Mark Douglas McGarvie

Mark Douglas McGarvie is a lawyer and a Ph.D. in history with over 20 years of teaching experience in colleges and law schools, including two terms teaching in Europe. He has received two book awards and a Fulbright Scholarship. His written work offers historical explanations of cultural tensions in the United States. Readers frequently comment that they have a better appreciation of the causes of this country's current culture wars after reading McGarvie's books. Though he works largely in intellectual and legal history, his texts are readable and have served as the basis of book club and on-line discussions, including one on One Nation Under Law, sponsored by the New York Times. Nearly all reviewers of his books have commented on the "elegance" and "readability" of his prose.

Unlike many contemporary historians, McGarvie believes that the goal of reading history is understanding, not judgment. A moderate himself, he has no desire to justify reactionary or radical positions, to foment rebellion, or to write to promote social change. He tries to be objective in both his analyses and conclusions and accepts historical actors as generally sincere people trying to deal with the same issues in their lives as people face today.