Michael Hill (14)
Author of Elihu Washburne: The Diary and Letters of America's Minister to France During the Siege and Commune of Paris
For other authors named Michael Hill, see the disambiguation page.
Works by Michael Hill
Elihu Washburne: The Diary and Letters of America's Minister to France During the Siege and Commune of Paris (2012) 43 copies, 3 reviews
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Gender
- male
- Occupations
- press assistant
historical researcher - Short biography
- #14 Michael Hill worked in politics and government—including as a press assistant to Vice President Walter F. Mondale—before establishing himself as an independent historical researcher. He has worked with David McCullough, Michael Korda, Jon Meacham, Evan Thomas, Michael Beschloss, and Nathaniel Philbrick, among others. He was also a co-producer for Ken Burns's The Civil War series for PBS, a coordinating producer for the Baseball series, and served as a historical consultant for the HBO production of David McCullough's John Adams. He lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia. - Elihu Washburne
- Nationality
- USA
- Places of residence
- Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- Virginia, USA
Members
Reviews
Elihu Washburne: The Diary and Letters of America's Minister to France During the Siege and Commune of Paris by Michael Hill
I received this book as part of a GoodReads drawing and despite the low-low price of ‘absolutely nothing’ I give my candid opinions below.
When I first sat down with this book it was with a bit of concern. Having somewhat recently taken my hand at Samuel Pepys I was expecting a similar regurgitation of the day-to-day life of our subject diplomat. I was pleasantly and quickly relieved to find that unlike previous publishers of similar material, Michael Hill has taken much greater care to show more craft a more robust picture of our illustrious Mr. Washburne. It is doubly helpful that Washburne himself is an acute and entertaining writer so the two work in a wonderfully collaborative manner despite their separation in time by over a century.
The book begins with a brief overview of the players and time period involved. This is especially useful since the events depicted aren’t all that familiar to American readers. After the initial setting of the stage, the text is divided into six chronological sections, each with a brief overview of the time period involved followed by Washburne’s own writings. Large quotes from Washburne are bracketed and enhanced by Hill’s commentary and background. This is no mere reprint of old diaries but rather the reader is walked patiently from one event to the next while our esteemed diplomat chatters away nostalgically in the background.
In summary, this offering is what first-person historical writing should be. Sources speak for themselves but with expert and erudite help to bridge the gaps between past and present. While the specificity of the subject matter may leave history novices a bit behind, Hill’s “Elihu Washburne” is a perfect choice for a medium to advanced history maven. show less
When I first sat down with this book it was with a bit of concern. Having somewhat recently taken my hand at Samuel Pepys I was expecting a similar regurgitation of the day-to-day life of our subject diplomat. I was pleasantly and quickly relieved to find that unlike previous publishers of similar material, Michael Hill has taken much greater care to show more craft a more robust picture of our illustrious Mr. Washburne. It is doubly helpful that Washburne himself is an acute and entertaining writer so the two work in a wonderfully collaborative manner despite their separation in time by over a century.
The book begins with a brief overview of the players and time period involved. This is especially useful since the events depicted aren’t all that familiar to American readers. After the initial setting of the stage, the text is divided into six chronological sections, each with a brief overview of the time period involved followed by Washburne’s own writings. Large quotes from Washburne are bracketed and enhanced by Hill’s commentary and background. This is no mere reprint of old diaries but rather the reader is walked patiently from one event to the next while our esteemed diplomat chatters away nostalgically in the background.
In summary, this offering is what first-person historical writing should be. Sources speak for themselves but with expert and erudite help to bridge the gaps between past and present. While the specificity of the subject matter may leave history novices a bit behind, Hill’s “Elihu Washburne” is a perfect choice for a medium to advanced history maven. show less
I received this book as part of a GoodReads drawing and despite the low-low price of ‘absolutely nothing’ I give my candid opinions below.
When I first sat down with this book it was with a bit of concern. Having somewhat recently taken my hand at Samuel Pepys I was expecting a similar regurgitation of the day-to-day life of our subject diplomat. I was pleasantly and quickly relieved to find that unlike previous publishers of similar material, Michael Hill has taken much greater care to show more craft a more robust picture of our illustrious Mr. Washburne. It is doubly helpful that Washburne himself is an acute and entertaining writer so the two work in a wonderfully collaborative manner despite their separation in time by over a century.
The book begins with a brief overview of the players and time period involved. This is especially useful since the events depicted aren’t all that familiar to American readers. After the initial setting of the stage, the text is divided into six chronological sections, each with a brief overview of the time period involved followed by Washburne’s own writings. Large quotes from Washburne are bracketed and enhanced by Hill’s commentary and background. This is no mere reprint of old diaries but rather the reader is walked patiently from one event to the next while our esteemed diplomat chatters away nostalgically in the background.
In summary, this offering is what first-person historical writing should be. Sources speak for themselves but with expert and erudite help to bridge the gaps between past and present. While the specificity of the subject matter may leave history novices a bit behind, Hill’s “Elihu Washburne” is a perfect choice for a medium to advanced history maven. show less
When I first sat down with this book it was with a bit of concern. Having somewhat recently taken my hand at Samuel Pepys I was expecting a similar regurgitation of the day-to-day life of our subject diplomat. I was pleasantly and quickly relieved to find that unlike previous publishers of similar material, Michael Hill has taken much greater care to show more craft a more robust picture of our illustrious Mr. Washburne. It is doubly helpful that Washburne himself is an acute and entertaining writer so the two work in a wonderfully collaborative manner despite their separation in time by over a century.
The book begins with a brief overview of the players and time period involved. This is especially useful since the events depicted aren’t all that familiar to American readers. After the initial setting of the stage, the text is divided into six chronological sections, each with a brief overview of the time period involved followed by Washburne’s own writings. Large quotes from Washburne are bracketed and enhanced by Hill’s commentary and background. This is no mere reprint of old diaries but rather the reader is walked patiently from one event to the next while our esteemed diplomat chatters away nostalgically in the background.
In summary, this offering is what first-person historical writing should be. Sources speak for themselves but with expert and erudite help to bridge the gaps between past and present. While the specificity of the subject matter may leave history novices a bit behind, Hill’s “Elihu Washburne” is a perfect choice for a medium to advanced history maven. show less
Elihu Washburne: The Diary and Letters of America's Minister to France During the Siege and Commune of Paris by Michael Hill
I decided to read this book after noticing Washburne's appearance in David McCullough's book "The Greater Journey". Elihu Washburne was a remarkable statesman and his diary is a perfectly detailed account of the vicious Commune period in French history. I didn't know anything about the Commune before it was covered in McCullough's book and I wanted to read more about Washburne. I wasn't disappointed. It was a little repetitive in some places, but not enough to discourage me from finishing show more it. It's amazing to read about the trials that Paris went through and has recovered from. show less
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Statistics
- Works
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- Members
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- Rating
- 4.0
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