- Paperback: 909 pages
- Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc (1 Nov 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 019516895X
- ISBN-13: 978-0195168952
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 15.5 x 4.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 812,503 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Battle Cry of Freedom
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"The best one-volume treatment of [the Civil War era] I have ever come across. It may actually be the best ever published.... I was swept away, feeling as if I had never heard the saga before.... Omitting nothing important, whether military, political, or economic, he yet manages to make everything he touches drive the narrative forward. This is historical writing of the highest order."--Hugh Brogan, New York Times Book Review
"The finest single volume on the war and its background."--The Washington Post Book World
"Deftly coordinated, gracefully composed, charitably argued and suspensefully paid out, McPherson's book is just the compass of the tumultuous middle years of the 19th century it was intended to be, and as narrative history it is surpassing. Bright with details and fresh quotations, solid with carefully-arrived-at conclusions, it must surely be, of the 50,000 books written on the Civil War, the finest compression of that national paroxysm ever fitted between two covers."--Los Angeles Times Book Review
"Immediately takes its place as the best one-volume history of the coming of the American Civil War and the war itself. It is a superb narrative history, elegantly written.--The Philadelphia Inquirer
"Matchless.... The book's political and economic discussions are as engrossing as the descriptions of military campaigns and personalities."--Library Journal
"McPherson cements his reputation as one of the finest Civil War historians....Should become a standard general history of the Civil War period--it's one that will stand up for years to come."--Kirkus Reviews
"Robust, glittering history."--Booklist
Book Description
A sweeping account of the USA's most turbulent decades
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
The hallmark of the United States has been growth. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
The hallmark of the United States has been growth. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As a non-American reader, who knew precious little about the Civil War, I wasn't especially keen to read this book. But it was a truly enlightening experience, bringing a personal dimension to the key players at Gettysburg so effectively that I will never forget any of them. Riveting stuff. How well and absorbingly this is written. If you haven't read it, you are in for a real experience.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
This book - probably the best one-volume Civil War history - is more than a simple survey: it is a very strong literary work as well, beautifully written and balanced. For all 900 or so pages, I was completely absorbed. Never once did I glumly look at the last page and calculate the percentage of the book that remained. It is the ideal starting point for anyone wishing to investigate the most disturbing episode of American history, a stepping off point that is also a pleasure to read. Afterall, what other survey histories won the Pulitzer prize?
However, as a broad-brush history, I found myself quibbling with the author's choice of detail in the areas that I knew well. For example, I would have liked to see more coverage of the brutal race riots that occured in the Northern states, incidents that revealed extremely disturbing fault lines in race relations that persist to this day. By choosing to neglect this and other details, I felt that the author refrained from contemplating the deeper meaning of the war, even or providing the building blocks to do so. While interpretation is certainly not his primary task in a survey, it does get short shrift here.
Nonetheless, every American should read this book.
However, as a broad-brush history, I found myself quibbling with the author's choice of detail in the areas that I knew well. For example, I would have liked to see more coverage of the brutal race riots that occured in the Northern states, incidents that revealed extremely disturbing fault lines in race relations that persist to this day. By choosing to neglect this and other details, I felt that the author refrained from contemplating the deeper meaning of the war, even or providing the building blocks to do so. While interpretation is certainly not his primary task in a survey, it does get short shrift here.
Nonetheless, every American should read this book.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Not only one of the best books on the US Civil War I've read; not only one of the best books of history I've read, but one of the best books I've read. Excellent in every way, from every angle, from whatever viewpoint you begin with. If you have any interest in the subject, read this; if you have a deep interest in the subject, read this; if you like history, read this. In fact if you like books, read this. Wonderful.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good read with one reservation
Well written book and easy to read. The one negative is the maps which are on the small side and difficult to read. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mr. B. Sharp
Outstanding work!
McPherson does an exceptional job of creating a work that is interesting and educational for both the avid reader of history, as well as the person with a passing interest. Read more
Published on 8 April 1998
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
