Jack El-HaiTips on giving history talksI’ve given many public talks about history — usually on topics connected to the subjects of my books. Speaking about history is an…Apr 18Apr 18
Jack El-HaiThey’re trying to make me into a novelist!I’ll have a new book coming out a year from now. Titled Face in the Mirror: A Surgeon, a Patient, and a Second Chance at Life, it tells the…Feb 29Feb 29
Jack El-HaiTransporting audiences to times pastA few years ago I spent an afternoon in Paris with a wonderful French TV crew at work on a documentary about the Nazi leader Hermann…Feb 152Feb 152
Jack El-HaiThe past offers no legal protections for history writersI sometimes joke that I like writing about history because dead people can’t sue for defamation and libel. But apparently, as public…Feb 8Feb 8
Jack El-HaiThe question nobody ever asksI wish people would more often ask why I like to write about history. I don’t recall anyone ever asking me that question.Jan 19Jan 19
Jack El-HaiWhen the Best Books Aren’tBy my own unscientific but conservative estimate, 200,000 history books have been published in 2023. I have read nine of them. I doubt that…Dec 5, 2023Dec 5, 2023
Jack El-HaiOrigins: The Case of the Autographed CorpseNeglected files in a university archive illuminated a rich historical true-crime storyMar 21, 20232Mar 21, 20232
Jack El-HaiTips on writing a book proposalHere’s what I wish I knew when I first tried to write oneMar 16, 2023Mar 16, 2023
Jack El-HaiThe Sad Fate of the Clipper ShipsChapter 22 of The Clipper Ship Era (1910) by Arthur Hamilton ClarkMar 10, 2023Mar 10, 2023
Jack El-HaiA town with two personsThe editor and the postmaster were its entire populationJan 28, 2023Jan 28, 2023