BOORSTIN, DANIEL J.

BOORSTIN, DANIEL J.
BOORSTIN, DANIEL J. (1914–2004), U.S. historian. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, he joined the University of Chicago in 1944, and became professor of American history in 1956. He also had a law degree and was a member of the Massachusetts Bar. Subsequently he served as director of the National Museum of American History and senior historian of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. From 1975 to 1987 he was librarian of Congress, where he established the Center for the Book in 1977 to promote books, reading, libraries, and literacy. Among his early works are Lost World of Thomas Jefferson (1948); The Genius of American Politics (1953); America and the Image of Europe (1960); The Image (1962); The Decline of Radicalism (1969); The Sociology of the Absurd (1970); and two volumes of the Landmark History of the American People (1968/70). His highly acclaimed trilogy The Americans (1958, 1965, 1973) advanced the thesis that the American experience was shaped by the environment of the New World. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for the third volume, The Democratic Experience, and also won the Parkman and Bancroft prizes. In 1989 he received the National Book Award for Distiguished Contributions to American Letters. A second popular trilogy describes man's pursuit of knowledge, artistic expression, and philosophic truth. This includes The Discoverers (1983), The Creators (1992), and The Seekers (1998). Cleopatra's Nose, a volume of "Essays on the Unexpected," appeared in 1994. In 1995 the Modern Library published The Daniel J. Boorstin Reader and in 2000 Greenwood Press published Daniel J. Boorstin: A Comprehensive and Selectively Annotated Bibliography, compiled by Angela Michele Leonard and containing over 1,300 items. "For me," Boorstin said, "the task of the historian is not to chisel a personal or definitive view of the past on concrete. Rather, it is to see the iridescence of the past, fully aware that it will have a new and unsuspected iridescence in the future." -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Y. French, in: Library of Congress Information Bulletin (Jan. 2001).

Encyclopedia Judaica. 1971.

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  • Boorstin, Daniel J. — ▪ American historian in full  Daniel Joseph Boorstin  born October 1, 1914, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. died February 28, 2004, Washington, D.C.  influential social historian and educator known for his studies of American civilization, notably his… …   Universalium

  • Boorstin, Daniel Joseph — ▪ 2005       American social historian (b. Oct. 1, 1914, Atlanta, Ga. d. Feb. 28, 2004, Washington, D.C.), recounted in his writings the importance of ordinary objects that shape daily life and warned that modern methods of communication were in… …   Universalium

  • Boorstin, Daniel —  (1914–2004) American historian …   Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors

  • Daniel J. Boorstin — Daniel Joseph Boorstin (October 1, 1914 – February 28, 2004) was an American historian, professor, attorney, and writer. He was appointed twelfth Librarian of the United States Congress from 1975 until 1987. Cont …   Wikipedia

  • Daniel Boorstin — Daniel J. Boorstin (* 1. Oktober 1914 in Atlanta, Georgia; † 28. Februar 2004 in Washington (D.C.)), war ein US amerikanischer Historiker und Schriftsteller. Er war von 1975 bis 1987 Direktor der Library of Congress und einer der einflußreichsten …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Daniel Boorstin — Daniel J. Boorstin Daniel J. Boorstin Daniel Joseph Boorstin (né le 1er octobre 1914 à Atlanta † le 28 février 2004 à Washington, D.C.), universitaire et juriste américain, a été bibliothécaire de la Bibliothèque du Congrès des États Unis de 1975 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Boorstin — Daniel J. Boorstin (* 1. Oktober 1914 in Atlanta, Georgia; † 28. Februar 2004 in Washington (D.C.)), war ein US amerikanischer Historiker und Schriftsteller. Er war von 1975 bis 1987 Direktor der Library of Congress und einer der einflußreichsten …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Daniel J. Boorstin — (* 1. Oktober 1914 in Atlanta, Georgia; † 28. Februar 2004 in Washington D.C.), war ein US amerikanischer Historiker und Schriftsteller. Er war von 1975 bis 1987 Direktor der Library of Congress und einer der einflussreichsten …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Daniel J. Boorstin — Daniel Joseph Boorstin (né le 1er octobre 1914 à Atlanta – mort le 28 février 2004 à Washington, D.C.), universitaire et juriste américain, a été bibliothécaire de la …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Daniel J. Boorstin — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Daniel J. Boorstin Daniel Joseph Boorstin (1 de octubre de 1914 28 de febrero de 2004) fue un historiador estadounidense, profesor, abogado y escritor. Sirvió a los Es …   Wikipedia Español

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