Dead Certainties

Unwarranted Speculations

Look inside
Paperback
$26.00 US
On sale Jun 02, 1992 | 368 Pages | 9780679736134

Schama uses two true "tales" --each involving a violent death, each linked to a great, tragic Boston Brahmin dynasty--that together use fact and fiction, document and imaginative reconstruction, to ponder how history is made.  The first is that of General James Wolfe, killed at the battle of Quebec in 1759; the second, in 1849, is that of George Parkman, an
eccentric Boston speculator, murdered by a Harvard professor. Out of these stories--with all of their bizarre coincidences and contradictions--Schama creates a dazzling and supremely vital work of historical imagination.

Contents

Part One: The Many Deaths of General Wolfe
1. At the Face of the Cliff
2. In Command
3. Deep in the Forest
4. On the Heights of Abraham

Part Two: Death of a Harvard Man
1. Honest Sweat: The Blacksmith's Son
2. Income: The Pedestrian
3. Enterprise: The Janitor
4. Debt: Skyrocket Jack
5. Taking Stock: The Prisoner and the Public
6. Accounts Rendered: Lawyers, Doctors and Other Solid Citizens
7. Payment Pending: The Press, the Preachers, and the Prisoner
8. Settlements: The Legatees

Afterword
© Marion Ettlinger
Simon Schama is University Professor of Art History and History at Columbia University in New York. His publications include Patriots and Liberators, The Embarrassment of Riches, Citizens, Dead Certainties, Landscape and Memory, and Rembrandt's Eyes. View titles by Simon Schama

About

Schama uses two true "tales" --each involving a violent death, each linked to a great, tragic Boston Brahmin dynasty--that together use fact and fiction, document and imaginative reconstruction, to ponder how history is made.  The first is that of General James Wolfe, killed at the battle of Quebec in 1759; the second, in 1849, is that of George Parkman, an
eccentric Boston speculator, murdered by a Harvard professor. Out of these stories--with all of their bizarre coincidences and contradictions--Schama creates a dazzling and supremely vital work of historical imagination.

Contents

Part One: The Many Deaths of General Wolfe
1. At the Face of the Cliff
2. In Command
3. Deep in the Forest
4. On the Heights of Abraham

Part Two: Death of a Harvard Man
1. Honest Sweat: The Blacksmith's Son
2. Income: The Pedestrian
3. Enterprise: The Janitor
4. Debt: Skyrocket Jack
5. Taking Stock: The Prisoner and the Public
6. Accounts Rendered: Lawyers, Doctors and Other Solid Citizens
7. Payment Pending: The Press, the Preachers, and the Prisoner
8. Settlements: The Legatees

Afterword

Author

© Marion Ettlinger
Simon Schama is University Professor of Art History and History at Columbia University in New York. His publications include Patriots and Liberators, The Embarrassment of Riches, Citizens, Dead Certainties, Landscape and Memory, and Rembrandt's Eyes. View titles by Simon Schama

Books for National Depression Education and Awareness Month

For National Depression Education and Awareness Month in October, we are sharing a collection of titles that educates and informs on depression, including personal stories from those who have experienced depression and topics that range from causes and symptoms of depression to how to develop coping mechanisms to battle depression.

Read more

Horror Titles for the Halloween Season

In celebration of the Halloween season, we are sharing horror books that are aligned with the themes of the holiday: the sometimes unknown and scary creatures and witches. From classic ghost stories and popular novels that are celebrated today, in literature courses and beyond, to contemporary stories about the monsters that hide in the dark, our list

Read more

Books for LGBTQIA+ History Month

For LGBTQIA+ History Month in October, we’re celebrating the shared history of individuals within the community and the importance of the activists who have fought for their rights and the rights of others. We acknowledge the varying and diverse experiences within the LGBTQIA+ community that have shaped history and have led the way for those

Read more