Hello.

Welcome and good evening.

I am Ted Ayres and we are so glad to have you with us this evening.

Thanks for watching.

PBS Kansas and Inside the Cover your locally produced show about books and the wonder of reading.

Tonight we are going to again feature and focus on an individual author, one of my all time favorites, David McCullough.

It is now time to go inside the cover.

David McCullough was an American popular historian.

He was a two time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and also won a National Book Award.

In 2006, he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States highest civilian award.

McCullough was born in Pittsburgh and earned a degree in English literature from Yale University.

His first book was The Johnstown Flood, and he wrote nine more books after that.

McCullough served apprenticeships at Time Life, the United States Information Agency and American Heritage Magazine, where he enjoyed doing research.

He said, “Once I discovered the endless fascination of doing the research and of doing the writing, I knew that I had found what I wanted to do with my life.

” McCullough's writing is monumental in scope and scale.

His books are well-researched and well-written, and his nonfiction works address a plethora of interesting topics and almost read like fiction.

McCullough's book, The Path Between the Seas, was copyrighted in 1977, and I finished it on April 2, 2023.

It was a gift from a friend for my 75th birthday.

Subtitled The Creation of the Panama Canal 1870-1914.

I must admit that I had no idea that this engineering marvel was some 44 years in the making.

This book deals with larger than life personalities graft, corruption, political intrigue and maneuvering, diseases, geography and engineering on a massive scale.

I enjoyed this book.

This book gave McCullough widespread recognition, and he ultimately traveled to the White House to advise President Carter on the treaties that gave Panama control of the canal.

As you can see, I have a number of McCullough's books on my library shelves.

I finished his book, John Adams, on July 26, 2001, and was honored to get his signature and his wifes, while attending his Landon Lecture at Kansas State University on February 1, 2002.

Then President John Wefald wrote: “David McCullough's history books are readable, entertaining and insightful.

After reading John Adams, you know why America was so blessed with having so many first rate leaders and heroes from the revolution to the Young Republic of the 1790s and beyond.

” McCullough won the Pulitzer Prize for this book.

1776 was copyrighted in 2005, and I finished my copy on October 20, 2005.

This book is a powerful testimony to how much is owed to a rare few in that brave founding epoch.

And what a miracle it was that things turned out as they did.

McCullough dedicated this book to his wife, Rosalie Barnes McCullough.

The Great Bridge was copyrighted in 1972.

Subtitled the Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge.

I remember being amazed by this book and the story of the construction of this New York City landmark.

Americans in Paris was copyrighted in 2011, and I finished my copy on November 15, 2012.

Also dedicated to Rosalie, this book tells the story of the adventurous American artists, writers, doctors, politicians, architects and others of high aspiration who set off for Paris in the years between 1830 and 1900 ambitious to excel in their work.

Truman was copyrighted in 1992 and was also recognized with the Pulitzer Prize.

This book was ten years in the writing and is an American masterpiece about that most American of presidents, the man from Missouri.

David McCullough, died on August 7, 2022.

American History and scholarship will never be the same.

That's our show tonight.

We have featured David McCullough.

If you have not read his work, do yourself a huge favor and read one of his books.

You will be glad you did.

And I am guessing you will want more.

Good night and see you next time.