"Another damned, thick, square, book! Always scribble, scribble, scribble! Eh! Mr. Gibbon?" (William Henry, Duke of Gloucester, upon receiving the second volume from the author, 1781)
Duke Billy is like too many of the powerful, smug, lazy and oafish. Gibbon wrote a work to stand beside, the Bible, Paradise Lost and Shakespeare's Canon. Historians and men of genius continue to be treated with such smug and stupid disdain.
Last night, I had the pleasure of reading a couple of offerings from The Armchair Historian. This wonderful twenty-four page History magazine is now out of print. I read Terry Sullivan's copies of the Armchair Historian last night and nearly cried myself to sleep knowing that I had missed this venture and with the personal spite and envy of a twisted maniac out of a Poe Tale. UBI SUNT? Where are they ( the volume of Armchair Historian )now?
We live in a cultural swamp that flourishes on freak-shows and foul-ups. People Magazine and Celebrity Survivor do well and Armchair Historian vanishes.
While Elias Crim's Armchair Historian lived, quality thinkers and writers got together.
Here was Civil War Historian Sheby Foote commenting on Ted Turner's movie Gettysburg, Navy Secretary John Lehman reviewing Conor Cruise O'Brien's seminal biography of Edmund Burke, and NY Governor Mario Cuomo offering historical perspective on Elias Crim's magazine. I was blown away - that such a necessary gem is no longer breathing and that the industrious and brilliant Elias Crim single-handedly brought together this arsenal of talent!
What was amazing about the Armchair Historian was the talent contributing to the work -Mario Cuomo and Shelby Foote to name two and that one man had the pluck and patience to rake them to his work. I wanted Crim's heart under my floor boards! Just kidding really, I love Elias and I also keep my Skittles and Sour Laffy-Taffies under the floor boards.
Elias Crim is a friend of mine. Mr. Crim has established a Network for American and International Capitalists ( CEOs, CFOs, CIOs % etc.) and this is a remarkable venture in the true American Spirit.
This network provides talent and treasure to meet. Elias Crim is what the American Spirit is all about - the man is a doer and he is bringing energetic and talented people together. Click my post title and find the link to Elias Crims Interim CEO Network. This is a work of genius.
America will be fine.
Ten Newborns Die in India Hospital Fire
42 minutes ago