want-- somebody who will address the problems and do things that aren't popular. >> safer: david mccullough's have all come from a machine invented about the time abe lincoln was president. some of you may recognize it as a typewriter. >> mccullough: i bought it when i was embarking on my first book in the mid... early 1960s. >> safer: he calls this world headquarters, an 8' x 12' sanctuary in his backyard on martha's vineyard in massachusetts. why do you use this, as opposed to a computer? >> mccullough: i can't press the wrong button and eliminate a month's work. >> safer: from his trusty royal have come books about the johnstown flood, the brooklyn bridge, the panama canal, and the revolutionary war. and biographies of three presidents-- john adams, teddy roosevelt, harry truman. >> mccullough: the only way to teach history, to write history, to bring people into the magic of transforming yourself into other times is through the vehicle of the story. it isn't just a chronology, it's about people. history is human. jefferson-- "when in the course of human events..." "human" is the operative

. >> come along with david mccullough when he goes along on our journey to paris before independence, a time of a new generation. >> they came here in order to improve themselves and to thereby improve their country. >> as for this generation of americans, america's favorite historian is less than enthusiastic. >> we are raising children in america today who by in large historically are ill it illiter. >> i'm steve kroft. >> i'm lesley stahl. >> i'm morley safer. >> i'm lara logan. >> i'm byron pitts. >> i'm scott pelley. those stories tonight on "60 minutes." that was me... the day i learned i had to start insulin for my type 2 diabetes. me... thinking my only option was the vial and syringe dad used. and me... discovering once-daily levemir® flexpen. flexpen® is prefilled. doesn't need refrigeration for up to 42 days. no drawing from a vial. dial the exact dose. inject by pushing a button. flexpen® is insulin delivery... my way. levemir® (insulin detemir [rdna origin] injection) is a long-acting insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults and children with diabetes and is not

with the idea and just yesterday i got a nice endorsement from the governor of illinois from david mccullough, the chairman of the national endowment for the humanities, a wonderful endorsement. i think it really gets to the essence of why this is important. he says in a country established as an idea in the written documents and embellish by generations of the critics the case for commemorating the written word of self-evident. after all what is written describes the people and what is celebrated describes their values. >> who wrote that? >> this was the chairman of the national endowment for the humanities. the long term congressman from iowa cities to the custody. >> how much money do you predict this project will cost? >> ultimately the current plan projects about 90 million it will be developed in phases. the first phase budget is 35 million, and that is to develop the initial space. it will be about 30,000 square feet. an additional 15 million, so another 15 million, and then 20 million for the endowment to ensure the museum is sustainable. that is the issue today. you can start with a

in the nonfiction area, david mccullough. in most recent times i've gravitate more to the poets, and you know, i love the great poet. who can't? i mean, i have -- sitting on my nightstand which i turn to every night, every morning. so there are so many. >> malcolm o'hagan is the founder and chairman of the foundation of the american writer's museum. this is booktv. >> the 12th annual national book festival took place in sept number on the national mall in washington, d.c. booktv countered about the history and biography tent and also the contemporary pavilion. up next on booktv charles kupchan present his book, "no one's world: the west, the rising rest and the coming global turn." this is about 45 minutes. >> thank you very much, francis, for the warm introduction. thanks to all of you for coming out this afternoon. it's reassuring for those of us who toil away at writing books that we're not doing doing so in vain and that people actually occasionally read them and maybe the ideas trickle down into broader debates about the

david mccullough was on the last two weeks talking about the fact that we have become historically illiterate lamentably, in his opinion. they asked him why that was. i wonder what you think about that. can i ask a question? >> do you agree with that? >> well, it is the fault of my wonderful profession, i think, in large part. i don't think we teach history as history should be taught. it's wonderful comments about, it's about our past, it helps answer questions about her present. i think the better we teach history, the further we get away from seoul and fact driven textbooks and the more wonderful stories that we have, the more our children and we ourselves will understand how extraordinary and exciting it is. [applause] >> thank you. >> thank you to our authors. we will have autographing. autographing to the right of the elevator. thank you. [inaudible conversations] >> he has live coverage from the miami book fair international, and it continues here on the campus of miami dade college in north downtown miami. coming up is another panel. this one is on christopher hitchens from the late c

i think it was david mckohl law -- mccullough had writ yep a book on the brooklyn bridge. the 100 ith anniversary is this year or next, it's in this period of time. and a piece of infrastructure that has served new york city and in larger context the nation for 150 years. so what we can do now as we rebuild new york, new jersey, and the other areas and, please, california also as we protect ourselves from these natural disasters, we will put in place investments that will serve for multiple generations into the future. that's a capital investment with an enormous return as the brooklyn bridge was 150 years ago. so wreef these opportunities and -- we have these opportunities and we ought to take advantage of them not just for humanitarian reasons but also for immediate jobs and long-term investments. that's our task. that's what we ought to be about. not a democrat, not a republican idea, but a true american idea that goes way back to the very early ages of our country. mr. tonko, if you care to wrap we'll call this a day. mr. tonko: i think we have it within our intellect