Compendium: A History Collection

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You might think writing like Cormac McCarthy is impossible. He may seem unapproachable or unreachable. But there are a few practical 'structural' techniques he uses in his writing that we can emulate.

The practice of strategy today is a history-adjacent discipline, but it is one that history informs and one that shapes history. John Gaddis is one of the United States' foremost strategy thinkers, and he joins me on the show to talk about Venezuela, the war in Ukraine, how democracies and autocracies differ with regard to strategy, and much more.

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There's a lot to love in this episode. That is, if you love discussions about nationalism, slavery, and pre-Civil War politics.

Notes:

Impending Crisis by David Potter

Apostles of Disunion by Charles Dew

Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson

Historian Barry Strauss joins me to talk about his new book, Jews Vs Rome! We also look at some of the greatest commanders in history, what they did well and what they struggled with, as well as why YOU should read history.

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Did Alexander beat Darius because he was a better field commander, or because he was a greater gravitational force? Josh wonders if perhaps his secret weapon was something a bit more mundane?

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What happens when a 90-day war goes longer than 90 days? You get a soupy melange of nerves, avarice, and confusion. Nobody at the time is equipped to deal with it, least of all the men in charge.

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Check out the Distant Guns series Bibliography

Political violence is becoming a disturbing norm. The partisan divide grows wider. Can we close the gap? Can we resolve our disagreements through reason? For whatever they are worth, Josh shares a few thoughts.

The Founding Era is fascinating in many ways; it marks the beginning of our American history and laid the foundation for the democratic republic we know today. But it's a more complicated period than what you learn in school. Infighting and partisan factionalism nearly strangled the American infant in her cradle. I talk with Chris Dougherty about the founding era, about Alexander Hamilton, and the great democratic experiment.

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This is my attempt to get something out for you while you wait for TO THE SOUND part 2! 

What would have happened if the Axis powers won World War 2?? What about if the Roman Empire never fell? Have I toured Civil War battlefields? and more!

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Today on the show, I'm interviewing author and historian Scott Ellsworth. His newest book, Midnight on the Potomac, narrates the final year of the Civil War, the myriad Lincoln assassination attempts of 1864/65, and John Wilkes Booth's association with the confederacy.

Grab a copy of Midnight on the Potomac: https://amzn.to/47G5WYm

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They say America's greatest strength is its ability to compromise. But what happens when compromise fails—when Americans on opposite sides of a moral and political divide find no recourse except violence? In the 1850s and '60s, the debates between northern and southern states migrated from marble halls to virgin fields, where rhetoric gave way to rifles.

Compendium Amazon Storefront 

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To the Sound of Distant Guns Bibliography (so far)

AJ Bauckman, who runs the Instagram account @21stcent_history, and I connected recently to talk about Trump’s attacks on Iran. Merits of the attacks aside, we both were intrigued by the presidential power aspect of this conversation and decided to hop on Zoom and chat about it.

We dive into how presidential power (and legislative power) has changed over the past 50 years, disagreements about the Executive's role in government, and much more!

Disclaimer: This show is more political in nature. If that's not your jam, see you in the next one!

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This show attempts to answer some of the questions I had (or address things I didn't know I'd need to know) before starting Compendium.

I'm talking with Matt from Reflecting History (a podcasting OG) about what you're signing up for by starting a history podcast, how to research, how to process audio, and what to expect when you begin.

It's a great conversation, and it's only Part 1. The second half of our conversation is on the Reflecting History feed, so go check that out! We talk over there about what the great podcasters do so...

Nixon and Kissinger think they’ve cracked the code. But handing off the war to South Vietnam proves no easier than it was for the three administrations before them, because some things change, but the quagmire doesn’t.

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Murky victory conditions and an obsession with body count turn the jungles of Vietnam into a human meat grinder. While the United States struggles to manage an increasingly brutal war, Hanoi prepares a knockout blow to break the stalemate.

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I have the pleasure of interviewing Myke Cole on this episode of the show! He is a historian and the author of STEEL LOBSTERS, THE BRONZE LIE, THE KILLING GROUND, and others.

We talk about Sir Arthur Haselrige and his Regiment of Horse; a group of knights-carrying-guns that fought in the English Civil Wars. We talk about Pike and Shot tactics, historiography, and the ways in which historians argue with one another.

Grab a copy of Steel Lobsters here

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It was my joy to get to speak with Edwin Moise, a professor of history at Clemson University, and Vietnam War expert. This conversation was the culmination of many conversations had in the background as I was researching Hell in a Small Place III–and this conversation acts as a bit of a companion episode to the HISP shows.

Read Professor Moise's work here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Edwin-E.-Moise/author/B001ITVOIY?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

If you're interested in research materials on the Vietnam War, Professor Moise has curated an...

Smoke drifts lazily upward from the consumed redoubts at Dienbienphu. A fledgling country rejoices in its newfound freedom…for a time. A line of demarcation is drawn: Communist north. Nationalist south. Larger powers move in to claim their proxies. The United States is left to reckon with a difficult question: can they win a race with a losing horse? They’re about to find out.

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Today, I have the honor of interviewing author and historian Don Hollway. His books include Battle for the Island Kingdom, At the Gates of Rome, and The Last Viking. 

It was the Last Viking that was my introduction to Hollway's work, and I was enthralled by the story of Harald Hardada, his larger than life persona and various outsized adventures.

We talk about Hardrada's legacy, dive into anglo-saxon and Viking warfare, and how Vikings as a whole are perceived today, and how that may change in the future. 

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Total War for the fledgling Democratic Republic of Vietnam means civilian suffering, economic disaster, communist consolidation, atomic scares, and lingering hope that the tiger can wear down the elephant. For the French, it means coming face to face with their own mortality.

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France's colony in Indochina ignites in a revolutionary inferno, led by the enigmatic figure of Ho Chi Minh. As the flames spread, Western powers must decide how far they are willing to go to stamp out the communist fire.

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A Norwegian fugitive finds himself embroiled in a Byzantine political coup, and leaves his fingerprints permanently etched throughout the bloody proceedings.

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In 1066, the issue of Anglo-Saxon royal succession boils over into outright war. But as William the Conqueror's Normans invade England from the south, Harald Hardrada's Norwegians sweep down from the north.

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Coming soon, a podcast that will explore stories from our past in order to better understand the heroes we may or may not have learned about in school