American Revolution/Civil War: Book Recommendations Please.
- Thread starter mawnansmiff
- Start date
- Status
"You have no chance of understanding how the civil war came to be if you don't understand what is commonly called the Jacksonian era."
Agree
Another excellent book, by David Walker Howe, part of the fantastic Oxford History of America series. I am reading right now. Highly recommended:
"What Hath God Wrought - The Trnsformation of America, 1815 to 1848"
Agree
Another excellent book, by David Walker Howe, part of the fantastic Oxford History of America series. I am reading right now. Highly recommended:
"What Hath God Wrought - The Trnsformation of America, 1815 to 1848"
When speaking of military memoirs Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant and Caesar’s Gallic Wars have been said to be the two greatest writings.Grants Volume I mostly covers his younger times, the Mexican War, and his leadership in the Civil War western campaigns. Volume II starts when he is given command of the entire army during the Civil War.
I'm not a literary expert, hell I can barely spell my name, but these books are amazing. When reading, it felt like Grant was telling me his story. If something went right or wrong he could point to a specific instance or individual. Not only do you read the stories of great battles you will understand the logistics and engineering it takes to fight those battles.
Gutenburg.org has the Ebook Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant available. I was very fortunate. My neighbor had an estate sale and I was able to acquire these wonderful books.
I'm not a literary expert, hell I can barely spell my name, but these books are amazing. When reading, it felt like Grant was telling me his story. If something went right or wrong he could point to a specific instance or individual. Not only do you read the stories of great battles you will understand the logistics and engineering it takes to fight those battles.
Gutenburg.org has the Ebook Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant available. I was very fortunate. My neighbor had an estate sale and I was able to acquire these wonderful books.
Jackswilling, the review I linked to is of the Howe book discussed with an earlier work by Charles Sellers, The Market Revolution. Fascinating back story of how the book by Howe became part of the Oxford History of America series and the Sellers book did not, though it was published by Oxford University Press.
I very much enjoyed Howe's book, glad to see that you are, too. McDougall's books are rollicking good reads. I cannot recommend them highly enough.
I very much enjoyed Howe's book, glad to see that you are, too. McDougall's books are rollicking good reads. I cannot recommend them highly enough.
Thanks again chaps, "Throes of Democracy: The American Civil War Era 1829-1877" and "Freedom Just Around the Corner: A New American History, 1585-1828" are now also ordered.
All this book buying is digging into my baccy fund :roll:
Money well spent I have no doubt.
Regards,
Jay.
All this book buying is digging into my baccy fund :roll:
Money well spent I have no doubt.
Regards,
Jay.
Another comprehensive narrative is the late Allan Nevins' eight-volume series: "Ordeal of the Union," two volumes; "The Emergence of Lincoln," two volumes; and "The War for the Union," four volumes. The series covers the period from 1847 to 1865.
Mr. Nevins worked for 15 years as a newspaper journalist in New York before being being appointed to the faculty of Columbia University's history department in 1928. He retired from there in 1958, but remained active, becoming a senior research associate at the Huntington Library in California. He passed (at the age of 80) in Menlo Park in 1971. He once said, "Instead of dissecting impersonal forces … the historian should narrate the past in terms of living men and women seen as individuals, groups, or communities; and he should give due emphasis to personal motivation and initiative."
Mr. Nevins worked for 15 years as a newspaper journalist in New York before being being appointed to the faculty of Columbia University's history department in 1928. He retired from there in 1958, but remained active, becoming a senior research associate at the Huntington Library in California. He passed (at the age of 80) in Menlo Park in 1971. He once said, "Instead of dissecting impersonal forces … the historian should narrate the past in terms of living men and women seen as individuals, groups, or communities; and he should give due emphasis to personal motivation and initiative."
The first four volumes of Nevins series are those rare works of history that I have not only reread, but read three times. I have the 8 volume set in my den, which unlike the rest of the house, doesn't have but a few books in it. I hesitated to recommend them to the OP because they are in some respects dated, but if you have the benefit of being familiar with more recent points of view, they, too, are great reads. I never was all that taken with the last four volumes. Heck, I am tempted to start them again!
On reflection I reckon that rather than watching the Ken Burns documentaries on my 10 inch Kindle (albeit for free via youtube) for the very reasonable outlay of £25 I can get the DVD set which of course I can watch on my tv. I just watched a brief segment on the Kindle and thought 11 hours might just be a bit much eyestrain.
This here self educating isn't half an expensive business :roll:
Regards,
Jay.
This here self educating isn't half an expensive business :roll:
Regards,
Jay.
"McDougall's books are rollicking good reads. I cannot recommend them highly enough."
Will read.
@ oldgeezersmoker
Have you read "1491" and "1493" by Charles Mann. He is a journalist so they are very accessible and enjoyable
Will read.
@ oldgeezersmoker
Have you read "1491" and "1493" by Charles Mann. He is a journalist so they are very accessible and enjoyable
Jay, I am a heavy library user. I simply do not have funds to buy everything I want, and besides that the books I do have are spilling into a storage room off the garage. If they don't have something, they will get it through interlibrary loan.
My library has a link with an app called Overdrive. Through it you can borrow books in Kindle or ePub format that the library has purchased. They mostly have fiction, but the more popular works of writers like McCollugh are usually purchased in these formats.
My library has a link with an app called Overdrive. Through it you can borrow books in Kindle or ePub format that the library has purchased. They mostly have fiction, but the more popular works of writers like McCollugh are usually purchased in these formats.
Another historian to consider is Joseph J. Ellis, who has written a number of books on the Revolutionary period, including the Pulitzer Prize winning Founding Fathers. Ellis is a splendid and engaging writer.
I'll also add a vote for Shelby Foote's Civil War Trilogy. Foote writes in the great tradition of the oral historian, not merely delivering data, but expertly creating the scene, such that you feel much like an eyewitness to events.
I'll also add a vote for Shelby Foote's Civil War Trilogy. Foote writes in the great tradition of the oral historian, not merely delivering data, but expertly creating the scene, such that you feel much like an eyewitness to events.
I find it's like sitting and listening to him tell the story not unlike watching him in Burn's documentary.
Davet, I listened to the Foote series (over 125 hours of audio. It's spellbinding how the story is woven into lives, battles and places. This is my recommendation. LISTEN TO IT. Amazing!!!
Jesse, you mentioned a book by Joseph J Ellis called 'The Founding Fathers' but I could only find 'The Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation'. Is this what you meant?
Whatever, the reviews were very good as was the write up so that too has been ordered. I reckon with what I have thus far I should be far more informed than when I started. I am not of course looking for a degree level of understanding, just a good grounding on both subjects and I think I now have all I need.
Just as an aside, one of my current books 'Mayflower' by Nathaniel Philbrick is a fantastic read, though factually based, it reads more like an adventure novel starting with their leaving of Lieden in Holland, onto England for victuals then the tortuous journey across the Atlantic. The story really gets into high gear at the point of when they finally find a place to settle.
If you've never read it I would highly recommend you seek it out.
Regards,
Jay.
Whatever, the reviews were very good as was the write up so that too has been ordered. I reckon with what I have thus far I should be far more informed than when I started. I am not of course looking for a degree level of understanding, just a good grounding on both subjects and I think I now have all I need.
Just as an aside, one of my current books 'Mayflower' by Nathaniel Philbrick is a fantastic read, though factually based, it reads more like an adventure novel starting with their leaving of Lieden in Holland, onto England for victuals then the tortuous journey across the Atlantic. The story really gets into high gear at the point of when they finally find a place to settle.
If you've never read it I would highly recommend you seek it out.
Regards,
Jay.
Oh Tim! thank you. I never thought the Shelby Foote three box set, might be on CD. I borrowed the set from my brother, and I just couldn't get going on it, and I'm not a light weight reader. (I thought) I just got really into audio books in the last year or so. Not just because it's easier on me, but listening to a professional reader can make the story much more interesting. I'm going to look right now.
^^^
I still prefer reading to listening, but I throughly enjoyed listening to
The Gallic Wars By Julius Caesar
I still prefer reading to listening, but I throughly enjoyed listening to
The Gallic Wars By Julius Caesar
- Status