Marrin, Albert 1936–

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Marrin, Albert 1936–

PERSONAL:

Born July 24, 1936, in New York, NY; son of Louis and Frieda Marrin; married Yvette Rappaport, November 22, 1959. Education: City College (now City College of the City University of New York), B.A., 1958; Yeshiva University, M.Ed., 1959; Columbia University, M.A., 1961, Ph.D., 1968. Hobbies and other interests: Travel in Europe.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Bronx, NY. Agent—Toni Mendez, Inc., 141 E. 56th St., New York, NY 10022.

CAREER:

William Howard Taft High School, New York, NY, social studies teacher, 1959-68; Yeshiva University, New York, NY, assistant professor of history, 1968-78, professor and chair of history department, beginning 1978; writer, 1968—. Visiting professor, Yeshiva University, 1967-68, and Touro College, 1972-74.

MEMBER:

Western Writers of America.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Notable Children's Trade Book selection, National Council for Social Studies (NCSS)/Children's Book Council, and Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Book designation, both 1985, both for 1812: The War Nobody Won; Western Heritage Award for best juvenile nonfiction book, National Cowboy Hall of Fame, and Spur Award, Western Writers of America, both 1993, both for Cowboys, Indians, and Gunfighters: The Story of the Cattle Kingdom; Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Book designation, 1994, and Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award, and Association of Christian Public School Teachers and Administrators Honor Award, both 1995, all for "Unconditional Surrender": U.S. Grant and the Civil War; Children's Book Guild/Washington Post Nonfiction Award for contribution to children's literature, 1995; Jefferson Cup Award, 1998, for Commander in Chief; Best Books for Young Adults citation, Young Adult Library Services Association, 2000, for Terror of the Spanish Main; Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Book designation, and Parents' Choice Award, both 2000, and Carter G. Woodson Book Award, NCSS, and Best Western Juvenile Nonfiction designation, Western Writers of America, both 2001, all for Sitting Bull and His World; James Madison Book Award, 2005, for Old Hickory; Best Book of the Year citation, American Library Association, 2005, for The Great Adventure: Theodore Roosevelt and the Rise of Modern America; James Madison Honor Book Award, 2007, for Saving the Buffalo; James Madison Book Award for Lifetime Achievement, 2008.

WRITINGS:

FOR CHILDREN; NONFICTION

Overlord: D-Day and the Invasion of Europe, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1982.

The Airman's War: World War II in the Sky, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1982.

Victory in the Pacific, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1983, reprinted, Beautiful Feet Books (Sandwich, MA), 2003.

War Clouds in the West: Indians and Cavalrymen, 1860-1890, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1984.

The Sea Rovers: Pirates, Privateers, and Buccaneers, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1984.

The Secret Armies: Spies, Counterspies, and Saboteurs in World War II, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1985.

1812: The War Nobody Won, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1985.

The Yanks Are Coming: The United States in the First World War, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1986.

Aztecs and Spaniards: Cortes and the Conquest of Mexico, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1986.

Struggle for a Continent: The French and Indian Wars, 1690-1760, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1987.

Hitler, Viking (New York, NY), 1987, reprinted, Beautiful Feet Books (Sandwich, MA), 2002.

The War for Independence: The Story of the American Revolution, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1988.

Stalin: Russia's Man of Steel, Viking (New York, NY), 1988, published as Stalin, Beautiful Feet Books (Sandwich, MA), 2002.

Inca and Spaniard: Pizarro and the Conquest of Peru, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1989.

Mao Tse-tung and His China, Viking (New York, NY), 1989.

Napoleon and the Napoleonic Wars, Viking (New York, NY), 1990.

The Spanish-American War, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1991.

America and Vietnam: The Elephant and the Tiger, Viking (New York, NY), 1992, reprinted, Beautiful Feet Books (Sandwich, MA), 2002.

Cowboys, Indians, and Gunfighters: The Story of the Cattle Kingdom, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1993.

"Unconditional Surrender": U.S. Grant and the Civil War, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1993.

Virginia's General: Robert E. Lee and the Civil War, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1994.

The Sea King: Sir Francis Drake and His Times, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1995.

Plains Warrior: Chief Quanah Parker and the Comanche, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1996.

Empires Lost and Won: The Spanish Heritage in the Southwest, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1997.

Commander in Chief: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War, Dutton (New York, NY), 1997.

Terror of the Spanish Main: Sir Henry Morgan and His Buccaneers, Dutton (New York, NY), 1999.

Sitting Bull and His World, Dutton (New York, NY), 2000.

George Washington and the Founding of a Nation, Dutton (New York, NY), 2001.

Secrets from the Rocks: Dinosaur Hunting with Roy Chapman Andrews, Dutton (New York, NY), 2002.

Dr. Jenner and the Speckled Monster: The Story of the Conquest of Smallpox, Dutton (New York, NY), 2002.

Old Hickory: Andrew Jackson and the American People, Dutton (New York, NY), 2004.

Oh Rats! The Story of Rats and People, illustrated by C.B. Mordan, Dutton (New York, NY), 2006.

Saving the Buffalo, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2006.

The Great Adventure: Theodore Roosevelt and Modern America, Dutton (New York, NY), 2007.

Years of Dust: The Story of the Dust Bowl, Dutton (New York, NY), 2009.

FOR ADULTS; NONFICTION

War and the Christian Conscience: Augustine to Martin Luther King, Jr., Gateway (Chicago, IL), 1971.

The Last Crusade: The Church of England in the First World War, Duke University Press (Durham, NC), 1974.

Nicholas Murray Butler: An Intellectual Portrait, Twayne (Boston, MA), 1976.

Sir Norman Angell, Twayne (Boston, MA), 1976.

ADAPTATIONS:

Victory in the Pacific and The Secret Armies were both adapted for audio by Recorded Books, 2001; The Airman's War, Commander in Chief, and Overlord: D-Day and the Invasion of Europe were recorded as audio books by Recorded Books, 2002; and George Washington and the Founding of a Nation was adapted as an audio book by Recorded Books, 2003.

SIDELIGHTS:

Albert Marrin is a professor of history who has attempted to make the past accessible to young readers via the many award-winning books he has authored. In books such as 1812: The War Nobody Won, Cowboys, Indians, and Gunfighters: The Story of the Cattle Kingdom, and Years of Dust: The Story of the Dust Bowl, Marrin weaves an intriguing tapestry of U.S. history by focusing on dramatic moments and famous personalities. In biographies of world political figures from Napoleon Bonaparte to Adolf Hitler, Marrin has also interpreted the events of a larger world stage for juvenile readers. Additionally, his books on World Wars I and II provide introductions to many aspects of those struggles. "Without much in the way of fireworks, Albert Marrin is quietly establishing himself as one of the main chroniclers of American history for young people," Deborah Stevenson wrote in the Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books. For many years, Marrin's books for young readers complemented his academic duties as chair of the history department at New York's Yeshiva University.

One of Marrin's first books intended for a young audience, Victory in the Pacific, is indicative of the author's approach to history. Writing in Voice of Youth Advocates, Michael Wessells commented on the author's "straightforward account," which is highlighted by "lucid capsule descriptions of selected topics" interspersed in the otherwise chronologically organized narrative which follows the war through major battles, from Pearl Harbor to Midway and Guadalcanal and the bombing of Japan. Marrin's treatment, anecdotal rather than detailed, will appeal, the reviewer noted, to "hi/lo readers." Kate M. Flanagan, writing in Horn Book, cited Marrin's "fast-paced" accounts of various battles and his ability to present a balanced narration that looks at history from both sides of the conflict in order to "provide an understanding of the warrior heritage that made the Japanese such a formidable enemy."

Marrin has dealt with various other aspects of World War II, from the invasion of Europe by the Allies to a history of spies and a study of the air war. With The Yanks Are Coming, he also examines U.S. involvement in World War I. His concentration on military subjects enhances an even more domestic topic in his War Clouds in the West: Indians and Cavalrymen, 1860-1890, which chronicles, battle by battle, the thirty-year war of destruction of the Plains Indians and Apache by the U.S. Cavalry. "The breadth of coverage," along with detailed diagrams and photos, "all recommend this book for general readers," noted George Gleason in a School Library Journal review. In Horn Book Nancy C. Hammond called Marrin's book a "dramatic readable account" featuring enlightening cultural and historical perspectives on the struggle, such as the pressures ensuing from commercial demands for buffalo brought on by a new hide-tanning process.

The history of the Native Americans of the Great Plains also figures in several titles by Marrin: Cowboys, Indians, and Gunfighters, Sitting Bull and His World, Plains Warrior: Chief Quanah Parker and the Comanche, and Saving the Buffalo. The award-winning Cowboys, Indians, and Gunfighters presents a history of the Old West that ranges from the earliest Spanish settlers, who introduced horses and cattle to the region, to the growing struggle between buffalo and cattle for the open range. Divided into six chronological chapters, the book includes what School Library Journal critic Julie Halverstadt described as "minority viewpoints" that encompass the contributions of African American and Mexican cowboys. Cowboys, Indians, and Gunfighters serves as "a dynamic look at one of the most exciting and dangerous periods in U.S. history," Halverstadt concluded.

With Plains Warrior, Marrin focuses on the Comanche and their losing battle in the nineteenth century for their traditional life on the Great Plains. Providing at once an overview of Comanche history and a dramatic representation of the last tragic years of fighting under Chief Quanah Parker, son of a kidnapped settler, Plains Warrior "brings the period to life," according to a reviewer in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. The reviewer also praised Marrin for his even-handed treatment of both parties in the battle. While noting that Marrin's "vivid writing occasionally strays into sensationalism," Horn Book contributor Mary M. Burns praised Plains Warrior for building on both the "major differences between the Comanche and the white points of view and the tragedy inherent in those differences." In Booklist, Chris Sherman commented favorably on Marrin's use of "vivid description" and "compelling anecdotes" in telling his "engrossing" story.

In Sitting Bull and His World, Marrin frames his biography of the Lakota warrior within "both the nature and substance of one man's resistance to and witness of his nation's enthnocide," according to a contributor to Horn Book. Saving the Buffalo, told in "characteristically robust prose," according to School Library Journal contributor John Peterson, covers the near-extinction of America's bison both at the hands of big-game hunters and as a result of a deliberate attempt to slaughter the creatures to gain advantage over American Indian populations.

Going further into the past, Marrin investigates a conflict between Europeans and Native Americans in the New World—the wars between the British and French and their Indian allies—in Struggle for a Continent: The French and Indian Wars, 1690-1760. Here the author once again demonstrates his use of accurate research as well as his skillful use of anecdote to create a "retelling of history that young people find accessible and appealing," according to Elizabeth S. Watson in Horn Book. Paula Nespeca Deal, writing in the Voice of Youth Advocates, called Struggle for a Continent a "fascinating, easy to read overview" in which Marrin brings to life a little-understood battle for power by using "vivid details of the cultural and social background." Deal also pointed out that Marrin includes the accomplishments of women in the struggle.

A logical chronological companion piece to Struggle for a Continent, The War for Independence: The Story of the American Revolution provides a "detailed account" of the American war for independence, according to Anne Frost in the Voice of Youth Advocates. "This engrossing narrative gives the reader rare insight," Frost wrote, dubbing The War for Independence "highly recommended." Marrin divides his narrative into eight chapters, dealing with various topics such as causes, spies, naval battles, and the front-line skirmishes along the frontier. A contributor in Kirkus Reviews remarked particularly on Marrin's use of details that "engage the reader's senses," and a Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books reviewer called the work a "spirited and thoughtful account."

Marrin turns to the U.S. Civil War with titles profiling generals on opposing sides. "Unconditional Surrender": U.S. Grant and the Civil War uses Union general Ulysses S. Grant to focus on the war years, then includes information about the general before and after that conflict. The historian confines his chronicle to the battles and strategies that Grant was personally involved in. Thus, although Gettysburg and Bull Run are not included, detailed accounts of Shiloh and Petersburg are set forth, studded with a plethora of facts and anecdotes. Neither Grant's racism nor his drinking are glossed over in Marrin's account, and the extensive bibliography appended "will be much appreciated by both history students and Civil War buffs," concluded Elizabeth M. Reardon in her School Library Journal review of "Unconventional Surrender."

A view from the other side of the battle lines is provided in Virginia's General: Robert E. Lee and the Civil War. Beginning with a brief account of the subject's life before and after the U.S. Civil War, it focuses on the war years through the Confederate general's eyes as well as through the eyes of a score of other witnesses. The extensive use of quotations from Lee and his generals, as well as plentiful detail, provides a "vivid picture of the war, its participants, and its effects," according to Deborah Stevenson in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. Carolyn Phelan, writing in Booklist, concluded that Virginia's General is "well researched and readable," and Connie Allerton noted in the Voice of Youth Advocates that Marrin tells "an exciting story."

Marrin extends his series on the U.S. Civil War with a volume focusing on President Abraham Lincoln: Commander in Chief: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. Patricia A. Moore, writing in Kliatt, considered this book to be "an outstanding addition to a crowded field."

With The Spanish-American War and America and Vietnam: The Elephant and the Tiger, Marrin tackles two other bloody chapters in U.S. history. In The Spanish-American War he creates "a fine sense of intimacy in his text," according to Margaret A. Bush in Horn Book, as the book details the events leading up to the war U.S. President McKinley did not want. Raymond E. Houser, writing in the Voice of Youth Advocates, called The Spanish-American War "a good YA history," and a contributor in Kirkus Reviews labeled the same work "fresh (and timely)."

Marrin's history of America's longest war, America and Vietnam, was praised for its evenhandedness and also criticized for its bias, demonstrating the deep rifts that still exist among historians as a result of that conflict. Initially, Marrin provides an overview of Vietnamese history as one of struggle, beginning with Chinese control of the nation and continuing through the French colonial system, occupation by the Japanese, renewed conflict with the French, and growing U.S. involvement. The book offers a lengthy account of the early life of Ho Chi Minh, the leader who established Communism in the northern regions of Vietnam following World War II, then focuses on the U.S. presence in the ensuing war. "Marrin covers the Vietnam Conflict in a sweeping fashion," according to Raymond E. Houser in Voice of Youth Advocates. Calling America and Vietnam "remarkably even handed," Margaret A. Bush wrote in Horn Book that "if a YA reader had but one book to read on this subject, this should be the one."

Marrin's biographies on world leaders include portraits of Hitler, Stalin, Mao Tse-tung, Sir Henry Morgan, and Napoleon, as well as books on the influence of Spain in the Americas. A Kirkus Reviews critic deemed Hitler "a dramatic account" that includes such timely topics as the White Rose resistance group and the fate of Dr. Josef Mengele. Margaret A. Bush, writing in Horn Book, termed the work a "riveting account that is informative, illuminating, and inescapably painful." Stalin was dubbed "another fine biography" by Elizabeth S. Watson in Horn Book, while in Mao Tse-tung and His China Marrin interweaves Mao's life with the history of China from 1911 to the emperor's death. From Mao's troubled childhood through the Long March and the days of the Cultural Revolution, the book traces the major turning points in the life of one of China's most controversial leaders.

With Napoleon and the Napoleonic Wars, Marrin takes on a project that has been attempted by many other biographers. He puts Napoleon's life into the context of the man's times through what Margaret Miles, in her Voice of Youth Advocates review, described as his "particular talent for selecting an incident or anecdote" that sums up an individual. In Terror of the Spanish Main: Sir Henry Morgan and His Buccaneers, Marrin treats readers to "a narrative of epic proportions," in the opinion of Horn Book reviewer Mary M. Burns. Beginning with a history of Spain on the high seas, the author focuses on the Welsh-born Morgan, who built his career from that of lowly pirate to almost-respectable businessman, creating a book Burns dubbed "addictive reading." In Booklist Randy Meyer praised Marrin for doing "a top-notch job of bringing [the seventeenth-century Jamaican] setting to life, describing colonial life in all its grit and glory."

Like Marrin's work on Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and the Founding of a Nation presents what School Library Journal contributor Steven Engelfried called an "engaging" portrait of both Washington and the times in which he lived. Covering General Washington's military campaigns in detailed fashion, the book captures Washington's courage and character by including the words of his contemporaries. Although, as Engelfried pointed out, the author "clearly admires his subject," he "carefully discusses [Washington's] … flaws and errors … [and] raises questions and presents different views," among them questions about Washington's ownership of slaves. Washington becomes, through Marrin's lens, "a man of his time," according to Booklist reviewer Randy Meyer, "one who could never reconcile his public philosophy of freedom with his private actions."

Marrin places other presidents in their historical contexts in the books Old Hickory: Andrew Jackson and the American People and The Great Adventure: Theodore Roosevelt and the Rise of Modern America. The former shows Jackson as both a product and a shaper of his times, and a man of many contradictions: he adopted a Native American child but brought about the legislation that led to the Trail of Tears. "Marrin lets readers judge the worth of Jackson the man as well as Jackson the general and president," wrote Betty Carter in her Horn Book review. Jane G. Connor, writing for School Library Journal, found Old Hickory to be "written in an engaging style and with a wealth of detail."

The Great Adventure ties the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt to the shaping of the role of the executive branch in modern America. Like Jackson, Roosevelt was a man of many contradictions: he was a big-game hunter who was an environmental conservationist, and though he loathed violence, he staunchly supported U.S. involvement in World War I. "Martin does justice to his subject's complex nature," wrote Denise Ryan in School Library Journal. A Publishers Weekly contributor considered the book "an engaging account," and John Peters, writing in Booklist, felt that The Great Adventure will "give serious history students a solid grounding in the man's times, career, and forceful character."

With Inca and Spaniard: Pizarro and the Conquest of Peru, Aztecs and Spaniards: Cortes and the Conquest of Mexico, and Empires Lost and Won: The Spanish Heritage in the Southwest, Marrin focuses on Spanish incursions in the New World and the clash of cultures that such incursions brought about. Kathryn Pierson commented in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books that Marrin's novelistic treatment of Inca and Spaniard, rather than limiting the research value of his book, "has probably enhanced its appeal," while Zena Sutherland wrote in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books that Aztecs and Spaniards is "as dramatic as fiction but well-grounded in fact."

Moving away from large-scale world events, Dr. Jenner and the Speckled Monster: The Search for the Smallpox Vaccine describes not only Jenner's quest to end the smallpox disease, but also the history of the virus. Marrin "ably weaves in the scientific, religious, social, and cultural forces at work in Jenner's day without ever muddying his main story line," according to a critic for Kirkus Reviews. Kay Weisman, writing in Booklist, called Dr. Jenner and the Speckled Monster "a fascinating, eminently readable social history."

Explorations in the Gobi Desert set the scene in Secrets from the Rocks: Dinosaur Hunting with Roy Chapman Andrews. Andrews organized expeditions in Mongolia and in his search for fossils became one of the most renowned dinosaur hunters in paleontology—possibly even the inspiration behind famous movie character Indiana Jones. Marin's title "includes compelling details of danger and triumph and offers scientific and political background," according to Ellen Heath in School Library Journal, while Betty Carter, writing for Horn Book, considered Secrets from the Rocks "an exciting story of exploration, adventure, and scientific inquiry."

Marrin sometimes narrows his focus in order to reveal a larger picture of history, as he does in Oh, Rats! The Story of Rats and People. Discussing both the biology of the rat and its relationship with humans throughout history, the book also celebrates rats as "champions of survival." As Kitty Flynn wrote in Horn Book: "Love rats or hate them, this book will leave readers with a greater respect for rats' intelligence and perseverance." A Kirkus Reviews contributor reacted to the work similarly, writing that "even the most rat-o-phobic reader will emerge with a heightened appreciation for the hardy rodent." Noting that the format of Oh, Rats! is different from that of his previous books, School Library Journal critic Margaret Bush believed the book's style and topic to be "one that he has clearly enjoyed, as will a wide variety of nonfiction readers and animal fans."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Children's Literature Review, Volume 53, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1999.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 1, 1983, Ilene Cooper, review of Overlord: D-Day and the Invasion of Europe, p. 725; June 15, 1983, review of Victory in the Pacific, p. 1340; December 15, 1994, Carolyn Phelan, review of Virginia's General: Robert E. Lee and the Civil War, p. 746; June 1, 1996, Chris Sherman, review of Plains Warrior, p. 1723; January 1, 1998, review of Commander-in-Chief Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War, p. 744; January 1-15, 1999, Randy Meyer, review of Terror of the Spanish Main, p. 849; January 1, 2001, Randy Meyer, review of George Washington and the Founding of a Nation, p. 951; April 15, 2002, Gillian Engberg, review of Secrets from the Rocks: Dinosaur Hunting with Roy Chapman, p. 1400; November 15, 2002, Kay Weisman, review of Dr. Jenner and the Speckled Monster: The Search for the Smallpox Vaccine, p. 603; December 1, 2004, John Peters, review of Old Hickory: Andrew Jackson and the American People, p. 645; July 1, 2006, John Peters, review of Oh, Rats! The Story of Rats and People, p. 53; September 1, 2007, John Peters, review of The Great Adventure: Theodore Roosevelt and the Rise of Modern America, p. 102.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, April, 1986, Zena Sutherland, review of Aztecs and Spaniards: Cortes and the Conquest of Mexico, p. 153; April, 1988, review of The War for Independence: The Story of the American Revolution, p. 161; February, 1990, Kathryn Pierson, review of Inca and Spaniard: Pizarro and the Conquest of Peru, p. 142; March, 1994, Deborah Stevenson, review of "Unconditional Surrender": U.S. Grant and the Civil War, p. 227; January, 1995, Deborah Stevenson, review of Virginia's General, p. 173; May, 1996, review of Plains Warrior: Chief Quanah Parker and the Comanche, p. 308; December, 1999, Deborah Stevenson, "True Blue."

Horn Book, April, 1983, Kate M. Flanagan, review of Victory in the Pacific, p. 184; March-April, 1985, Nancy C. Hammond, review of War Clouds in the West: Indians and Cavalrymen, 1860-1890, pp. 195-196; April, 1986, Zena Sutherland, review of Aztecs and Spaniards, pp. 153-154; September-October, 1987, Margaret A. Bush, review of Hitler, p. 630; January-February, 1988, Elizabeth S. Watson, review of Struggle for a Continent: The French and Indian Wars, 1690-1760, p. 87; March-April, 1989, Elizabeth S. Watson, review of Stalin, p. 234; January, 1990, p. 89; July-August, 1991, Margaret A. Bush, review of The Spanish-American War, p. 481; September-October, 1991, Elizabeth S. Watson, review of Napoleon and the Napoleonic Wars, p. 617; September-October, 1992, Margaret A. Bush, review of America and Vietnam: The Elephant and the Tiger, pp. 600-601; September, 1996, Mary M. Burns, review of Plains Warrior, p. 621; March, 1999, Mary M. Burns, review of Terror of the Spanish Main, p. 227; July, 2000, review of Sitting Bull and His World, p. 474; July-August, 2002, Betty Carter, review of Secrets from the Rocks, p. 486; November-December, 2002, Betty Carter, review of Dr. Jenner and the Speckled Monster, p. 777; November-December, 2004, Betty Carter, review of Old Hickory, p. 730; September-October, 2006, Kitty Flynn, review of Oh, Rats!, p. 608; January-February, 2008, Betty Carter, review of The Great Adventure, p. 114.

Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 1987, review of Hitler, pp. 796-797; April 15, 1988, review of The War for Independence, p. 621; February 15, 1991, review of The Spanish-American War, p. 250; April 1, 1992, review of America and Vietnam, p. 463; March 1, 2002, review of Secrets from the Rocks, p. 339; September 1, 2002, review of Dr. Jenner and the Speckled Monster, p. 1314; November 15, 2004, review of Old Hickory, p. 1091; July 15, 2006, review of Oh, Rats!, p. 727.

Kliatt, May, 2003, Penelope Power, review of George Washington and the Founding of a Nation, p. 33, and Patricia A. Moore, review of Commander-in-Chief, p. 38.

New York Times Book Review, February 25, 1990, Marsha L. Wagner, review of Mao Tse-tung and His China, p. 33; August 17, 1997, review of Empires Lost and Won, p. 19; August 13, 2000, review of Sitting Bull and His World, p. 16.

Publishers Weekly, December 10, 2007, "Presidential Prose," p. 57.

School Library Journal, March, 1985, George Gleason, review of War Clouds in the West, p. 180; August, 1993, Julie Halverstadt, review of Cowboys, Indians, and Gunfighters: The Story of the Cattle Kingdom, p. 199; July, 1994, Elizabeth M. Reardon, review of "Unconditional Surrender," p. 1122; July, 2000, review of Sitting Bull and His World, p. 15; January, 2001, Steven Engelfried, review of George Washington and the Founding of a Nation, p. 150; April, 2002, Ellen Heath, review of Secrets from the Rocks, p. 178; December, 2004, Jane G. Connor, review of Old Hickory, p. 164; August, 2006, Margaret Bush, review of Oh, Rats!, p. 140; December, 2006, John Peters, review of Saving the Buffalo, p. 166; December, 2007, Denise Ryan, review of The Great Adventure, p. 155.

Voice of Youth Advocates, October, 1983, Michael Wessells, review of Victory in the Pacific, p. 226; October, 1987, Paula Nespeca Deal, review of Struggle for a Continent, p. 189; June, 1988, Anne Frost, review of The War for Independence, p. 103; June, 1991, Raymond E. Houser, review of The Spanish-American War, p. 127; October, 1991, Margaret Miles, review of Napoleon and the Napoleonic Wars, p. 265; June, 1992, Raymond E. Houser, review of America and Vietnam, p. 130; April, 1995, Connie Allerton, review of Virginia's General, p. 50; August, 1996, review of The Sea King, p. 181; February, 1998, review of Empires Lost and Won, p. 365.