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| Brave Companions | 
 enlarge | Author: David Mccullough
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy Used: $4.92
You Save: $10.08 (67%)
New (40) Used (33) Collectible (1) from $4.92
Avg. Customer Rating:  35 reviews
Sales Rank: 2613
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.8
ISBN: 0671792768
Dewey Decimal Number: 920.073
EAN: 9780671792763
ASIN: 0671792768
Publication Date: November 1, 1992
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Hidden Gems of History April 8, 1998
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
McCullough shows that history is more than great men and great events. One only needs to read about the discovery of lost and forgotten blueprints of the Brooklyn Bridge to see a new window open on events that we all thought we knew about. The joy of reading anything by McCullough is that he takes you on a guided tour of captivating people, places and events that have been glossed over by more so-called grteat events and people. McCullough does this with a great passion and an understanding that the readers are not always college scholars, but real people who expereince life on a simpler level, people who can relate to the ordinary progress and pace of life. Brave Companions is a book that opens the door to new insights of history, and the door is open to eveyone.
A Rare Find June 14, 2005
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
Essayist and historian David McCullough spent 20 years culling the data for his literary portraits in "Brave Companions." However, the book reads so seamlessly it is hard to believe that even a moment passed in the discovery and reflection of the information on the brave soldiers of intellect, art, and community portrayed by McCullough. "Brave Companions" goes to familiar territory, but in unfamiliar ways. The stories are inspirational yet easily accessible. McCullough has created a masterpiece. Other recommendations: "1776", "Mornings on Horseback", "A Long Way Down", "The Kite Runner", and "My Fractured Life."
A Must Read For Historians August 21, 2003
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
This book is another McCullough masterpiece. A collection of articles and essays published by McCullough in the past few decades, this book is truly the epitome of well written and researched history. McCullough definately knows how to make his subjects (dead people and events that very few people know about) come back to life. His prose flows like a fictional narrative. The people and events discussed are enough to make you wonder often if the book is fiction. But it's not. All of McCullough's sources are authentic. And what he doesn't know, he'll admit - a sign of a true historian. If you like history you'll love this book. As an amateur historian myself I greatly appreciated the last few chapters in the book where McCullough emphasized the importance of learning our history, as well as the need for us to write our own. This is a short, but highly entertaining and beneficial book. Highly recommended.
Great portraits June 26, 2005
11 out of 12 found this review helpful
We already knew that McCullough could write history like a great novelist. Here we discover that he can also write history like a great short story writer.
McCullough fans will recognize some of the characters and material included here-- characters from Teddy Roosevelt's American West, the Roeblings of the Brooklyn Bridge, and some remarkable drawings that they left behind. These slightly familiar portions are a treat, like finding little "extras" left over from McCullough's other books.
But there are other characters here as well. Other writers like the extraordinary Harriet Beecher Stowe, whom everyone knows about, but not very much. Or Harry Caudill, a modern day lawyer who became an Appalachian activist. Some of them, like Alexander von Humbolt the South American explorer, will lead the reader to think first, "I've never heard of this person" and second, "Why haven't I?!"
Some of these are works of history; some are really works of journalism. And while all are loosely linked by themes of human courage and dedication, what really links them is that McCullough saw something important in these stories and so wrote about them.
This is a great book to introduce someone with a not-quite-a-whole-book attention span to top-notch historical writing. And for McCullough fans, it's a great chance to see his magazine writing collected.
Charming Lives June 29, 2005
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
What a great read. The profiles in this book are filled with the life and passion so intrinsic to McCullough's work. History comes alive--a phrase often overused but perfectly suited to this unique book. We are enchanted, saddened, charmed, intrigued, and ultimately touched by this carefully chosen selection of lives well-lived. Perfect for relaxing reading during slow summer days, or for history readers everywhere. That the book will appeal to both types of readers is McCullough's gift.
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