In His Own Words

James McCullough's Diary offers a first-hand view of frontier life in Pennsylvania near the Maryland border during the colonial period of the French and Indian War. The diary, which begins its tale in 1747, has been the subject of several previous studies. Some were purely scholarly works, while others were admitted works of fiction. In his nonfiction treatment, Mr. Houpt treads closely along the paths suggested by the diary entries, and uses additional research materials-and a bit of imagi...