Kenneth Rendell is one of the world’s preeminent dealers in historical documents, manuscripts, and artifacts. Join him and Chief Genealogist David Allen Lambert for an inside look at his adventure-filled life and work tracking down historical letters, evaluating archives, and building collections and libraries.

Frequently called “the Indiana Jones of history collecting,” Kenneth Rendell has sought out and explored collections from Paramount Studios to the White House. He s best known publicly for contested appraisals of the archives of the leading literary and historical personalities. As an expert in forgeries, Rendell uncovered many well-known and highly publicized scandals, declaring such major finds as the Hitler and Jack the Ripper diaries frauds. As an expert appraiser, he evaluated Nixon's White House papers and Watergate tapes, Martin Luther King's papers, and numerous literary archives. In the words of Ken Burns, Rendell has “humanized and personalized the scope and promise of human endeavor.” He has devoted his personal and professional lives to preserving the words and wisdom of our cultural and political leaders—those who have shaped the experience of our ancestors and our country’s history. Don’t miss hearing from Kenneth Rendell and David Allen Lambert about the power and promise of rare documents and collections and his book Safeguarding History: Trailblazing Adventures Inside the Worlds of Collecting and Forging History, which has a Foreword by Doris Kearns Goodwin.  

From the time Kenneth Rendell was in grammar school, he has been fascinated with the people of history. He has pursued the original letters of the major and minor people who led the progress of human endeavors. Over 70 years he became the leading dealer in the world and an expert in forgeries and an expert appraiser. He has galleries in New York, Beverly Hills, and Tokyo, and offices in London and Boston.

David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist at American Ancestors, is an internationally recognized speaker on the topics of genealogy and history. His work has been published in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, the New Hampshire Genealogical Record, Rhode Island Roots, and Mayflower Descendant, among other publications. As the longtime former co-host of the Extreme Genes podcast, David collects and shares family stories. He collects New England-related documents and memorabilia, antique photographs, and autographs.