The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History

by Thomas E. Woods, Jr.

Regnery Publishing, 2004

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Translated into Polish, Chinese, and Italian.

12 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list

“Knowing our past is essential if we are to preserve our freedoms. Professor Woods’s work heroically rescues real history from the politically correct memory hole. Every American should read this book.”

-The Honorable Ron Paul, U.S. House of Representatives

“An important work that refutes the misinterpretations of American history that have misinformed generations about their country, its origins, purposes, successes, and failures. Riveting, highly readable.”

-Paul Craig Roberts, former assistant secretary of the U.S. Treasury

“Woods has taken on some of the big historical issues with a fresh and definitely non-PC approach. His take on American history is bold, brilliant, thought-provoking, and what is even better, entertaining.”

-Clyde N. Wilson, editor, The Papers of John C. Calhoun and professor of history, University of South Carolina



“The history of America as taught in high school and college textbooks is often as distorted as the histories imposed on the hapless people of the former Soviet Union. Professor Woods’s book should be required reading for college students. If it were, we might hope to recover something of the decentralized polity of the Founders.”

-Donald W. Livingston, professor of philosophy, Emory University

“Solidly based in the best and most recent scholarship and written in an agreeable, flowing style, The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History is a gem. It will be treasured by history buffs and by anyone who suspects that high school and college textbooks might not have told the whole story.”

-Ralph Raico, professor of history, Buffalo State College

“A favorite of mine. Woods could probably write five books about this, but this one has some great material in it.”

-Gary Bauer, former Republican presidential candidate and president, American Values

“Knowledge is power, and this is a very powerful book…. I encourage everyone to buy a copy and read it.”

-Michael Badnarik, 2004 Libertarian candidate for President

“It is not surprising that a history guide written by a professor with an undergraduate degree from Harvard and a doctorate from Columbia made it onto the New York Times bestseller list. What is surprising – refreshingly so – is that a text that challenges the liberal canon has so resonated with the American public…. Provides a compelling rebuttal to the liberal sentiment encrusted upon current history texts…. The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History is ultimately about truth…. This is a book everyone interested in American history should have in his library.”

-Weekly Standard

“That Woods’s book has made such a big splash is both gratifying and disheartening — gratifying because a factual, insightful, and formerly traditional perspective is being widely read by the general public and disheartening because such a perspective has been all but banned from the universities that educate our children.”

-The American Conservative

Related links:

Miscellaneous:

Named “Most Original Thinker of 2004” on NBC’s The McLaughlin Group

“…Outperforms Coulter, Hannity, Swifties in Early Sales”

“…Soars onto the New York Times Bestsellers List”

Discussing the book on C-SPAN

My own discussion of the book (article)

My comments on the book at the 2005 Austrian Scholars Conference (mp3)

Online Reviews:

The Mises Review

LewRockwell.com

Orange County Register (free registration required)

Christian Broadcasting Network

Human Events

Interviews:

California Literary Review

Bill Steigerwald (originally published in Pittsburgh Tribune)

LewRockwell.com

Features:

“Is Accuracy Politically Incorrect?” (feature on CampusReportOnline)

Times of London story

Natalie Canavor, “Revisionist History? A Professor Hopes So.” New York Times, Long Island section, February 20, 2005 (not available online)

Replies to critics:

Overview of the controversy

Reply to the New York Times‘ Adam Cohen

Reply to Joe Lockard

Reply to Max Boot

Reply to Slate’s David Greenberg

Thomas DiLorenzo’s defense of the book

Paul Gottfried’s defense of the book