Joel G. Colton (born ''Joseph Goldstein''; August 23, 1918April 17, 2011) of

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

, was a modern history scholar and author. Colton received his B.A. in history from City College in 1939 and his M.A. from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in 1940. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, he returned to Columbia, from which he received his Ph.D. in 1950. He taught at

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

from 1947 until his retirement in 1982, except while serving as director of humanities at the

Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The foundation was created by Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller (" ...

between 1974 and 1982. His contributions to

R.R. Palmer Robert Roswell Palmer (January 11, 1909 – June 11, 2002) was an American historian at Princeton University, Princeton and Yale University, Yale universities, who specialized in eighteenth-century France. His most influential work of scholarship, ...

's ''

A History of the Modern World ''A History of the Modern World'' is a work initially published by the distinguished American historian at Princeton and Yale universities Robert Roswell Palmer in 1950. The work has since been extended by Joel Colton (from its second edition, 1 ...

'', is a classic. In 2002, it was reported that "First published in 1950, it has been translated into six languages and is used in more than 1,000 colleges and universities as well as many high school advanced placement courses." By 2011, the book had been translated into 10 languages.(Slotnick's Colton obit) Since its original publication, its reputation continued to grow. "In 1987, ''The New York Times'' put it on its list of the 19 classic textbooks of all time, in all disciplines. ''The Washington Post'' in 1996 called it 'the first book to be elevated to the textbook hall of fame'" Martin, Douglas. 18 June 2002. R.R. Palmer, 93, History Text Author Dies. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/18/us/r-r-palmer-93-history-test-author-dies.html He died of

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF typically pr ...

Major publications

* ''A History of the Modern World'' (2nd - 9th editions). NY: McGraw-Hill, 9th edition. * ''Léon Blum: Humanist in Politics''. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1987. * ''Twentieth Century''. Amsterdam: Time-Life Books, 1969. * ''Compulsory Labor Arbitration in France, 1936-1939''. NY: Kings Crown Press, 1951.

References

1918 births 2011 deaths Historians from New York (state) Duke University faculty City College of New York alumni Columbia University alumni People from the Bronx 20th-century American Jews United States Army personnel of World War II {{US-historian-stub