NF Philip Thomas Tucker

[TallTallMan]

The one bad review is the same-old "all over the place" thing.

 

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

Tucker earned national recognition in winning one of America's most prestigious national awards for the best non-fiction book in Southern history in 1993

Strange that someone would brag about winning a "prestigious" award without naming the award or the organization presenting it.

Tucker's iconoclastic books are widely-known to be as hard-hitting as they are groundbreaking, including CUSTER AT GETTYSBURG, A NEW LOOK AT GEORGE ARMSTRONG CUSTER VERSUS JEB STUART IN THE BATTLE'S CLIMACTIC CAVALRY CHARGES: the most important Civil War book of corrective Gettysburg history released in the 21st Century.

If his thesis is that Custer saved Meade's army from being attacked in the rear by Stuart in coordination with Pickett's Charge (which is what is implied by an excerpt someone posted earlier) then his "groundbreaking" work is just an elaboration on Tom Carhart's thesis from 15 years earlier.

 

[TallTallMan]

Strange that someone would brag about winning a "prestigious" award without naming the award or the organization presenting it.



If his thesis is that Custer saved Meade's army from being attacked in the rear by Stuart in coordination with Pickett's Charge (which is what is implied by an excerpt someone posted earlier) then his "groundbreaking" work is just an elaboration on Tom Carhart's thesis from 15 years earlier.

There was some Carhartism in the Custer book, alright. He was also complaining to Eric about how he didn't like the Carhart book. Why that bothers Tucker is weird.

 

[Jamieva]

I was going through his Amazon list and this is the absolute funniest thing I've ever seen. This may be the undeniable proof he is America's worst historian (if you needed anymore).

View attachment 507194

What in the actual hell is that?!

 

[Andrew]

The one bad review is the same-old "all over the place" thing.

And if you read all the other 13 reviews you'll notice they are all amazingly similar in style and content with each other. And coincidentally (ironically?) the writing style of those reviews is similar to the good doctor's. The exuberant praise for his writing reminds me of something I read recently that I can't quite place. Hmm...

 

[TallTallMan]

What in the actual hell is that?!

A view up Satan's you-know-where.

 

[gjpratt]

@Eric Wittenberg

"One contributor to a Civil War blog...[has] been behind the posting of more than 250 fake 1-star Amazon reviews against the author's works for more than a decade."

Seriously Eric, you could sue him for libel.

Libel per quod.

 

[Belfoured]

Strange that someone would brag about winning a "prestigious" award without naming the award or the organization presenting it.



If his thesis is that Custer saved Meade's army from being attacked in the rear by Stuart in coordination with Pickett's Charge (which is what is implied by an excerpt someone posted earlier) then his "groundbreaking" work is just an elaboration on Tom Carhart's thesis from 15 years earlier.

Respectfully, I think you may have misunderstood. He won The Prestigious Award bestowed annually by the Prestige Society of North America - for seven years running.

As for Carhart, what Eric W has written in the past. I always wondered why Lee would be so stupid as to have the commencement of a crucial attack signaled by firing two guns a substantial distance away with an enemy army of c. 80,000 or so in the intervening space, not to mention hilly terrain features, on a live battlefield with 500+ pieces of field artillery. My take is that Lee was a lot smarter than that - even if Carhart isn't.

 

[TallTallMan]

Libel per quod.

You're probably right.

Eric, any damages suffered?

https://www.findlaw.com/injury/torts-and-personal-injuries/what-is-defamation-per-se-.html

 

[TallTallMan]

Respectfully, I think you may have misunderstood. He won The Prestigious Award bestowed annually by the Prestige Society of North America - for seven years running.

As for Carhart, what Eric W has written in the past. I always wondered why Lee would be so stupid as to have the commencement of a crucial attack signaled by firing two guns a substantial distance away with an enemy army of c. 80,000 or so in the intervening space, not to mention hilly terrain features, on a live battlefield with 500+ pieces of field artillery. My take is that Lee was a lot smarter than that - even if Carhart isn't.

I have not read the Carhart book but I discovered it on Ebay last year and was momentarily excited and then confused.

Well, Lee was supposedly running to the toliet because of ripe cherries, so he'd make any bad decision!

 

[Belfoured]

I have not read the Carhart book but I discovered it on Ebay last year and was momentarily excited and then confused.

Well, Lee was supposedly running to the toliet because of ripe cherries, so he'd make any bad decision!

I'm ashamed to admit that I bought it at the time. It's moving to that new location for my two PTT "money out the window" purchases.

 

[TallTallMan]

I'm ashamed to admit that I bought it at the time. It's moving to that new location for my two PTT "money out the window" purchases.

I can guess what the other was

 

[Eric Wittenberg]

You're probably right.

Eric, any damages suffered?

https://www.findlaw.com/injury/torts-and-personal-injuries/what-is-defamation-per-se-.html

None that I'm aware of.

You do know that I am a litigation lawyer, right? Like I said, this guy isn't collectable and isn't worth the effort.

 

[TallTallMan]

None that I'm aware of.

You do know that I am a litigation lawyer, right? Like I said, this guy isn't collectable and isn't worth the effort.

Yeah. When I first joined this forum this is what I was told about you. Can't remember why I was told that

 

[TallTallMan]

Another pop historian is Tom Clavin. His writing style can be irritating (as well as the constant comparing to movies), but he sticks mostly to the West, with occasional bouts into WWII.

 

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

Another pop historian is Tom Clavin. His writing style can be irritating (as well as the constant comparing to movies), but he sticks mostly to the West, with occasional bouts into WWII.

I've only read two books he co-authored - Uttermost Ends of the Earth and Halsey's Typhoon - but I thought both were good.

Several of his other books I haven't read because, although the topics interest me, I've already read a book on the subject by someone else.

 

[pmuskett]

Last year, I had a school group on a tour, one of the teachers told me she loved Custer. She had already bought a book at the Visitor Center (VC) but could not remember who wrote it. I told her, don't get Tucker's book on it. She later told me; she had bought it. I told her to read it very carefully and check his sources and do some other research on it, don't take his word as gospel.

As for Carhart, @Eric Wittenberg had a car tour the other morning. This guy had read Carhart's book recently and was raving about the theory as we left the parking lot. I think it took me 30 seconds to shred that theory. The way he acted I think I ripped his heart out. He sat quietly most of the next two hours. Thought it cost me my tip. But still got one.

I do love debunking myths on this field.

What I can't understand, and it frustrates me, so much so that I got a talking to from the guide supervisor for recommending some books on the battle to the store manager at the VC, the amount of Tucker books they have in the VC. The NPS reviews/approves the books in the VC bookstore.

Phil

Eric you are in my prayers, brother.

 

[rpkennedy]

Last year, I had a school group on a tour, one of the teachers told me she loved Custer. She had already bought a book at the Visitor Center (VC) but could not remember who wrote it. I told her, don't get Tucker's book on it. She later told me; she had bought it. I told her to read it very carefully and check his sources and do some other research on it, don't take his word as gospel.

As for Carhart, @Eric Wittenberg had a car tour the other morning. This guy had read Carhart's book recently and was raving about the theory as we left the parking lot. I think it took me 30 seconds to shred that theory. The way he acted I think I ripped his heart out. He sat quietly most of the next two hours. Thought it cost me my tip. But still got one.

I do love debunking myths on this field.

What I can't understand, and it frustrates me, so much so that I got a talking to from the guide supervisor for recommending some books on the battle to the store manager at the VC, the amount of Tucker books they have in the VC. The NPS reviews/approves the books in the VC bookstore.

Phil

Eric you are in my prayers, brother.

I noticed how many of his books were there the other week when I stopped in. I just shook my head as I walked past them. I understand that they're pretty popular and he has name recognition (hence, decent sales) but man are they terrible history. He's basically a textbook example of what not to do.

Ryan

 

[Militarybooks]

I published one of the man's books. I would never publish anything else he has ever written.

I live rent free in his head. He became obsessed with me personally and I even made his bio on Amazon ("the Greek Napoleon"), which he trimmed down from about 9,000 words to whatever it is today. He thinks I have taken special pleasure in hurting his publishing career, which is just ridiculous. Any damage he has done, he has done to himself.

At least two different attorneys have contacted me on his behalf threatening to sue me, for what remains unclear. Tortious this, and fraudulent that. I encouraged them to do so because I have recorded calls from him late at night, a notebook of contemporaneous notes, emails back and forth that are not particularly favorable to him, and of course through discovery we might be able to find out about other things that I would be more than happy to pursue. I never hear back from the attorneys.

I wish Mr. Tucker well and hold no animus against him. I would just never publish him again or recommend his books to anyone, ever.

 

[Eric Wittenberg]

Eric you are in my prayers, brother.

Thanks, Phil--I appreciate it. We're off to Cleveland in a few minutes to get my staples out and to see the surgeon. I'm doing fine.