There is credible evidence that a Chinese fleet went as far as the coast of Africa, in present-day Kenya. It was the largest maritime fleet in the world, under the command of Zheng He, a favorite of the emperor. — Russell Freedman Copy Share Image
Digging up new information and speculating on it isn't your primary purpose when you're writing a biography intended for young readers, unless you find compelling evidence that departs from the accepted wisdom. A biography for young people calls for the… — Russell Freedman Copy Share Image
I visited the archeological site at the northern tip of Newfoundland. There is no question about it. It has been definitely determined that the… — Russell Freedman Copy Share Image
Anyone writing a picture-book biography of Lincoln has a different set of responsibilities from someone writing a biography for sixth-graders, say, or from a… — Russell Freedman Copy Share Image
If you're doing a good job as author, then you get the reader to engage in whatever speculation might be called for. And it's… — Russell Freedman Copy Share Image
I get letters from two kinds of readers. History buffs, who love to read history and biography for fun, and then kids who want to be writers but who rarely come out and say so in their letters. You can tell by the questions they ask - How did you get your first book published? How long do you spend… — Russell Freedman Copy Share
You always want to know what happened before you. It's a human instinct to know where you came from and what preceded you. — Russell Freedman Copy Share Image
The first encounter was when the Vikings came across 10 Indians taking naps under their overturned canoes - and the Vikings killed them. That… — Russell Freedman Copy Share Image
“By the end of 1914, after less than five months of combat, more than 600,000 soldiers on both sides had been killed on the Western Front.” — Russell Freedman Copy Share Image
I like to write about things that fascinate me because I believe that they will also fascinate my readers as well. — Russell Freedman Copy Share Image
I sensed that Confucius is an interesting character. This is someone who lived over 2,500 years ago and is still speaking to us. That… — Russell Freedman Copy Share Image
“Batteries of machine guns firing point-blank at assaulting troops could turn an infantry attack into a mass suicide.” — Russell Freedman Copy Share Image
I didn't learn Chinese to write 'Confucius.' That would've been a monumental task. I have three friends who can translate Chinese text for me;… — Russell Freedman Copy Share Image
“I have mo prejudice against the Southern people... They are just what we would ben in their situation. If slavery did not now exits… — Russell Freedman Copy Share Image
