The First Of All Qualities Of A

History Is About Life. It's Awful When The Life Is Squeezed Out Of It And There's No Flavor Left, No Uncertainties, No Horsing Around. It Always Disturbed Me How Many Biographers Never Gave Their Subjects A Chance To Eat. You Can Tell A Lot About People By How They Eat, What They Eat, And What Kind Of Table Manners They Have.

I Work Very Hard On The Writing, Writing And Rewriting And Trying To Weed Out The Lumber.

When I'm Reading For My Own Pleasure, I Read Things Other Than History Or Archival Material. I Read A Lot Of Fiction. I'm Very Fond Of Mysteries.

Real Success Is Finding Your Lifework In The Work That You Love.

The Talent, Including The Talent For History - And I Do Think There Are People Who Just Have A Talent For It, The Way You Have A Talent For Public Speaking Or Music Or Whatever - It Shouldn't Be Allowed To Lie Dormant. It Should Be Brought Alive.