Alan Axelrod is the author of numerous books on U.S. history, including A Savage Empire: Trappers, Traders, Tribes and the Wars That Made America (Thomas Dunne Books 2012) and Blooding at Great Meadows: Young George Washington and the Battle that Shaped the Man (Running Press 2007). His other books include the national bestseller Patton on Leadership, and Patton, the inaugural volume in Palgrave Macmillan’s “Great Generals” series, edited by Gen. Wesley K. Clark.

He has been a creative consultant and an on-camera personality for “The Wild West” television documentary series (Warner Bros., 1993), Civil War Journal (A&E Network, 1994), and The Discovery Channel. He has also appeared on MSNBC, CNN, CNBC, and National Public Radio. Axelrod holds a Ph.D. in English (specializing in early American literature and culture) from the University of Iowa. He lives in Atlanta.