Roger Clapp was raised in New England and served
as a 
radioman in the U.S. Navy
during the Korean War. Upon graduation from Amherst College cum
laude with a degree in history in 1954, he spent 39 years in
the advertising business.
He maintained his interest in history, however,
with the impetus behind the writing of “Through the Ages”
stemming from the author’s many years as a history buff
trying to cope with the mass of information labeled “history.”
This was especially true throughout his children’s education,
where he witnessed the frustration that they faced as they progressed
from high school to college history and had difficulty organizing
the material chronologically and geographically. Roger Clapp
now resides in Naples, Florida.
About the Book: THROUGH THE AGES : AN ABBREVIATED
HISTORY OF OUR WORLD (ISBN: 1418463558) Through the Ages
is an abbreviated history of the world, starting with the formation
of the universe and our planet earth and concluding with the
20th century. With the exception of the first chapter that deals
with unrecorded time, chapters are grouped by centuries and facts
are arranged chronologically so that events occurring at the
same time-throughout the earth – are covered at the same
time.This book is written to provide readers with a better understanding
of the “Big Picture”, or broadest possible perspective
of history. It fills a void left by all other history books,
as it is relatively short in length and covers the beginning
of time to present day in an easy-to-read format that is appealing
to people of all ages. The result is a history book that is enjoyable
to read for history buffs, one that can be read for pleasure
or for reference in a novel –like format.
Pageonelit.com: WHERE DID
YOU GROW UP AND WAS READING AND WRITING A PART OF YOUR LIFE?
WHO WERE YOUR EARLIEST INFLUENCES AND WHY?
Roger Clapp: I was born in Scarsdale,
NY, and grew up on a farm in New Hampshire, followed by San Francisco
and Greenwich, CT.
English and composition were always my best subjects, and I was
an avid reader as a youth.
My father, who was born and raised in London, England, was an
early influence in my life, as he was a stickler for spelling
and encouraged me to develop my reading and writing skills. (If
I used a word at the dinner table that I couldn't spell and/or
define, he sent me to get the dictionary.)
Pageonelit.com: WHY DID YOU WRITE "THROUGH
THE AGES: AN ABBREVIATED HISTORY OF OUR WORLD"? WHAT IS
YOUR INTEREST IN HISTORY?
Roger Clapp: The impetus behind
the writing of "Through the Ages" stemmed from my many
years as a history buff trying to cope with the mass of information
labeled "history." This was especially true throughout
my children's education, where I witnessed the frustration that
they faced as they progressed from high school to college history
and had difficulty organizing the material chronologically and
geographically.
My interest in history closely parallels that of my children.
Pageonelit.com: HOW DID YOU RESEARCH
TO WRITE "THROUGH THE AGES: AN ABBREVIATED HISTORY OF OUR
WORLD"?
Roger Clapp: I purchased every history
of the world I could find, and arranged the data chronologically
and geographically, seeking a consensus of the material offered.
I selected that data I felt to be most important.
Pageonelit.com: DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE
TIME PERIOD OF HISTORY TO STUDY? AND WHY?
Roger Clapp: The 8th - 10th Centuries
is my favorite time period, starting with what I referred to
in my book as "The Age of the Vikings." I was fascinated
by the manner in which the Vikings swarmed down from Scandinavia
and upset the balance of power in Europe during the Middle Ages
and subsequently solidified their power and influence. They also
were significant factors in opening up the early sea passages
to North America, My fascination led me to motor (and via ferry)
to Newfoundland to see for myself the purported landing place
of the Vikings, and the recreation of the original Viking village.
Pageonelit.com: YOU SAY HISTORY IS A "MASS
OF INFORMATION LABELED HISTORY" - PLEASE EXPLAIN.
Roger Clapp: To me, history bespeaks
an organized assemblage of events that inform us as to what happened
in the past - and, hopefully, why. Often, however, it is a disorganized
collection of data ("a mass of information") that fails
to deliniate the wheat from the chaff. In my book, I have made
a concerted effort to overcome this failing.
Pageonelit.com: WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE
WITH YOUR BOOK?
Roger Clapp: Playback that my readers
found my book as satisfying to read as I did in writing it.
Pageonelit.com: WHAT DO YOU HOPE
READERS WILL TAKE AWAY AFTER READING YOUR BOOK?
Roger Clapp: I wrote "Through
the Ages" to provide readers with a better understanding
of the "big picture," or broadest possible perspective
of history. I hope that readers will achieve that.
Pageonelit.com: WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FEEDBACK
FROM READERS?
Roger Clapp: My friends who have
read the book have been most complimentary. Probably most important,
however, has been the feedback from my grandchildren in high
school and college, who tell me the book is an excellent supplement
to their standard textbooks - especially in the area of placing
centuries in perspective, as well as a better feel for what was
going on throughout the world at the same time.
Pageonelit.com: WHAT'S NEXT?
Roger Clapp: As I'm not a professional
writer, I have no plans but to rest on whatever laurels ensue
from writing this one book - that I really only wrote for my
grandchildren.
Pageonelit.com: WHAT WAS THE LAST
BOOK YOU READ?
Roger Clapp: "Up Country,"
a novel by Nelson Demille.
Pageonelit.com: DO YOU HAVE ANY
HOBBIES? WHAT ARE THEY? HOW DO THEY ENHANCE YOUR WRITING?
Roger Clapp: Apart from continuing
my reading, I lead a water aerobics class three times a week
at our neighborhood pool. Twice a week I am a volunteer counselor
for SCORE - Service Corps of Retired Executives. Affiliated with
the Small Business Association in Washington, we are a group
of volunteers who counsel small businesses here in Naples, Florida.
As for enhancing my writing, I guess these hobbies keep the adrenalin
flowing and stimulate the mind - good assets for writing enhancement.
