Let's say that history is what happened. The record of what happened is how each individual happens to see those events. They've already been filtered. When the historian or biographer takes over, history is no longer exactly what happened, because… — 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
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
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
I get letters from two kinds of readers. History buffs, who love to read history and biography for fun, and then kids who want… — 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
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
“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
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
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
“Batteries of machine guns firing point-blank at assaulting troops could turn an infantry attack into a mass suicide.” — Russell Freedman Copy Share
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
“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
“In the first days of mobilization there was of course a lot of enthusiasm,” recalled Robert Poustis, who was a French student at the… — Russell Freedman Copy Share
I think that today's books, in which every quote, every conversation, is taken from a memoir, an autobiography, an interview, or what-have-you, are much… — Russell Freedman Copy Share
Thomas Jefferson once said, "Women shouldn't wrinkle their pretty little foreheads with politics." Now does that mean he was a sexist, or was he… — Russell Freedman Copy Share
