Bateman on Hanson: Five years ago, our colleague, Chris Bray, published his blistering review of Victor Davis Hanson's Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise of Western Power,"Torturing History: A military historian abuses the past," Reason, April 2002. It's time, again, to buckle your seatbelts and pass the popcorn. LTC Bob Bateman's"Bateman on Hanson: An Altercation Altercation," Altercation, 22 October, launches a series about Hanson's work. A historian, who is a commissioned officer in the Army Airborne Rangers and teaches in Georgetown University's Security Studies Program, Bateman will mince no words. He promises to"take down one of the most profound perverts of the historical record in the modern era, Mr. Victor Davis Hanson." He is"... the worst sort of polemicist: one who claims academic credentials as a neutral observer, but then insidiously inserts political interpretations of his own present-day biases into the historical record." Bateman will argue that Hanson's"signal personal work," Carnage and Culture,"is a pile of poorly constructed, deliberately misleading, intellectually dishonest feces." (Sic)

We Get Letters: Mark Bostridge reviews Margaret Smith, ed., Selected Letters of Charlotte Brontë for the Independent, 21 October; Paul Johnson,"From Blomsgrove to Trinity," Literary Review, nd, reviews Archie Burnett's The Letters of A. E. Housman; and John Carey reviews Christopher Reid's Letters of Ted Hughes for the London Times, 21 October.

Peanuts: Rich Cohen for the LA Times, 21 October, and Scott McLemee for Newsday, 21 October, review David Michaelis's Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography. Hat tip.

Black on White: Robin Givhan,"Symbols of Hatred in the Shadows," Washington Post, 21 October, reviews"Kara Walker: My Complement, My Enemy, My Oppressor, My Love," an exhibit at New York's Whitney Museum of American Art.

Finally: Farewell to Misteraitch, who is closing shop at Giornale Nuovo. This great history blog has had a five year run on the net. Many thanks. We'll miss you.

gerald r reynolds - 11/6/2007

Prof Hansen responds to Bateman and his follow on article. Interesting that someone like Bateman who purports to be professional officer and academic lacked the discipline to address the issues properly but instead chose to use insulting and antagonistic language. (and yes I served but as a Cold Warrior in Europe before the insinuations begin) one last note, small wars journal had bateman's article up and it seemed to have disappeared. SWJ has strived to be open to all viewpoints including Prof Price's near hysterical assailing of the government daring to sully cultural anthopology for mere wartime aid to our soldiers in the field.

http://www.victorhanson.com/articles/hanson110507A.html
and
http://www.victorhanson.com/articles/hanson110507B.html

Chris Bray - 10/25/2007

Also a pleasant look at Carnage and Culture in Robert Citino's essay on military history, just published in the AHR.