Rick Atkinson

Rick Atkinson is the author of eight seminal narrative histories about five American wars, and The New York Times Book Reviewdeclared, “There is no better writer of narrative history than the Pulitzer Prize-winning Atkinson.” His gripping, deeply researched works have become modern classics of military and American history.

Atkinson is best known for his Liberation Trilogy, the definitive account of America’s role in the liberation of Europe during World War II. His sweeping Revolution Trilogy—written in conjunction with his contributions to Ken Burns’s multi-part series on the American Revolutionary War—offers a masterful retelling of America’s fight for independence. Together, these works illuminate some of the most consequential moments in the nation’s past with unparalleled clarity and humanity.

His most recent book, The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780, debuted as the #1 New York Times nonfiction bestseller.

About Fate of the Day, Ken Burns has said, “Rick Atkinson takes his place among the greatest of all historians. This superb second volume in his Revolution Trilogy is that rare narrative that keeps you on the edge of your seat.”

Atkinson is a three-time Pulitzer Prize recipient: the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting, the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service (as part of The Washington Post staff), and the 2003 Pulitzer Prize in History for An Army at Dawn.

Holding a bachelor’s degree from East Carolina University and a master’s in English literature from the University of Chicago, Atkinson began as a newspaper reporter in Kansas and later worked for notable outlets like The Kansas City Times and The Washington Post, where he won multiple awards for his coverage. He served as the Washington Post’s bureau chief in Berlin and covered significant conflicts such as the Persian Gulf War and the Iraq invasion.

Atkinson’s unique blend of frontline journalism experience and deep historical insight, combined with his elegant narrative style, makes him an exceptionally compelling chronicler of military and American history and a truly captivating speaker.