"The Civil War. Baseball. Jazz. More than 150 million Americans have seen Ken Burns's documentaries chronicling their history on public television. With their signature blending of images, interviews, and evocative music, Burns's series have redefined documentary television. No one, before or since, has made history so popular. Who, though, ever believed that narrative-driven historical documentaries could command outsized television audiences? Gary R.

Edgerton takes the full measure of Burns's accomplishments. With an inside look at the workings of Burns's Florentine Films production company, a genealogy of Burns's style and sources, and a critical account of Burns the historian, Edgerton shows how Ken Burns's powerful programs define our sense of America's past and present. Ken Burns's America will be essential reading for history buffs and viewers of Burns's immensely popular television documentaries."--BOOK JACKET.