Brave Companions: Portraits In History Paperback – November 1, 1992

David McCullough is one of my favorite biographer-historians. His works include the great "John Adams", "Mornings on Horseback", "1776", and other great works of artful American history. I was pleasantly surprised to find the relatively short "Brave Companions", which is composed of various essays, speeches, articles, etc. written by McCullough throughout his career, each edited and compiled into this small volume.As with most of McCullough’s work, this book was a great read throughout. He had me hooked with chapters on some of the great movers-and-shakers of yesteryear, including several about whom I had previously read little to nothing: Alexander von Humboldt, Louis Agassiz, even Harriet Beecher Stowe; and of course, my dear old pal Theodore Roosevelt.But then, as I read on, I found myself committing the oft repeated sin of judging a book by its cover, so to speak. There were multiple instances of looking at the title of the next chapter, deciding I would likely not find the subject interesting, then proceeding immediately to be proven wrong on each occasion.McCullough has a talent for thorough, dedicated research and is a superb storyteller. I’ve found that he has a knack for taking the various minutiae of a subject and turning it into something of which even the most disinterested reader couldn’t help but take notice. He knows what details are pertinent and what details he can afford to pass on by. And he does so without spin or manipulation of the subject matter toward an ulterior motive."Brave Companions" can be added to the list of McCullough’s entertaining and informative prose that I can heartily recommend. He’s one of America’s greatest biographers and every student of history should take notice of his work.

Brave Companions features 17 great people in history. He covers the following people: (1) Alexander von Humboldt, (2) Louis Agassiz, (3) Harriet Beecher Stowe, (4) Antoine de Vallombrosa, Marqis de Mores, (5) Fred Remington, (6) Bedford Clapperton Pim, (7) Washington Roebling, (8) Francis P. Valentine, (9) Charles A. Lindbergh Jr., (10) Conrad Richter, (11) Harry Monroe Caudill, (12) Miriam Rothschild, (13) David Plowden, (14) the city, Washington DC, (15) America 1936-1969, (16) Anna Sadilek, and (17) Simon Willard.These are all brave companions, ‘the best of companions.’Not all were as successful as they aimed to be: ‘Humboldt never reached the summit of Chimborazo. Agassiz’s star faded. Washington Roebling endured the painful effects of his work on the Brooklyn Bridge for the rest of his days. Harry Caudill did not live to see an end to strip mining or poverty in Kentucky. Yet … these are all success stories.’As the author says, history is chiefly about life. And so he tells of the lives of the ‘unfathomable forces’ in history that make great individuals. Are the forces events, single personalities, a person’s character, or the collective activities of a group?I liked the chapter on British naturalist Miriam Rothschild (1908-2005), whose specialty was fleas, especially bird fleas. But she also contributed knowledge on anatomy, chemistry, entomology, pharmacology, neurophysiology, zoology, marine biology, and botany. She was the first person to install seat belts in a motor car, and tried, unsuccessfully, to have the idea patented. Miriam was also, secretly, involved in the Enigma Project at Bletchley Park trying to decipher German code during the war. For all of that, living to 96 years of age, she describes herself as a farmer.McCullough includes a range of historical people and their impact on the world in diverse fields. What do they have in common? Their common traits include engagement, commitment, enthusiasm, focus, concentrated effort, energy, stamina, and the belief that everything in life is interesting. The key is attitude, McCullough says. This fascinating book proves it.

Already a fan of David McCullough's work? This is a must read. Always wanted to read his books, but never had the nerve to tackle their length? This is a great place to start. Never heard of David McCullough? Shame on you. And read this book.Less than 300 pages in length, this is a collection of Mr. McCullough's shorter works--magazine articles, lectures, etc. It paints vivid portraits of a wide variety of people--some famous, others rather obscure, but all fascinating. It was just enough to whet my appetite to learn more about these people. Over the course of reading this book, I jotted down the titles of 22 other books I'd like to read.The section I found most interesting was entitled "Pioneers." It includes an article about the building of the Panama Railroad--yes, railroad. As in, before the canal. Forty-seven and a half miles of track, and 170 bridges of more than 12 feet in length. Next is an article about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. I had no idea how interesting pneumatic caissons were! This is followed by a lovely vignette about the man who discovered and helped to preserve the thousands of intricate hand-drawn plans for the Brooklyn Bridge. The section closes with an intriguing look at the aviation pioneers of the 1920s, many of whom were also prolific writers. I've read and loved many of the works of pioneer aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupery, but was inspired to look up some of the others.There's something for everyone in this collection: science, photography, architecture, history, exploration, ecology. All written in David McCullough's spare, ringing style, these portraits of people and places will spark the imagination and make you want to read more.

McCullough is a master at teaching us ourselves. One of the greatest historians and authors of our time. Enjoy it!

Several of the chapters were very interesting but overall it was not a favorite. Best part was the overall reminder of the value of so many lesser known people who affected our US history.