M. Bates Posted April 20, 2001 Share Posted April 20, 2001 Seeking info on Leo Kessler: I've read on the internet that he is a Brit or American under the name of "Charles Whitting" or something like that. This puzzles me, since his books are marked with many translators notes (presumably form German). Anyone care to shed light on this?? Overall I find his books to be very entertaining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurtz Posted April 20, 2001 Share Posted April 20, 2001 "Charles Whiting" is his "serious" persona. Leo Kessler is the pulp-writing persona. I looked in a book by Whiting and discovered this fact on the inner sleeve. I promptly put the book back on the shelf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feldgrau Posted April 20, 2001 Share Posted April 20, 2001 There was a discussion regarding Stephen Ambrose and his book "Band of Brothers" on this message board a few days ago. There were some pointed comments about Ambroses' lack of 'reference checking', or using first-person sources / recollections without checking their veracity to fact. If this is said about Ambrose on a minor scale, it must be said of Whiting on a much larger one. While his books are interesting to read, they would be what I would call tertiary sources at best. He also tends to rely on first person sources and recollections, and, IMHO, does not concern himself too greatly with checking to see if they are 100% accurate or not. Not that this makes him a 'bad' author, but just one you have to use a little objectivity with when reading. MSP [ 04-20-2001: Message edited by: Feldgrau ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M. Bates Posted April 20, 2001 Author Share Posted April 20, 2001 Ah I see. I knew that "Leo Kessler" based his writings on various memoirs etc. Assuming that "Charles Whiting" is not a German/mainland European name, is it not a huge con trick to have translators notes (example "T34=main Russian battle tank" etc etc etc) at the bottom of most pages!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurtz Posted April 21, 2001 Share Posted April 21, 2001 Does the "translator's notes" appear in his "Leo Kessler" or his "Charles Whiting" books? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feldgrau Posted April 21, 2001 Share Posted April 21, 2001 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by M. Bates: Assuming that "Charles Whiting" is not a German/mainland European name, is it not a huge con trick to have translators notes (example "T34=main Russian battle tank" etc etc etc) at the bottom of most pages!! [/QB]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Well, HUGE con trick might be a bit harsh, but it certianly makes his work seem more scholarly than it actually is.... I think of his books as a nice way to waste a few hours on a long plane flight (the same way some folks read Tom Clancy novels), but I certianly wouldn't use them as primary sources for any reference work I would be doing (unless I had some other bodies of work to back it up with). Regards, MSP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts