The morning's obits...

My early morning usually starts with a quick scan of the email box, and the morning's email always includes a summary of the day's New York Times. Today's news brief included an obituary for Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., the great, if liberally biased (admittedly so, I'm sure), historian of our age. Here's the photo that accompanied the Times's obit (article by Douglas Martin; photo by Jack Manning).

In fact, along with William Manchester, Edmond Morris and Stephen Ambrose, Schlesinger was among the most readable historians of our age. "Readable history" is what I call what happens when a scholar steeped in the movement of events of a time or era is also a writer looking to transmit character and interpretation. It's my favorite read, and it includes, at times, great biography (Taylor Branch's MLK series, for instance) and, sometimes, fiction (E.L. Doctorow's The March comes to mind).

Schlesinger was 89. To honor him - besides reading and saving the obitulary - I think I'll pull down and give a fresh read to one of his books. Any recommendations?