Jennifer Gavin from the Library of Congress speaks with David McCullough, who appeared at the 2011 National Book Festival on September 24, 2011, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Biography

Librarian of Congress James H. Billington has called David McCullough the “citizen chronicler” for his meticulously researched and beautifully written historical books, such as the Pulitzer Prize winners “Truman” and “John Adams,” the latter of which became an Emmy Award-winning miniseries on HBO. He is also a two-time winner of the National Book Award, for “The Path Between the Seas” and “Mornings on Horseback.” His newest book is “The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris” (Simon & Schuster). McCullough has also received the National Book Foundation Distinguished Contribution to American Letters Award, the National Humanities Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.