SPEAKER: David McCullough David McCullough has been widely acclaimed as a "master of the art of narrative history" and "a matchless writer." He is twice winner of the National Book Award, twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize. His books have been praised for their scholarship, their understanding of American life, their "vibrant prose," and insight into individual character. His most recent book, 1776, the number one national bestseller in both hardcover and paperback, has been called, "brilliant. . . powerful," "a classic," while his previous work, the monumental John Adams, remains one of the most critically acclaimed and widely read American biographies of all time. To date more than two million copies have been sold. Gordon Wood, writing in the New York Review of Books, said of John Adams: "McCullough’s special gift as an artist is his ability to recreate past human beings in all their fullness and all their humanity." In the words of the citation accompanying his honorary degree from Yale: "As an historian, he paints with words, giving us pictures of the American people that live, breathe, and above all, confront the fundamental issues of courage, achievement, and moral character." Mr. McCullough’s other books include The Johnstown Flood, The Great Bridge, The Path Between the Seas, Mornings on Horseback, Brave Companions, and Truman. As may be said of few writers, none of his books has ever been out of print. David McCullough is as well twice winner of the prestigious Francis Parkman Prize. For his work overall he has been honored by the National Book Foundation Distinguished Contribution to American Letters Award, the National Humanities Medal, and the New York Public Library's Literary Lion Award. He is past president of the Society of American Historians. He has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as the American Academy of Arts and Letters and has received forty honorary degrees. In a crowded, productive career, he has been an editor, essayist, teacher, lecturer, and familiar presence on public television - as host of Smithsonian World, The American Experience, and narrator of numerous documentaries including The Civil War. His is also the narrator’s voice in the movie Seabiscuit. A gifted speaker, Mr. McCullough has lectured in all parts of the country and abroad, as well as at the White House. He is also one of the few private citizens to speak before a joint session of Congress.