A Shared Authority: Essays on the Craft and Meaning of Oral and Public History (Suny Series in Oral and Public History)

Frisch's essays penetrate the historical consciousness of the nation and expose its distortions. He is not afraid to 'depart from the usual academic form.' This volume ranges from insightful essays and interviews to book and film reviews, but despite its sweep of subjects and form, its pieces build coherently upon each other. This is an entertaining, illuminating, and provocative body of work.

Two pieces from the book--evaluating the New York Times' editing of oral history for publication, and the PBS documentary Vietnam: A Television History --provide especially strong examples of the intellectual insight and importance of this book. Both analyze not only the content of the presentations but the omissions, penetrating the values of the editors and raising serious questions about the packaging of history for the public.