i was never interested in history and then i read something by david mccullough and i was to.i a lot of times they say it madeo me want to know more. so then i started to read my deeply. i hope in a way that is a conduit for people who think they don't like history to realize actually they do and there are these fascinating stories that they will absolutely love. >> the so-called popular historians have stepped into a gap left by the decline of narrative history of the academic department. there are various theories about the cause of that. i see academic historians take my deeply into very specialized areas often political or ideological, in the field is left wide open for people who tell stories. >> that's what i love to do. >> there are microphones in the middle of the aisle and you areo about the two, and ask candice anything you would like to. you get the first question. >> being part of the title ii teach history and other things, i appreciate your books because they are colorful. history to me as excited when he take figures are from telling figures secret about. when dealing

pejorative and condescending even though the best history written these days is by non-academic, david mccullough or your self. i am sure you are pleased to be put in that company. >> guest: i feel incredibly fortunate to do what i do. every day i go to work, my job is read, to deal -- delve into fascinating stories, i know a lot of historians, read a lot of academic history, not what i do. i hope that is a collaborative thing. i say i thought i hated history. was never interested in history and read something, i was hooked and a lot of times they say it made me want to know more. and it is a conduit for people who don't like history. and fascinating stories they absolutely love. >> host: popular historian stepped in, left by the decline of history in the academic club. as the academic historian digs more deeply into specialized areas and patents, the field is left open. >> guest: that is what i want to do. >> host: microphones in the middle of each aisle. >> part of the time i teach history. i appreciate your books, history to me is very exciting. you take colorful figures that you have written

i was never interested in history and then i read something by david mccullough o anthony beaver and so then i started to read more deeply and so i hope that in a way that's a conduit for people who don't like history who realize actually they do and there are fascinating stories that they will absolutely love. >> stepped into a gap by decline of narrative history in the academic department and serious about the cause of that, but as academic historian digs more deeply in the specialized areas often with political or ideological patents, the field is left wide open for people who want to tell stories. >> right. >> that's what i love to do. >> there are microphones in the middle of each aisle and you're welcome to come up and ask anything you like, you will first -- >> hi. >> well, being part of the timee i teach history in high school, i appreciate your books. history to me is very exciting and when you take colorful or compelling historic figures like you've written about i think you add a lot quite a bit. now when dealing with churchill and the boer war, one of the primary sources

the way, if i might say, i think part of the thing about him in reading more about him m and david mccullough has obviously been terrific in terms of that. basically, he was a president who listened to his advisers. >> beginning with the guy that this room was named after. >> absolutely. >> i think that relationship is something that really needs to be looked at in terms of a relationship between a secretary of state and a president and their closeness and they were so totally different. i will never forget. i didn't meet harry truman. i did meet dean atchison. he came to wellsly to speak when i was there. i noticed he had on patent pumps with his tuxedo. who would do that, i thought? he had gone to gratten. >> and he wasn't running for office. >> i do think they were very different types of people. it is evident from their correspondence that they really did click. that's very much worth examining. >> they really appreciated each other, which i'm sorry to say is not entirely true of president truman's opinion of many of the diplomates that worked in this building. >> that is true. >> whom we