History, true or feigned

"But I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence.  I much prefer history, true or feigned, with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of the reader.  I think that many confuse 'applicability'  with 'allegory'; but the one resides in the freedom of the reader and the other in the purposed domination of the author."

J.R.R. Tolkien, 'Foreword to the Second Edition', 

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, p7.  1965

I'm a historian by trade, a profession I dearly love and a calling I find myself constrained to follow no matter how I earn my daily bread.  Historians have to write, constantly, otherwise they are merely antiquatarians indulging their love of old things.  But I find myself prone to writer's block, and I thought posting a weekly blog might be an excellent way to help myself though periods of writer's block. 

My specialties include military history, ancient history, and medieval history. My more specific specialty is the history of the United States Marine Corps, especially during the Gulf War, and I have published a few books on that topic (my Amazon author's page). As a military historian, I consider the works of John Guilmartin, Alan Millett, Williamson Murray, Gerhard Weinberg, and Charles R. Smith those I most strive to emulate in my writing (along with numerous others I cannot list here).  The books of Cornelius Ryan and Willis John Abbot were my entry point to the profession as a child. 

In addition to being a historian, I am a gamer, in the semi-old sense of the word. I don't play video games nor do I gamble, I play with toy soldiers and my imagination, playing miniature war games and table top role-playing games like Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. I've been a gamer since at least 1979.

And, perhaps most fundamentally, I am an avid and voracious reader. I read constantly and compulsively, if I cannot read, while driving for instance, I prefer to listen to audiobooks over listening to music. My tastes in reading material are predictable, I like histories, historical fiction, fantasy fiction, and classic 19th century works.  My favorite authors include J.R.R. Tolkien, Susan Cooper, Lloyd Alexander, Mary Stewart, Alexandre Dumas, Jules Verne, George MacDonald Fraser, and Alistair MacLean. There are many others, of course. 

The title of the blog, drawn from a quote of Tolkien's, illustrates the scope of the blog. I intend to write about history as well as about fantasy and literature. 'feigned' history is simply the history of a fantastical world like Middle Earth, it is not 'fake' or fradulent. 

I once wrote a book review column for Knights of the Dinner Table magazine and I hope to revise and expand those reviews and post them here occassionally, along with new book reviews and my thoughts on my historical work as I am conducting it. 

My friends and family know I have passionately held political beliefs. I reserve the right to post on politics if I decide to, but for now my intent is to keep this blog apolitical in the contemporary sense. 

All views in this blog are my own and represent the views of no other person, organization, or institution.