Books by David Kaiser

"His sober and totally candid memoir is absorbing reading that clearly and personally illuminates the ever more tragic collapse of authentic higher education in America." Arthur Waldron, Lauder Professor of International Relations, The University of Pennsylvania "A Life in History, captures a rare quality these days-the ability to stand for what you believe and base those beliefs on facts, not trendy opinions." Morley Winograd, Senior Fellow, Annenberg USC Center for Communications & Leadership Policy ". . . a probing, sometimes searing, look at the professional life of an intellectual during the past half century. . . . In these reflections, Kaiser offers a personal answer to how to sustain the life of the mind and to ensure a public presence for bold thinking." Anne Rose, Distinguished Professor of History and Religious Studies, Penn State University "insightful and entertaining, and it forces readers to think." Jeremi Suri, Professor, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs "This absorbing tale is a window into the inner workings of academia at our nation's premier institutions" James Goldgeier, Professor of International Relations, American University David Kaiser David Kaiser taught history at Harvard, Carnegie Mellon, the Naval War College and Williams College from 1976 through 2012. His nine books include American Tragedy: Kennedy, Johnson, and the Origins of the Vietnam War, and Politics and War: European Conflict from Philip II to Hitler. He lives in Watertown, Massachusetts, and writes the blog historyunfolding.com.

Using the simple metric Wins Above Average, David Kaiser leads us on a fascinating tour through the history of major league baseball from 1901 to 2016, analysing all the greatest players and teams of the past and showing exactly why they enjoyed the success that they did. Along the way, he identifies the 15 or 20 greatest players of every generation.

Kaiser looks at 400 years of modern European history to find the political causes of war in four distinct periods, and shows how war became a natural function of politics. In a new preface and chapter, he shows which aspects of four past areas of conflict do-and do not-seem relevant to the near future, and sketches out new possibilities for Europe.

The assassination of President Kennedy was an appalling and grisly conspiracy. Kaiser shows that the events of November 22, 1963, cannot be understood without fully grasping the two larger stories of which they were a part: the U.S. government's campaign against organized crime; and the furtive quest of two administrations to eliminate Castro.