Role Author Citizenship American Spouse Shirley Colton (m. 1942) | Nationality American Fields History Name Joel Colton | |
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Born Joel George Colton (Joseph Goldstein)August 23, 1918Bronx, New York ( 1918-08-23 ) Institutions Duke UniversityRockefeller Foundation Alma mater City University of New YorkColumbia UniversityColumbia University Awards Guggenheim Fellowship for Humanities, US & Canada Books A History of the Modern World, A History of Europe in the Mode, Leon Blum - humanist in politics, AP Achiever (Advance, A History of the Modern World - wit | ||
Joel Colton Culture
Joel G. Colton (August 23, 1918 – April 17, 2011) of Durham, North Carolina, was a modern history scholar and author. He received his B.A. in history from City College in 1939 and his M.A. from Columbia University in 1940. After serving in the U.S. Army during WW II, he returned to Columbia, from which he received his Ph.D. in 1950. He taught at Duke University from 1947 until his retirement in 1982, except while serving as director of humanities at the Rockefeller Foundation between 1974 and 1982.
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His textbook, A History of the Modern World, co-authored with R.R. Palmer, is a classic. In 2002, it was reported that "First published in 1950, it has been translated into six languages and is used in more than 1,000 colleges and universities as well as many high school advanced placement courses." By 2011, the book had been translated int 10 languages.(Slotnick's Colton obit) Since its original publication, its reputation continued to grow. "In 1987, The New York Times put it on its list of the 19 classic textbooks of all time, in all disciplines. the Washington Post in 1996 called it 'the first book to be elevated to the textbook hall of fame'"
He died of congestive heart failure.