According to many studies about the literary preferences of men and women, men prefer non-fiction works. However, avid male readers are just as likely to read fiction as their female counterparts. Whether you are a man or woman, avid or occasional reader, history is worth reading about. Author and Pittsburgh native, David McCullough, received the Pulitzer Prize for Truman and John Adams. During his lifetime, he received many other prestigious awards for his historical biographies and novels including the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
After his death in 2022, his daughter Dorie McCullough Lawson and his research assistant Michael Hill, who had both worked with McCullough for decades, began going through his papers. McCullough was old school. He didn’t use a computer. Everything he did was handwritten or typed on the same typewriter he used throughout his entire career.
Luckily for them, most of McCullough’s papers were meticulously organized. Some papers were haphazardly stored in an old barn. During the process of organizing his papers, they decided to revisit some of his old speeches and essays including some unpublished works.
Lawson and Hill served as editors for History Matters by David McCullough published posthumously in 2025.
Before each section of the book, Lawson and Hill wrote short introductions explaining why they selected the material and its personal significance to the author.
I can’t say that I agreed with Mr. McCullough’s characterizations of each historical figure. I tend to be less sympathetic to Andrew Jackson and George Washington, two incredibly complicated men of history, but I would never disagree with his assessment of their historical importance.
Now more than ever it’s important to study history. It’s important to study what actually happened and who was there. One of the major points McCullough makes time after time is that the people making history and experiencing a particular time in history don’t have the luxury of knowing how things will turn out.
McCullough understood that history should be presented as it was lived. The five senses also had to come alive. What did they wear, eat, read, listen to, or see when they looked at the world? The artists, composers, writers, craftsmen, and cooks mattered. The feel of our clothing against our skin or the taste of an apple or an apple pie aren’t the same for us. The music, dances, and books we enjoy aren’t the same, but we can reach back into history and listen to Scott Joplin, read Washington Irving, or learn to square dance.
When historians like McCullough do their jobs correctly (and he did) we learn about the best and the worst of our history. We can celebrate the triumphs and understand the sacrifices our ancestors made to ensure our future. We can look back and see the horrific mistakes our leaders and our citizens made out of ego or ignorance, and we can learn not to be like them. History is important warts and all.
I enjoyed seeing history through the eyes of this talented and humble man. I think you will, too.
Other Works by David McCullough:
The Pioneers
The American Spirit
The Wright Brothers
The Greater Journey
1776
John Adams
Truman
Brave Companions
Mornings on Horseback
The Path Between the Seas
The Great Bridge
The Johnstown Floyd