Kenneth C. Davis

For the American legal scholar, seeKenneth Culp Davis.For the biographer of Franklin D. Roosevelt and other 20th Century American figures, seeKenneth S. Davis.

Kenneth C. Davisis an American history author, known for his series of books titled "Don't Know Much About ".

Life

Born inMount Vernon,New York City,Kenneth attendedConcordia College, Bronxvillein New York, andFordham UniversityatLincoln Center,New York.He lives inNew York CityandDorset, Vermontaccompanied by his wife and two children.

Davis's first book,Two-Bit Culture: The Paperbacking of America,offers an overview of the history ofpaperback books,although some publishers, such as Walter Zacharius and Irwin Stein'sLancer Books,were given little coverage.

Davis has lectured at theSmithsonian Museumand theAmerican Museum of Natural History,and been a contributor toThe New York Times,Newsdayand other publications.

Don't Know Much About History

Published by Crown in 1990, Davis's second book,Don't Know Much About History,spent 35 consecutive weeks onThe New York Timesbestseller list and sold nearly 1.5 million copies. This unexpected success launched theDon't Know Much About...series. The standardized format is a chronological coverage of a subject with each chapter divided into boldface subheads of questions, such as, "Did Pocahontas really save John Smith's life?" Davis then answers the questions with basic facts delivered in short easy-to-read essays which have a straightforward approach, but sometimes grab the reader's attention by beginning with light humor and anachronistic comparisons. For example: "Even the astronauts who flew to the moon had a pretty good idea of what to expect; Columbus was sailing, asStar Trekputs it, 'where no man has gone before'. "Quotes from historical figures often follow the essays.

The titles were initially inspired bySam Cooke's song "Wonderful World",with the lyrics," Don't know much about history "or" geography, "etc. The series has generally received favorable reviews. One mixed review criticized Davis for" treat[ing] his subject matter as a vehicle for his own editorials ".

America's Hidden History

Davis's book,America's Hidden History: Untold Tales of the First Pilgrims, Fighting Women, and Forgotten Founders Who Shaped a Nation(2008), has a more serious tone than the earlier books, is more expansive, and focuses not only on well-known names but also on forgotten figures such asHannah Duston.

Books (external links)

• Two-Bit Culture: The Paperbacking of America(Macmillan, 1984)
• Don't Know Much About History(1990) (2003 expanded)ISBN9780060083823)
• Don't Know Much About Geography(1992)
• Don't Know Much About the Bible(1999)
• Don't Know Much About the Civil War(1999)
• Don't Know Much About Space(2001)
• Don't Know Much About the Planet Earth(2001)
• Don't Know Much About the Presidents(2001)
• Don't Know Much About the Kings and Queens of England(2002)
• Don't Know Much About the Universe(2002)
• Don't Know Much About the Pilgrims(2002)
• Don't Know Much About Sitting Bull(2002)
• Don't Know Much About the Pioneers(2003)
• Don't Know Much About American History(2003)
• Don't Know Much About George Washington(2003)
• Don't Know Much About the 50 States(2004)
• Don't Know Much About the Solar System(2004)
• Don't Know Much About Dinosaurs(2004)
• Don't Know Much About Thomas Jefferson(2005)
• Don't Know Much About Abraham Lincoln(2005)
• Don't Know Much About World Myths(2005)
• Don't Know Much About Mummies(2005)
• Que Se Yo De Historia(2005)
• Don't Know Much About Martin Luther King Jr.(2002)
• Don't Know Much About Rosa Parks(2005)ISBN0060288191
• Don't Know Much About Mythology(2005)ISBN006019460X
• Don't Know Much About Anything(2007)ISBN9780061251467
• America's Hidden History: Untold Tales of the First Pilgrims, Fighting Women, and Forgotten Founders Who Shaped a Nation(2008)ISBN9780061118180
• A Nation Rising: Untold Tales of Flawed Founders, Fallen Heroes, and Forgotten Fighters from America's Hidden History(2010)ISBN9780061118203
• The Hidden History of America at War: Untold Tales from Yorktown to Fallujah(May 2015)ISBN9781401324100
• In the Shadow of Liberty: The Hidden History of Slavery, Four Presidents, and Five Black Lives(2016)ISBN1627793119
• More Deadly Than War: The Hidden History of the Spanish Flu and the First World War(2018)ISBN1250145120

External links

• Don't Know Much official site
• Learning First Alliance interview with Kenneth Davis
• AppearancesonC-SPAN
  • In Depthinterview with Davis, November 4, 2012