The Society of American Historians has elected Publius Virgilius Rogers Professor of American History Maurice Isserman a member of the society in recognition of the “narrative power and scholarly distinction of [his] historical work.”
According to its website, the Society was founded in 1939 to promote literary excellence in the writing or presentation of history. Membership is by invitation only. Among the society’s approximately 450 current fellows are scholars, journalists, novelists, independent historians, essayists, biographers, filmmakers, curators, and poets working in many different genres on topics that deal in whole or in part with American history.
Members are elected based on achievement in “the vivid and compelling presentation of history and biography in a variety of forms, including books, essays, film, drama, museum exhibitions, and other emerging forms of public communication.” Based at Columbia University, the Society “recognizes excellence in historical work marked, among other qualities, by clarity, empathy, narrative power, accuracy, and explanatory force.”
Isserman is the author of many essays and books addressing a range of topics, many of which have received praise in the media and been recognized with awards and commendations. His books include:
Politics, Social Movements & American Radicalism
- Reds: The Tragedy of American Communism (2024)
- If I Had a Hammer: The Death of the Old Left and the Birth of the New Left (1987)
- Which Side Were You On? The American Communist Party during the Second World War (1982)
- The Other American: The Life of Michael Harrington (2000)
- America Divided: The Civil War of the 1960s (co-authored with Michael Kazin, 2000)
- California Red: A Life in the American Communist Party (1990, co-authored with Dorothy Healey)
Mountaineering & Exploration - Continental Divide: A History of American Mountaineering (2016)
- Fallen Giants: A History of Himalayan Mountaineering from the Age of Empire to the Age of Extremes (2008, co-authored with Stewart Weaver)
Military & War History
- The Winter Army: The World War II Odyssey of the 10th Mountain Division, America's Elite Alpine Warriors (2019)
- Cronkite’s War: His World War II Letters Home (2013, co-authored with Walter Cronkite IV)
- Korean War (America at War Series) (2003)
- Vietnam War (America at War Series) (1992)
- World War II (America at War Series) (1991)
American History & Education - On the Hill: A Bicentennial History of Hamilton College 1812–2012 (2011)
- Across America: The Lewis and Clark Expedition (2010)
- Journey to Freedom: The African American Great Migration (1997)
- Exploring North America, 1800–1900 (2005)
A member of the faculty since 1990, Isserman has also been awarded two Fulbright lectureships and several National Endowment for the Humanities awards.
