Ernst Kantorowicz: A Life

It is not that often that biographies get written about historians; generally they are the ones writing biographies about other people. But rarely has one individual had more of an impact on the field than Ernst Kantorowicz, a Jewish-German medieval historian who was almost a businessman instead of an historian. He had to escape Nazi Germany in 1933 and first went to England and then eventually to America, where he taught at Berkeley and Princeton. This biography is incredibly detailed in examining his life. We do not get to his American days until over half way through the book. But his impact on the field is immeasurable; it is hard to be a European history major and not hear of him or read his works. The students that he taught would go on to teach in universities themselves, so his ideas got diffused across the country.

Robert Lerner does a good job bringing his early years to light, especially his time in World War I and the events he was involved in after the Great War. While there are a few spots where the story stagnates, generally Mr. Lerner keeps the story moving.