Richard B. Morris, renowned professor of history first at the City College of New York and later at Columbia University, ranks among the most versatile and prolific scholars of the twentieth century. Though perhaps best known for his work in early American legal and economic history, Morris's research interests have ranged from Jewish history to juvenile literature, from the diplomatic history of the American Revolution to the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt. As author or editor of literally hundreds of works over a sixty-year period, Morris has brought the message of history to two generations of readers, to both the scholarly community and the general public alike.

Richard Brandon Morris, son of Jacob and Tillie Rosenberg Morris, was born in New York City. He grew up in the borough of the Bronx, but because of his obvious academic potential attended high school in Manhattan at Townsend Harris Hall, a...