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Kenneth C. Davis is an American popular historian, best known for his ''Don't Know Much About...'' series. Born in Mount Vernon, New York, Davis attended Concordia College, Bronxville in New York, and Fordham University at Lincoln Center, New York City. He lives in New York City and Dorset, Vermont, with his wife and two children. Davis makes frequent media appearances, including NPR's ''All Things Considered'', and he has lectured at museums, including the Smithsonian Museum and the American Museum of Natural History. He has been a contributor to ''The New York Times'', ''Newsday'' and other publications. Davis's first book, ''Two-Bit Culture: The Paperbacking of America,'' offered an overview and in-depth history of paperback books, although some important publishers, such as Walter Zacharius and Irwin Stein's Lancer Books, were given little or no coverage. ==''Don't Know Much About History''== Published by Crown in 1990, Davis's second book, ''Don't Know Much About History,'' spent 35 consecutive weeks on ''The New York Times'' bestseller list and sold nearly 1.5 million copies. This unexpected success launched the ''Don't Know Much About...'' series. The standardized format is a chronological coverage of a subject with each chapter divided into boldface subheads of questions, such as, "Did Pocahontas really save John Smith's life?" Davis then answers the questions with basic facts delivered in short easy-to-read essays which have a straightforward approach, but sometimes grab the reader's attention by beginning with light humor and anachronistic comparisons, for example: "Even the astronauts who flew to the moon had a pretty good idea of what to expect; Columbus was sailing, as ''Star Trek'' puts it, 'where no man has gone before'." Quotes from historical figures often follow the essays.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Don't Know Much About History )〕 The titles were initially inspired by Sam Cooke's song "Wonderful World", with the lyrics, "Don't know much about history" or "geography," etc. Because Davis makes history palatable to bored students, the series has generally received favorable reviews, and praise from teachers and librarians. One mixed review criticized Davis for "treat() his subject matter as a vehicle for his own editorials".〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Don't Know Much About History )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Kenneth C. Davis」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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