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JOHN LOTT is being accused, of well, something. The complaint doesn't run to his published scholarly work, but to public statements he's made about a survey whose results were never published. Some people are now saying that he never conducted the survey at all. Here's an email from James Lindgren from a list that I also belong to, posted by vociferous Lott critic (and, if I recall correctly, erstwhile Bellesiles defender) Tim Lambert, that lays it out at some length. I've been following this on that list for months (it goes back before that email) but haven't posted on it...

Publisher Stops History Book Publication Tue Jan 7, 5:34 PM ET By HILLEL ITALIE, Associated Press Writer NEW YORK - Publication has been halted on a disputed book about the history of guns in the United States. Questions about Michael Bellesiles' "Arming America" had already led Columbia University to rescind the prestigious Bancroft Prize for history. When Columbia made the announcement last month, publisher Alfred A. Knopf said the book would remain in print. But Jane Garrett, Bellesiles' editor, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the publisher would no longer sell it. "We are in the process of...

NEW YORK –– Publication has been halted on a disputed book about the history of guns in the United States. Questions about Michael Bellesiles' "Arming America" had already led Columbia University to rescind the prestigious Bancroft Prize for history. When Columbia made the announcement last month, publisher Alfred A. Knopf said the book would remain in print. But Jane Garrett, Bellesiles' editor, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the publisher would no longer sell it. "We are in the process of ending our contractual arrangement with Michael for 'Arming America,'" Garrett said. According to Garrett, Bellesiles (pronounced Bell-eel) had...

What Clayton Cramer Saw and (Nearly) Everyone Else MissedBy Clayton E. Cramer Mr. Cramer is a software engineer and historian. His last book was Concealed Weapon Laws of the Early Republic: Dueling, Southern Violence, and Moral Reform (Praeger Press, 1999). His web site is http://www.claytoncramer.com.Michael A. Bellesiles’s Bancroft Prize for Arming America has been revoked—the first time that a Bancroft Prize has ever been taken away from an author.[1] He has also resigned from Emory University after a blistering criticism by a blue-ribbon panel.[2] Is this embarrassing moment for the history profession a fluke, or indicative of deeper problems? I...

What Is Knopf Waiting For? By Jerome Sternstein Mr. Sternstein is Professor Emeritus of History, Brooklyn College, CUNY, and co-editor of The Encyclopedia of American Biography. Early in 2002, Jane Garrett, Michael Bellesiles's editor at Alfred A. Knopf, told Danny Postel of the Chronicle of Higher Education that the publisher "stands behind" Arming America despite everything the book's critics had to say about its scholarly failings. "I realize that he made some errors," Garrett admitted, "but they certainly were not made intentionally. They were the result of some over-quick research," she said, adding that Knopf was "satisfied" with what Bellesiles...

For those who might have an opinion on whether Knopf should continue to publish Michael Bellesiles' fradulent book, "Arming America," the History News Network is having an UNSCIENTIFIC online poll. There appears to have been an organized effort to keep "Arming America" on the shelves. There is also a comment area below the poll. To vote, go here: http://hnn.us/articles/1171.html To read a comment on Knopf's role by historian Jerome Sternstein, read here: http://hnn.us/articles/1158.html

Ever since Columbia University announced its choice of Michael Bellesiles as a 2001 Bancroft Award winner for "Arming America: The History of a National Gun Culture," they have been under increasing pressure to re-evaluate their position due to the historical inaccuracies and irregular research methodology in the book. Between the announcement and presentation of the Bancroft Award, the committee had willfully ignored all evidence of flaws in the work and thereafter had defended the author. Only after Emory University suspended Professor Bellesiles, did Columbia University seriously look into the matter. Despite the 18 months of consistent criticism, Columbia has apparently...

COLUMBIA COLLEGE CONSERVATIVE CLUB conservative@columbia.edu www.columbia.edu/cu/conservative Contact: Ron Lewenberg Phone: (646) 824-9215 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 1 PM EDT, December 17, 2002 BELLESILES’S CASE SHOWS NEED FOR INSTITUTIONAL REFORM IN BANCROFT COMMITTEE AND COLUMBIA HISTORY DEPARTMENT Ever since Columbia University announced its choice of Michael Bellesiles as a 2001 Bancroft Award winner for "Arming America", they have been under increasing pressure to re-evaluate their position due to the historical inaccuracies and irregular research methodology in the book. Between the announcement and presentation of the Bancroft Award to the committee and history willfully ignored all evidence of flaws in the work and...

Columbia University's Trustees have voted to rescind the Bancroft Prize awarded last year to Michael Bellesiles for his book "Arming America: The Origins of a National Gun Culture." The Trustees made the decision based on a review of an investigation of charges of scholarly misconduct against Professor Bellesiles by Emory University and other assessments by professional historians. They concluded that he had violated basic norms of scholarship and the high standards expected of Bancroft Prize winners. The Trustees voted to rescind the Prize during their regularly scheduled meeting on December 7, 2002 and have notified Professor Bellesiles of their decision....

I saw the AP report yesterday in the (NJ) Star Ledger, while I was having breakfast, that Columbia had withdrawn some award they gave for Bellesiles his now thoroughly discredited book, Arming America. It was on the back page of the first section, but it was there. I had already been through the NY Times and I did not recall seeing it. Later I did a search at the Times website and found something so I thought it might have appeared the day before in the print edition. I made a mental note to go back and look. Today I...

Columbia Rescinds History Prize for Book By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK (AP) -- Severe doubts about a book on guns in the United States has led Columbia University to rescind the prestigious Bancroft Prize for history. ``Arming America,'' by Michael Bellesiles, had received the award in 2001. In a statement released Friday, Columbia said that the school's trustees had concluded ``his book had not and does not meet the standards ... established for the Bancroft Prize.'' Columbia has asked Bellesiles to return the prize money, $4,000. It was the first time in the 54-year history of the Bancroft award...

NEW YORK -- Severe doubts about a book on guns in the United States has led Columbia University to rescind the prestigious Bancroft Prize for history. Arming America, by Michael Bellesiles, had received the award in 2001. In a statement released Friday, Columbia said that the school's trustees had concluded "his book had not and does not meet the standards ... established for the Bancroft Prize." Columbia has asked Bellesiles to return the prize money, $4,000.

The whole sordid affair has finally come to an end. Professor of History Michael Bellesiles will no longer be part of this university. Following a lengthy investigation into the research he did for his book, Arming America: Origins of a National Gun Culture, Bellesiles resigned from his post as a tenured professor last week. Bellesiles had come under fire for allegedly falsifying data he used for his book, and last spring Emory formed an external committee to look into these accusations. The committee, in its report submitted to Emory July 10 and released last week, found that Bellesiles had in...

Professor of History Michael Bellesiles resigned from the University Friday, bringing an end to an unprecedented eight-month investigation into an Emory professor's research. The resignation was announced along with a damning report from an outside investigative committee charged with evaluating Bellesiles' scholarship. Bellesiles is the author of Arming America: Origins of a National Gun Culture, which challenges the long-held belief that early Americans depended heavily on guns. Bellesiles argues that guns were more rare in early America than previously thought, basing his claim on thousands of probate records, militia role lists and other evidence. The 2000 book was initially received...

A Gun Battle Is Over: Truth WinsIn March 2000, 47 law professors and historians sent a stiff letter to Charlton Heston, president of the National Rifle Association. They told him "the Second Amendment permits broad and intensive regulation of firearms" and urged him to move beyond such trifles as constitutional guarantees to "the real issue" -just how much.regulation is needed to "prevent the killings and violence that plague our country today."This letter takes on new meaning now, as we consider the past 18 months of controversy over Michael Bellesiles's "Arming America." That award-winning book, published by Knopf in 2000, purported...

Bellesiles is Gone--The Problem Lingers 10-28-2002 By John G. Fought Mr. Fought holds a Ph.D. in linguistics from Yale; he taught linguistics at the University of Pennsylvania. He owns guns but is not a member of any pro- or anti-gun organizations. Michael Bellesiles Chronology: Latest Developments Summary of the Emory Report Bellesiles's Response to the Report Other Responses to the Report Remaining Questions In "Shanghai Express," Marlene Dietrich, as Lily, reflects that "It took more than one man to change my name to Shanghai Lily." So it is with scholarly misconduct: Michael Bellesiles didn't make his name by himself. Supported...

<p>Michael Bellesiles, the history professor who wrote that firearms were rare in early America, has resigned from Atlanta's Emory University after an investigation found he "willingly misrepresented the evidence"in his award-winning book.</p> <p>The three-person committee — composed of scholars from Princeton University, Harvard University and the University of Chicago — found that Mr. Bellesiles' work showed "evidence of falsification," "egregious misrepresentation" and "exaggeration of data."</p>

BELLESILES COVERAGE: Report accuses Bellesiles of research misconductBy Andrew AckermanNews Editor October 29, 2002Professor of History Michael Bellesiles resigned from the University Friday, bringing an end to an unprecedented eight-month investigation into an Emory professor's research. The resignation was announced along with a damning report from an outside investigative committee charged with evaluating Bellesiles' scholarship. Bellesiles is the author of Arming America: Origins of a National Gun Culture, which challenges the long-held belief that early Americans depended heavily on guns. Bellesiles argues that guns were more rare in early America than previously thought, basing his claim on thousands of probate...

<p>Michael Bellesiles, the history professor who wrote that firearms were rare in early America, has resigned from Atlanta's Emory University after an investigation found he "willingly misrepresented the evidence" in his award-winning book.</p> <p>The three-person committee — composed of scholars from Princeton University, Harvard University and the University of Chicago — found that Mr. Bellesiles' work showed "evidence of falsification," "egregious misrepresentation" and "exaggeration of data."</p>

October 28, 2002, 10:00 a.m. Bellesiles Is Out. A professor at the center of controversy is forced to resign. Emory University announced on Friday afternoon that it had accepted the resignationof history professor Michael Bellesiles, the author of Arming America: The Origins of a National Gun Culture. The award-winning book stirred up controversybecause it appeared to confirm what many scholars already believed: that the Second Amendment protects only a collective right to bear arms and that individual gun rights were unimportant to America's Founders. The facts, however, were not there to back up Bellesiles's contention. Emory also released a 40-page...