You know you’re living right, as a startup publisher, when the first book you sign is by a Pulitzer Prize winner.
When Byron first contacted me about partnering to launch Creed & Culture, I was mighty impressed when he told me that our first author just might be Walter McDougall, a celebrated historian whom I had met when I was at ISI, and whose work I had been reading for years.
I have never forgotten the preface to McDougall’s Throes of Demoracy, in which he recalls a chance conversation with a Vietnam veteran in a train station. “I’m glad I went” to Vietnam, the vet told McDougall, because he had learned its lesson.
“What was that?” asked McDougall.
“Say no to bullshit,” the vet responded.
That became a guiding precept for McDougall’s work—or, rather, he realized that it had always been one. I’d like to think it’s the unofficial motto of Creed & Culture, too. Which is why we’re honored that McDougall’s The Mighty Continent: A Candid History of Modern Europe is our first title. (Pre-order now and get 30% off the list price simply by subscribing to our email list.)
There is no BS here. No ideological agenda. No trimming. There is immense learning, wit, wisdom, and luminous prose.
The Mighty Continent is a splendid read. It’s also—by the way—perfect for educators. (Contact us for bulk pricing.)
What others have to say:
“Written with clarity, verve, and wit, The Mighty Continent is the triumphant capstone of a learned scholar’s brilliant career. In a sweeping and compulsively readable narrative, Walter McDougall invests the story of Europe’s past with freshness, originality, and profound insights. History doesn’t get any better than this.”—Andrew Bacevich, Professor Emeritus of History and International Relations, Boston University
“An important and fascinating book about European intellectual, political, and economic history—and also a commentary on the state of the West today—The Mighty Continent is a Gibbonesque tale about why and how countries and civilizations rise, reform, change, evolve, and fall. Full of stories and surprises, this is truly a book to be savored, to be read and re-read, chapter by stand-alone chapter.”—David Eisenhower, author, Going Home to Glory: A Memoir of Life with Dwight Eisenhower, 1961–1969
“If I had my druthers, this erudite book, written with a keen eye for the telling detail, would be required reading for every official of the European Union (not to mention every British parliamentarian and senior civil servant). They might come to understand that many of Europe’s current troubles derive from an ignorance of, or disdain for, those three historical pillars of Western civilization: Greek philosophy, biblical religion, and Roman law—a heritage of which Americans badly need reminding, too.”—George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center
“Walter McDougall renders here a throwback to the grand narrative history of old, full of meaning and human insight and devoid of the postmodern cant and woke sensibilities that now dominate academic scholarship. This book chronicles Europe’s remarkable rise in broad sweeps of descriptive prose enlivened throughout by myriad telling details. For lovers of history, The Mighty Continent will be as enticing as it is enlightening.”—Robert Merry, author, Decade of Disunion: How Massachusetts and South Carolina Led the Way to Civil War
Later this week, I’ll post a meaty excerpt.
