[ditty_news_ticker id=”25027″]When does history begin? Journalists often call their work “the first draft of history,” but when does that work pass from draft to final version? It’s a problem that Sean Wilentz has had to confront as the general editor of the American Presidents Series from Times Books. The goal of the series is to produce a concise biography of every president of the United States. With the publication of Bill Clinton this week, author Michael Tomasky brings the total of volumes to 42, covering every chief executive from George Washington to George W. Bush.
At some point between Washington and Bush, though, we make the transition between history and punditry. Where that line is drawn is as much a matter of sourcing as it is of authorial approach. – READ MORE
