
I never got a chance to meet Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Michael Kammen, but I learned a lot from his work in American cultural history. Whenever I read one of Kammen’s books I would find myself amazed at his innovative approach to scholarship. He was, in many ways, an American cultural historian before the so-called “cultural turn.” Kammen was the first historian I encountered who was exploring the contours of American memory. I still regularly consult Mystic Chords of Memory and A Machine The Would Go Itself. I have spent a lot of time in the Mystic Chords for some of my ongoing work on the history and memory of the Greenwich Tea Burning. And his history of colonial New York still stands the test of time.
Here is an obituary from the Organization of American Historians:
Just a few days ago, I happened to see Kammen's review of The Color of Christ, which he did for the Pacific Historical REview. I have no idea why he was reviewing the book at all, much less there in particular, but he did, and it was a witty, funny, gracious review, appreciative of good points and good-humored about (entirely justified) criticisms made. I was grateful such a scholar as Kammen reviewed it and did such a wonderful job with it, a model we all could follow for acts of professional service like that, beyond the wonderful works of cultural history he produced.
That's a great story, Paul. Thanks.