Original Dr. Samuel Mudd Headstone

[RJNorton]

(03-11-2016 10:36 AM)Jim Garrett Wrote:  I'm shocked that Laurie would even mention such tawdry trash on the highly respected symposium.

Jim, I was curious, and I emailed the author seeking his source for such information. If I receive a response regarding a source I will share it with the forum.

[L Verge]

Jim - I know you are teasing me, but this particular book has quite a few careless statements such as this throughout. It is also cheaply priced on Amazon, which encourages new readers to enter our field of interest.

This increasing trend of self-publishing and throwing in bad research (or opinion strictly for shock value) worries me. In the end, how much does it hurt the talented historians who truly know how to research, use citations, and produce wonderful books? Do they become tainted when so many sloppy works are allowed into the market? And what effect do these books have on the novice readers? What effect on history in general?

This particular author has a PhD and taught history and social sciences for nearly fifty years at a major university. What is his reasoning behind throwing in "such tawdry trash" and wrong information - all of which could have been prevented? I hope that he answers Roger's query.