somehow, the system finds its way back to the center, and the right thing is done in the end. It’s like he’s saying, “Yes, it’s complicated, and yes, it’s messy, but look at all the amazing things we’ve accomplished!” This optimism is contagious and always leaves me with an amazing sense of hope for the future.
Whether he’s writing about naturalist Louis Agassiz or aviator Charles Lindbergh, McCullough brings these dusty historic figures to life in a way that feels both intimate and grand. He manages to capture the essence of what made these people extraordinary while still grounding them in their humanity. There’s a sense of adventure in every story, and you can tell that McCullough is genuinely fascinated by the people he’s writing about.
Another standout attribute of this book is the way McCullough highlights some of the lesser-known people who played crucial roles in American history. He gives these people their due, showing that history isn’t just made by the big names, but by a whole cast of characters, each contributing in their own way. These little stories add a human element to the book, making it feel like a celebration of all the different threads that make up the fabric of American history.
If I had to sum up “Brave Companions” in one word, it would be “uplifting.” McCullough’s writing is full of hope and positivity, and it’s hard not to come away from the book feeling a little bit better about the world.
So, if you’re looking for a book that will not only educate but also leave you with a smile on your face, “Brave Companions” is well worth your time. It’s a comforting, inspiring read, and in typical McCullough fashion, it’s a book that reassures you that, somehow, everything will be alright.
May 30, 2025
American history and short biographies worth reading.
In this book we're given a series of articles, mostly biographical, that focus on historical figures worth learning about, or about aspects of America that inspire.
One chapter near the end focused on the opportunities and history of Washington DC, apparently a city he believed all Americans should be more aware of. I live in California and am glad I was able to visit DC when I was sixteen, which was over fifty years ago. I haven't been back. I guess you can say I don't travel much. Nonetheless, my memories of DC are vivid. It is a wonderful place.
A few of the chapters told a bit more of the stories of people who were in his earlier books. I learned more about Washington Roebling (The Great Bridge) and Theodore Roosevelt (Mornings on Horseback). Other chapters told about people I had no prior knowledge of: Miriam Rothschild (an amazing woman), David Plowden (photographer), and Frederic Remington (painter), plus others.
This book was a pleasure to read. I love learning about people, history, and America.
In this book we're given a series of articles, mostly biographical, that focus on historical figures worth learning about, or about aspects of America that inspire.
One chapter near the end focused on the opportunities and history of Washington DC, apparently a city he believed all Americans should be more aware of. I live in California and am glad I was able to visit DC when I was sixteen, which was over fifty years ago. I haven't been back. I guess you can say I don't travel much. Nonetheless, my memories of DC are vivid. It is a wonderful place.
A few of the chapters told a bit more of the stories of people who were in his earlier books. I learned more about Washington Roebling (The Great Bridge) and Theodore Roosevelt (Mornings on Horseback). Other chapters told about people I had no prior knowledge of: Miriam Rothschild (an amazing woman), David Plowden (photographer), and Frederic Remington (painter), plus others.
This book was a pleasure to read. I love learning about people, history, and America.
June 19, 2017
This is a compilation of previously published essays by McCullough. Many of them are short biographical sketches of various people, some famous, some more obscure. The rest are about a variety of historical events and places. I listened to the audio version which was a pleasure because it is narrated by the author. Each of the chapters is 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Chapter 1 - Profile of Alexander von Humboldt, the German naturalist, scientist and explorer who journied through South America in the late 1700s
Chapter 2 - Profile of Louis Agassiz, Swiss naturalist who studied fish and founded the study of glaciology
Chapter 3 - Biography of Harriet Beacher Stowe
Chapter 4 - Story about the Marquis de Mores, Teddy Roosevelt, and Medora, North Dakota in the late 1800s
Chapter 5 - Biography of Frederic Remington - American painter, sculptor and writer who lived in the late 1800's and is known for his paintings of the American West
Chapter 6 - The story of the building of the Panama Railroad in the 1850s
Chapter 7 - The construction of the Brooklyn Bridge & profile of Washington Roebling
Chapter 8 - The discovery in the 1960s of the original architectural drawings of the Brooklyn Bridge
Chapter 9 - Pioneers in Early Aviation: Beryl Markham, Charles & Anne Lindburgh, Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Chapter 10 - Profile of American author Conrad Richter
Chapter 11 - Story about attorney and environmental activist Harry Caudill who brought awareness to strip-mining in Letcher County, Kentucky
Chapter 12 - Profile of Miriam Rothchild, a British entomologist and botanist known for her research on fleas
Chapter 13 - Profile of American photographer David Plowden who is known for his documentary photos of Small Town America
Chapter 14 - Nostalgic reminiscences and history about Washington DC
Chapter 15 - Written in 1986, this is a summary of the many changes around the world that had occurred over the last 50 years
Chapter 16 - College Commencement address
Chapter 17 - A call to historians to research and write more about the history of Congress and past members of Congress
Chapter 1 - Profile of Alexander von Humboldt, the German naturalist, scientist and explorer who journied through South America in the late 1700s
Chapter 2 - Profile of Louis Agassiz, Swiss naturalist who studied fish and founded the study of glaciology
Chapter 3 - Biography of Harriet Beacher Stowe
Chapter 4 - Story about the Marquis de Mores, Teddy Roosevelt, and Medora, North Dakota in the late 1800s
Chapter 5 - Biography of Frederic Remington - American painter, sculptor and writer who lived in the late 1800's and is known for his paintings of the American West
Chapter 6 - The story of the building of the Panama Railroad in the 1850s
Chapter 7 - The construction of the Brooklyn Bridge & profile of Washington Roebling
Chapter 8 - The discovery in the 1960s of the original architectural drawings of the Brooklyn Bridge
Chapter 9 - Pioneers in Early Aviation: Beryl Markham, Charles & Anne Lindburgh, Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Chapter 10 - Profile of American author Conrad Richter
Chapter 11 - Story about attorney and environmental activist Harry Caudill who brought awareness to strip-mining in Letcher County, Kentucky
Chapter 12 - Profile of Miriam Rothchild, a British entomologist and botanist known for her research on fleas
Chapter 13 - Profile of American photographer David Plowden who is known for his documentary photos of Small Town America
Chapter 14 - Nostalgic reminiscences and history about Washington DC
Chapter 15 - Written in 1986, this is a summary of the many changes around the world that had occurred over the last 50 years
Chapter 16 - College Commencement address
Chapter 17 - A call to historians to research and write more about the history of Congress and past members of Congress
Read
January 21, 2024A collection of McCullough's short pieces. Some read as if they were research rabbit holes he dived down when he was looking up stuff for one of his books. Some are personal reminiscences (I now want to find and read everything ever written by Conrad Richter). There is a wonderful mini-bio of Harriet Beecher Stowe and another terrific piece on naturalist Miriam Rothschild (she invented safety belts--!). Some of the topics did not stir me to read further than the first page but Chapter Nine, "Long-Distance Vision," about pilots who wrote as well as they flew (Charles Lindbergh, Beryl Markham, Antoine de St. Exupery among others) was worth the price of the book all by itself. Worth reading, or even skimming.
January 14, 2024
A marvelous collection of historical essays, mostly biographical. Some were more about events in history and some were more about people McCullough knew but all of the essays were excellent. There were seventeen essays in total but the ones I liked best were: Journey to the Top of the World about Alexander Von Humboldt and his extraordinary explorations including reaching 19,000 ft in the Andes, The Unexpected Mrs. Stowe a marvelous biography of Harriet Beecher Stowe, Remington a great biography of Western artist Frederick Remington, Steam Road to El Dorado about the building of the Panama railroad before the construction of the Panama Canal and The Treasure from the Carpentry Shop about the discovery of all of the architectural drawings for the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge almost a hundred years after it was built. It's been quite a few years since I had read any of David McCullough books and had forgotten what a great writer he was. His writing was absolutely exceptional.
February 3, 2018
This book of biographical sketches seems analogous to the Bonus material on DVDs. I don't know if this is true, but it feels like getting "extra" information that couldn't be included in the hefty tomes he had written.
While listening, it was fun to match up the subjects with McCullough books I've already read. He brings life to people who lived long ago; they become familiar and knowable. Books, music, art, historical locations were all referenced. I am tempted to get the print edition from the library in order to follow up on these. Alas, my TBR list is already a tall and looming mountain.
While listening, it was fun to match up the subjects with McCullough books I've already read. He brings life to people who lived long ago; they become familiar and knowable. Books, music, art, historical locations were all referenced. I am tempted to get the print edition from the library in order to follow up on these. Alas, my TBR list is already a tall and looming mountain.
July 6, 2021
As is frequently the case with historians, books are made out of the articles that authors have published elsewhere. These feasts on scraps are especially notable with posthumous works, as authors like C.S. Lewis and others have had a substantial portion of their writings made up of books made up of smaller texts that are fit together. As far as I know, at least, midbrow historian David McCullough is still alive, but he is certainly getting older at this point and this sort of books makes sense from the perspective of wanting fresh material that will be new to most people. In reading this book I was particularly struck with the approach that the author had with his subject matter, most of which is made up of accounts of people whom history has largely forgotten for one reason or another. Despite the fact that some very harsh things could be said about many of these historical subjects, but the author chooses to focus on their achievements and on why they are worth remembering. This is perhaps not very popular within the contemporary guild of historians, but there is something refreshing about focusing on the positive even as the author acknowledges that another side exists.
This book is between 200 and 250 pages long and is divided into five parts. The book begins with an introduction. After that the author provides articles relating to phenomena (I), including a journey to the top of the world by Humboldt and his companion (1), the American adventure of the forgotten Louis Agassiz (2), and the unexpected life and career of Mrs. Stowe (3). The author then looks at “the real west” (II) with a discussion of the glory dates of Medora in the Dakota territory (4) and the paintings and life of Remington (5). The third part of the look explores pioneers (III), such as the steam road to El Dorado (6), a look at builders (7), the treasure from the carpentry shop (8), and a look at long-distance vision (9). The next part of the book contains various figures from history in their context (IV), such as the crossing of the blue mountain (10), the lonely war of what the author considers to be a good angry man (11), Miriam Rothschild and her expertise in insects (12), and an account of David Plowden (13). The firth part of the book then ends the volume with a discussion of Washington DC (14), extraordinary times (15), a recommended itinerary (16), and Simon Willard’s clock in Congress (17), as well as index.
It is unclear why exactly the title of brave companions makes a fitting title for the book as a whole. There are very few chapters in this book that deal specifically with brave companions. Perhaps the title “Portraits In History” would have been too ponderous and heavy, but it would have better explained the contents of the work. Be that as it may, the book is an interesting one in examining the shorter material of the author that has not been published previously in book form. As someone who does not read the articles of the author, I have to say that this book revealed to me a lot of information about the author and his worldview and political perspective. As one might figure to be the case, I found the author’s political perspective rather unappealing. Yet at the same time I could understand why it is that many contemporary historians who are far more radical than the author will find the author’s perspective troublesome and irritating as well. And that is something to find interesting even if the author does not wish to dwell on this subject to any great degree, even if that would be of interest to the reader.
This book is between 200 and 250 pages long and is divided into five parts. The book begins with an introduction. After that the author provides articles relating to phenomena (I), including a journey to the top of the world by Humboldt and his companion (1), the American adventure of the forgotten Louis Agassiz (2), and the unexpected life and career of Mrs. Stowe (3). The author then looks at “the real west” (II) with a discussion of the glory dates of Medora in the Dakota territory (4) and the paintings and life of Remington (5). The third part of the look explores pioneers (III), such as the steam road to El Dorado (6), a look at builders (7), the treasure from the carpentry shop (8), and a look at long-distance vision (9). The next part of the book contains various figures from history in their context (IV), such as the crossing of the blue mountain (10), the lonely war of what the author considers to be a good angry man (11), Miriam Rothschild and her expertise in insects (12), and an account of David Plowden (13). The firth part of the book then ends the volume with a discussion of Washington DC (14), extraordinary times (15), a recommended itinerary (16), and Simon Willard’s clock in Congress (17), as well as index.
It is unclear why exactly the title of brave companions makes a fitting title for the book as a whole. There are very few chapters in this book that deal specifically with brave companions. Perhaps the title “Portraits In History” would have been too ponderous and heavy, but it would have better explained the contents of the work. Be that as it may, the book is an interesting one in examining the shorter material of the author that has not been published previously in book form. As someone who does not read the articles of the author, I have to say that this book revealed to me a lot of information about the author and his worldview and political perspective. As one might figure to be the case, I found the author’s political perspective rather unappealing. Yet at the same time I could understand why it is that many contemporary historians who are far more radical than the author will find the author’s perspective troublesome and irritating as well. And that is something to find interesting even if the author does not wish to dwell on this subject to any great degree, even if that would be of interest to the reader.
May 3, 2019
Very interesting book featuring a number of historical figures I knew almost nothing about. I particularly appreciated the information of the Kentucky strip mining - oh, horrors, what we have done to our world. The information about Washington D.C. was fascinating and different from what one usually hears. The story of how the Brooklyn Bridge was built was both fascinating and horrifying. I’m glad my book club chose this one.
January 31, 2024
DM makes one feel good about history…his easy intellectualism seems homespun…but it’s his nostalgia that seems ever present.
DM died a few years ago and his history that celebrates the past seems quaint and out of place…his speech to some graduating university students especially as DM instructs these graduates to go see Jefferson at Monticello…Jefferson’s statue was just taken down in NYC…
DMs reverence of the past is out of step with those who want to destroy the past.
DM died a few years ago and his history that celebrates the past seems quaint and out of place…his speech to some graduating university students especially as DM instructs these graduates to go see Jefferson at Monticello…Jefferson’s statue was just taken down in NYC…
DMs reverence of the past is out of step with those who want to destroy the past.
June 27, 2019
Snapshots of lesser-known Americans, well-researched and -written in McCullough's typical style, but not very engaging for me personally. (Audio version is difficult to understand!)
October 8, 2015
McCullough is one of my favorite writers of history, and as an audio addict, I'm so glad this has finally been recorded. I confess McCullough is not my favorite narrator; Edward Herrmann did such a masterful job with McCullough's books, but with Herrmann gone, I'm willing to settle for the author. Listening to him read these essays on famous (and sometimes not so) people in history is like sitting down with a favorite professor and listening to him share his best stories. Companionable, thoughtful, inspirational. What I like best about McCullough is the way he integrates people, landscapes, events, and ideas to tell such accessible stories. He creates a true sense of time and place, you-are-there, I guess. He even talks about how he found his profession. For fans of Simon Winchester, who also reads his own books (The Men Who United the States is an especially good match thematically), and John McPhee, who is another master of profiling personalities to add another dimension to discussions of events and ideas.
November 15, 2021
McCullough might just be the most inspiring historian/biographer I've read. His writing is a model of well-chosen details and sweeping narrative. It is stirring, passionate, careful storytelling built on incredible scholarship and a love of people.
This was a fun collection. One or two didn't interest me so much, but most had me captivated.
Loved it. And the author has a great second name!
This was a fun collection. One or two didn't interest me so much, but most had me captivated.
Loved it. And the author has a great second name!
February 7, 2017
Originally published as magazine articles, the vignettes in this book are of mixed quality. Some of them are as good as anything McCullough has written, which is very good indeed. Others not quite up to that high standard.
June 14, 2018
3.5 stars. Had some stories I really liked and others That didn’t grab me. My favorites: Washington on the Potomac, Remington, Cross the Blue Mountain, and the American Adventure of Louis Agassiz.
June 4, 2022
One of my favorite non-fiction writers, producing a book of short stories on men and women "who have changed the course of history or changed how we see the world."
One of my favorites was not about a person but about a city-Washington, D.C. I enjoyed his take on the city on the Potomac. He had me walking those streets and viewing the monuments late at night while curled up in bed.
A perfect book to carry around as I ran all my errands and visited physician offices this week.
One of my favorites was not about a person but about a city-Washington, D.C. I enjoyed his take on the city on the Potomac. He had me walking those streets and viewing the monuments late at night while curled up in bed.
A perfect book to carry around as I ran all my errands and visited physician offices this week.
February 3, 2021
McCullough is one of my favorite authors. He's so knowledgeable and drives me to think.
April 15, 2020
I liked it and like David McCullough for sure. It was a little roundabout, though. Some things about little known people from history, some previous texts from speeches or maybe papers about various people. It had some quiet times and other inspiring times for sure.
July 4, 2021
As a professional of history, there are times when I miss the simple pleasure of storytelling. Academic historians are no longer storytellers; they have become scientists, with all the burden of evidence and drive to reinforce a conclusion. May make for compelling reading, but it doesn't make reading enjoyable.
This collection of short, mostly biographical pieces from the late 1960s through the 1980s assembles some of McCullough's forays into biographical essay form--they are stories. No footnotes, lots of first-person, plenty of reverence and respect for the subjects. Nothing to prove or to document, just an unfolding tale well told. I am more interested in the subject for the obvious excitement he has found in the stories. I can recommend this one as bedtime or weekend or summertime reading.
This collection of short, mostly biographical pieces from the late 1960s through the 1980s assembles some of McCullough's forays into biographical essay form--they are stories. No footnotes, lots of first-person, plenty of reverence and respect for the subjects. Nothing to prove or to document, just an unfolding tale well told. I am more interested in the subject for the obvious excitement he has found in the stories. I can recommend this one as bedtime or weekend or summertime reading.
October 22, 2008
Okay, confession time: this is the fist McCullough I've read. His books have been recommended to me dozens of times (especially John Adams), but I have always had this aversion to "popular" historians. There are certain popular historians that I just distrust--they have published too much to have done much of the work themselves--or to really dive into the material.
McCullough does not appear to be one of those "popular" historians.
This book is a collection of essays, first published in 1991. The majority of the essays are brief, biographical sketches of some fascinating people--some of whom I had never heard of, many of whom don't follow into my usual categories of historical interest. But each essay was wonderful. He introduced me to some people I would love to know more about, such as Miriam Rothschild. He told the jaw-dropping story of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and the railroad line across Panama (before the canal).
I loved his writing style--he doesn't get bogged down in details like so many historians, but somehow senses exactly what we the reader need to know in order to understand.
Highly recommended. I may even tackle John Adams one of these days.
McCullough does not appear to be one of those "popular" historians.
This book is a collection of essays, first published in 1991. The majority of the essays are brief, biographical sketches of some fascinating people--some of whom I had never heard of, many of whom don't follow into my usual categories of historical interest. But each essay was wonderful. He introduced me to some people I would love to know more about, such as Miriam Rothschild. He told the jaw-dropping story of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and the railroad line across Panama (before the canal).
I loved his writing style--he doesn't get bogged down in details like so many historians, but somehow senses exactly what we the reader need to know in order to understand.
Highly recommended. I may even tackle John Adams one of these days.
July 19, 2015
Building the 47-mile Panama Railroad (the world's first intercontinental railroad) cost the lives of probably 6000 men, who succumbed to malaria, or depression from the utter hell it was to build something of that sort through a jungle without surveying equipment, or machines of any kind.
David McCullough is taken with these kinds of endeavors in this great book of stories about achievement in history, mostly American history.
He also writes about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, another achievement with a heavy human toll. One of his best chapters is about the engineer who in the 1970s or so discovered the drawings of each part of the bridge, each tool, each.
The book is a series of vignettes of this kind, but McCullough is also aware that, as heroic as these kinds of endeavors were in their time, in our era they can be equally toxic. He writes, for example, about Harry Caudill, from eastern Kentucky, a gadfly against the strip mining that has mangled and taken away so much of that country.
This is my kind of history - the kind that finds the stories, the epic adventure and tells it with the drama and personal detail that it needs.
David McCullough is taken with these kinds of endeavors in this great book of stories about achievement in history, mostly American history.
He also writes about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, another achievement with a heavy human toll. One of his best chapters is about the engineer who in the 1970s or so discovered the drawings of each part of the bridge, each tool, each.
The book is a series of vignettes of this kind, but McCullough is also aware that, as heroic as these kinds of endeavors were in their time, in our era they can be equally toxic. He writes, for example, about Harry Caudill, from eastern Kentucky, a gadfly against the strip mining that has mangled and taken away so much of that country.
This is my kind of history - the kind that finds the stories, the epic adventure and tells it with the drama and personal detail that it needs.
July 24, 2019
More like a middle of the road 2.5 stars.
Audiobook, read by the author. He read in a bit of a monotone had an annoying way of mumbling at the end of a sentence that made it hard for me to hear him at times. A better reading would have made this book much more enjoyable to me.
Overall some of the "portraits" were very interesting and some were ho-hum to me. In a book that is a compilation of previous essays I usually expect some will appeal more to me than others.
In particular I enjoyed the essays on
Harriet Beecher Stowe who I knew little about except as the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin
Frederic Remington whose paintings helped define our mythology of the Wild West.
Charles and Anne Lindbergh, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Beryl Markham the first long flight pilots.
Harry Caudill, Kentucky lawyer who brought up strip mining issues and how the mining companies manipulated land owners. I had never heard of him.
I think my favorites were on the building of the Panama Canal and Brooklyn Bridge which included the impact on many nameless workers who built and died doing it.
Audiobook, read by the author. He read in a bit of a monotone had an annoying way of mumbling at the end of a sentence that made it hard for me to hear him at times. A better reading would have made this book much more enjoyable to me.
Overall some of the "portraits" were very interesting and some were ho-hum to me. In a book that is a compilation of previous essays I usually expect some will appeal more to me than others.
In particular I enjoyed the essays on
Harriet Beecher Stowe who I knew little about except as the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin
Frederic Remington whose paintings helped define our mythology of the Wild West.
Charles and Anne Lindbergh, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Beryl Markham the first long flight pilots.
Harry Caudill, Kentucky lawyer who brought up strip mining issues and how the mining companies manipulated land owners. I had never heard of him.
I think my favorites were on the building of the Panama Canal and Brooklyn Bridge which included the impact on many nameless workers who built and died doing it.
May 5, 2019
Book Court - Where I'm the Judge and Jury
CHARGE (What was the author trying to say?): To show how history is made up of background stories.
FACTS: Though I am not a fan of short stories or essays, I found these very compelling. The essays explain how courage played a role in the lives of great figures of the 19th Century and how courage allowed them to accomplish extraordinary things. From Harriet Beecher Stow to Simon Willard, figures known and unknown, we have an opportunity to go behind the pages of history and get a glimpse into fear, desire, motivations, and moral resolve. There is a common thread running though each of these vignettes. They all led lives of active discovery and their work was truly inspiring. Success was achieved through their attitudes - something worth pondering.
VERDICT (Was the author successful?): Guilty, as charged.
CHARGE (What was the author trying to say?): To show how history is made up of background stories.
FACTS: Though I am not a fan of short stories or essays, I found these very compelling. The essays explain how courage played a role in the lives of great figures of the 19th Century and how courage allowed them to accomplish extraordinary things. From Harriet Beecher Stow to Simon Willard, figures known and unknown, we have an opportunity to go behind the pages of history and get a glimpse into fear, desire, motivations, and moral resolve. There is a common thread running though each of these vignettes. They all led lives of active discovery and their work was truly inspiring. Success was achieved through their attitudes - something worth pondering.
VERDICT (Was the author successful?): Guilty, as charged.
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