David McCullough is one of the United States’ foremost historians and one of the most recognized writers of today. Setting him apart from other historians is his highly celebrated style, which captures his readers and merges the boundaries between history and literature. According his own recognition, he was deeply influenced from his studying and reading of fiction. The issue of how to accurately represent events within a work of history or one’s personal experience within a work of fiction or poetry is central to all scholarly and artistic endeavors. In his address to the Friends of the Library, McCullough will discuss his personal insights and experiences on the craft of writing and how writing history may resemble the art of writing fiction.

Born in Pittsburgh in 1933, McCullough is a graduate of Yale University, where he studied English literature. Since publishing his first work of history, The Johnstown Flood, in 1968, McCullough has won numerous honors, including two Pulitzer Prizes, two National Book Awards, and two Francis Parkman Prizes from the American Society of Historians. He is the recipient of America’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and one of the few citizens to have spoken before a joint session of Congress. He has been honored with as many as thirty-one honorary degrees, is a past president of the Society of American Historians, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The Friends of the Library, founded in 1961 by library readers, helps build library collections with annual dues and special initiatives. In addition to providing important financial support for acquisitions, the Friends of the Library has helped to raise awareness of the library through regular programs presenting the works of its readers.