Historian Stephen Ambrose, author of 'Band of Brothers,' dies at 66 after battle with cancer

Associated Press ^ | 10-13-02 | BRETT MARTEL

[rockfish59]

'The World At War' is a fantastic series. I hadn't seen it since the 70's. My library has one tape with 3 episodes on the U-Boats, Battle Of Leningrad and Bombers Over Europe.

It rates up there with 'Victory At Sea'

[dougherty]

I loved his books. When I first really became interested in WWII, I read his books. God rest his sould.

[Lizard_King]

His passing was tragic as is any death from smoking related cancer; it did my father in and someday I'm sure my number will likewise be punched.

I would also agree that the plagiarism thing was slightly out of proportion; I studied under one of the men he plagiarized, Thomas Childers, right in the midst of the controversy, and Dr Childers was not upset in the least about it (to the point where we still read Band Of Brothers in that class). However, had I made the same mistakes on a paper, intentionally or not, I have little doubt I would have been failed in the course if not expelled. Perhaps some of you have forgotten the importance credibility has in the academic sphere (well, it used to have, at any rate).

I think this plagiarism incident pointed to a much larger problem with Ambrose's books, namely that after his seminal early works he created basically an assembly line franchise of history books. I do not mean this as an insult to his fans, but the reason a lot of history *seemed* complex before Ambrose hit upon it is that it was, actually, complex, and rather than take the path of the true popular historian and try to explain such complexities, he often opted for the easy route of playing upon what we *want* to believe.

I think BoBrothers is a case in point. Reconstructing the adventures of this brave group from the memories of the elderly survivors, while an interesting exercise, is barely within the margins of actual history. I think a grave disservice was done to some of the deceased who had no one to defend their records (I am thinking in particular of the much maligned officer in charge). I compare that to other books read in the course, like, for example, Christopher Browning's "Ordinary Men" that chronicles from accounts written at the time in court files as well as with corroborative evidence from Nazi records how an auxilary police squad became a death platoon for the Eastern Front Holocaust. I may disagree with Browning's conclusions, but his sources are impeccably researched and provide a strong basis for his points. Or compare it to firsthand accounts like the great EB Sledge's account of his experiences as a Marine at Peleliu and Okinawa, "With the old breed", based on the diary he kept during the war and written shortly afterward, that really gives you what appears to be a brutally honest account of his experiences, again supported by the facts.

Ambrose's works, on the other hand, tend to be almost fairy tale versions of history, much like what Disney did for the original Grimm stories. While I am glad he made history interesting to so many people, I am saddened that his words are often considered gospel.

[dfwgator]

'The World At War' is a fantastic series. I hadn't seen it since the 70's. My library has one tape with 3 episodes on the U-Boats, Battle Of Leningrad and Bombers Over Europe.

If your local PBS station broadcasts it, do not miss "Battlefield." It's a six-part series documenting the greatest WWII battles.

[Axenolith]

This BLOWS!

Mr. Ambrose is a hero, because he kindled and maintained the fire of memories of our past heros for another generation.

I will greatly miss him.

[Tony in Hawaii]

I would love to read an ambrose book again as a first-time reader...they're that good.

The older you get, the more re-reading a book seems like the first time.

[WaterDragon]

This is a great loss. I loved his books.

[jpthomas]

I thought Stephen Ambrose served this country well with his historical writings. I was, however, disappointed that he signed onto a petition denouncing the drive to impeach Clinton: 400 Historians Denounce Impeachment.

An excerpt from this linked Washington Post article from October 29, 1998:

Some 400 of the nation's leading historians and presidential scholars came to President Clinton's defense yesterday with an open letter complaining that if the impeachment proceedings against him are successful it would leave the presidency "permanently disfigured" and hold "the most serious implications for our constitutional order."

Two of the nation's most celebrated historians – Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. and C. Vann Woodward – were on hand to represent an informal coalition calling itself "Historians in Defense of the Constitution." Among those who signed were Stephen Ambrose, James McGregor Burns, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and Gary Wills, all of whom have written best-selling histories and presidential biographies. [emphasis added].

Despite my disappointment with this action, and with the controversy over plagiarism, I continue to admire Mr. Ambrose for his historical writings.

[Skooz]

As a third-rate, hack, wannabe historian, I always admired Ambrose.

This is what I posted. I called myself a third-rate, hack, wannabe historian, not Ambrose.

I understand you are a FR newbie so I'll explain the rule: The first one to accuse someone of being Clintonion automatically loses. Now, move along.

I never said that. Your post said I did.

[rockfish59]

Don't despair. I got what you said! =0)

[rockfish59]

Thanks! My library has them all, I believe.

[austingirl]

Thanks for the info - I guess I want to believe he's innocent.

[The Person]

Here is a link to a Slate piece on the lifted passages in five of Ambrose's books. He did it even when he was an obscure scholar working alone in 1975.

http://slate.msn.com/?id=2072336