Captured by History: One Man's Vision of Our Tumultuous Century - Hardcover

Toland, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312154909 ISBN 13: 9780312154905

Publisher: St Martins Pr, 1997

Synopsis

At age 84, Pulitzer Prize-winning (for Infamy: The Rising Sun ) historian John Toland reveals in his autobiography how he was able to access and capture the essence of so many key players and events of the 20th century: e.g. interviewing the emperor of Japan, Hitler's inner circle, and secret Chinese contacts regarding the Korean and Vietnam Wars. All these achievements from a man who begins his story: "I was what the world would term a failure until I was forty-two." But revealingly, he continues: "But I did not regard myself as a failure; I learned from every mistake as best as I could." Toland also credits his early playwriting experience for his highly readable dramatic exposition of history. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

About this title

Review:

John Toland has always been a somewhat controversial figure in historical circles. A writer of biographies and histories, Toland has no formal training in history--no advanced degrees, and not even an undergraduate course to his name. Yet his biography of Hitler, his Pulitzer Prize-winning history of Japan, and his chronicles of World War II have earned him the respect and support of his many readers, if not always of his peers. Captured by History is Toland's retrospective of his own life, times, and work.

Toland makes no pretense of being a professional historian. His earliest aspirations, it seems, were to become a novelist and playwright. Though he failed in the creative-writing arena, he brought a certain novelistic sensibility to the writing of history. He relied heavily on personal interviews for his information, gladly granting anonymity to his sources--a practice that drove documentation-driven historians wild. His books were structured with drama in mind, and read more like exciting novels than dry history. Though historians sneered, readers embraced him. Toland's memoir, Captured by History, undoubtedly will be welcomed by his many fans.

From Library Journal:

In this personal work, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Toland (Rising Sun, LJ 2/1/71) offers a mix of recollections and reflections as well as anecdotes from the numerous interviews he conducted for his various books. One example of his use of stories to tell history relates the views of a secretary to Hitler whom Toland interviewed for his 1992 biography of the German leader. Another recounts how Toland trailed the path of the American invasion force reoccupying the Philippines. Toland recounts the reaction to his controversial Infamy: Pearl Harbor and Its Aftermath (LJ 3/15/82), in which he introduced his conspiracy theory that Roosevelt was well informed in advance of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Toland offers here an arresting perspective on the Japanese view of World War II, and his engrossing, extremely readable autobiography is a remarkable reflection on 20th-century history. Recommended for public and academic libraries.?Boyd Childress, Auburn Univ. Lib., Ala.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: St Martins Pr
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0312154909
• ISBN 13: 9780312154905
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 415