Author to Discuss Civil War's Impact on Journalism, Kick Off Commemoration in April

On the eve of the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Fort Sumter, renowned Lincoln and Civil War scholar Harold Holzer will speak at the National Press Club at 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 11, in the Holeman Lounge.

Holzer will discuss his newest book, The New York Times Complete Civil War. Chairman of The Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation, Holzer is the author, co-author, or editor of 36 books and is a popular lecturer and a frequent guest on television. In 2008, he was awarded the National Humanities Medal.

The event will kick-off the Club’s commemoration of the Civil War and its impact on the emergence of professional journalism in America. Aided by new printing technologies and the telegraph, reporters were able to bring the war home as never before.

The battlefront became a part of everyday life, no matter the reader's distance from actual fighting. Journalists were there to report a war that became inescapable. An exhibit of Civil War newspapers from 1861 will go on display April 15 in the Club’s lobby showcase.

Holzer's talk is co-sponsored by the Club’s History & Heritage and Book & Author committees. Admission is free for Club members and $5 for non-members.

The New York Times Complete Civil War will be available for $40. Holzer will sign copies. Because it is a fundraiser for the Eric Friedheim National Journalism Library, outside books are not permitted.

Reservations are required at [email protected] or 202-662-7523.

-- Heather Forsgren Weaver, [email protected]