That somewhat elusive idea - borrowed from the writer George Steiner - might seem strange from a pre-eminent military historian.

As Francois Furet, the pre-eminent historian of the moment, has declared: "The French Revolution is over."

The pre-eminent French historian of the revolution has never worked in a fusty archive.

"It's a vivid memory," said Mr. Greenstein, who today is a professor of politics at Princeton University and one of the nation's pre-eminent historians.

This "splendid book, the first major overall treatment of the controversial era in 40 years," establishes the author as "the pre-eminent historian of Reconstruction."

He focused on modern European history and was the pre-eminent historian on modern French history.

And with this book, Mr. Foner becomes the pre-eminent historian of Reconstruction.

Sir John Summerson, Britain's pre-eminent architectural historian, died on Nov. 10 in London.

The two teams were later named co-national champions for the season 37 years later by Coach Davis, who had become the sport's pre-eminent historian.

"It's going to be very expensive, and we have to be prepared to pay for it," said Diane Ravitch, a pre-eminent educational historian.