Richard M. Ketchum

Richard Malcolm Ketchum (1922–2012) was an American historian and magazine editor who co-founded the magazine Country Journal.

Early life

Ketchum was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on March 15, 1922, to George and Thelma Patton Ketchum. He went on to graduate from Yale College in 1943 with a degree in American history. During World War II, Ketchum served as commander of a Navy submarine chaser in the Atlantic.

Career

After the war, Ketchum moved to the US state of Vermont. he wrote 33 articles for American Heritage Magazine.

Country Journal In 1974, Ketchum returned to Dorset, Vermont and adapted a farming lifestyle. There, he co-founded Country Journal with William S. Blair.

The magazine was originally dubbed Blair & Ketchum’s Country Journal, but later was shortened to Country Journal.

Initially, Country Journal had difficulties earning a profit. Blair said that he was unable to seek advertisers with high budget in mind and often had to compromise for lower prices. Country Journal struggled to attract authors on the more famous side. Ketchum paid relatively low compensation compared to other magazines at the time, with him giving $200 to $500 per article written. According to The New York Times, the magazine "offered a blend of the bucolic and the practical, particularly to city folk who had opted for the rural life."

Published works Ketchum was the author of numerous publications involving wars in America. The Borrowed Years, 1938–1941 (1989) describes the events leading up to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. His last book, Victory at Yorktown: The Campaign That Won the Revolution is an account of the battle and unlikely triumph that led to American independence.

Saratoga: Turning Point of America's Revolutionary War is about the invasion where British general John Burgoyne led from Canada during the American Revolution War. It was praised by historian Pauline Maier at New York Times, citing its detail.

Revolutionary War Books 1962: Decisive Day: The Battle for Bunker Hill; 1973: The Winter Soldiers: The Battles for Trenton and Princeton 1974: The World of George Washington 1997: Saratoga: Turning Point of America's Revolutionary War 2002: Divided Loyalties: How the American Revolution Came to New York 2004: Victory at Yorktown: The Campaign That Won the Revolution

Other books 1960: The American Heritage Picture History of The Civil War(editor) 1965: The American Heritage Book of Great Historic Places 1970: Faces from the Past 1970: The Secret Life of the Forest 1973: Will Rogers: His Life and Times 1989: The Borrowed Years, 1938–1941

Selected articles “The Decisive Day Is Come (Battle of Bunker Hill),” American Heritage, August 1962, Volume 13, Issue 5 "England’s Vietnam: The American Revolution," American Heritage, June 1971, Volume 22, Issue 4 "The Spirit Of ’54," American Heritage, August/September 2002, Volume 53, Issue 4