Introduction: What Does David McCullough Have That We Don't?

Why do books like David McCullough's The Pioneers sell so much better than academic monographs? This question is more complicated than it may appear, given that academic historians strive for many of the qualities for which McCullough is rightly known. The difference between this work of popular history and most academic histories centers on the moral coherence of McCullough's story, which makes it easier to read and digest. This coherence derives from key authorial decisions about characters and outcomes. Yet academic historians should not fear or envy these kinds of histories, for there is a great and growing demand for the kinds of contextual knowledge and precision that they can provide.