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The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 1, Fort Sumter to Perryville
| Our Price |
$ 38.96
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| Retail Value |
$ 49.95 |
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| You Save |
$ 10.99 (22%) |
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| Item Number |
1928526 |
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Item Description...
Overview
Follows the course of the war from from the first military action at Fort Sumter to the Battle of Perryville in 1862, discusses the strategies of both sides in major battles, details the individual campaigns, and assesses the performance of the Union generals. |
Item Specifications...
Dimensions: Length: 2" Width: 5.25" Height: 5.75"
Weight: 1.3 lbs.
Binding CD
Release Date Jan 1, 2009
ISBN 1433257599
EAN 9781433257599
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Availability 4 units.
Availability accurate as of May 30, 2012 03:50.
Usually ships within one to two business days from Momence, IL.
Orders shipping to an address other than a confirmed Credit Card / Paypal Billing address may incur and additional processing delay.
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Reviews - What do our customers think?
 | An Excellent Read Dec 7, 2009 |
| This is the work that got Shelby Foote the notice of Ken Burns, and Burns turned Foote into a minor celebrity in the early 1990s when his documentary of the Civil War came out, with Foote featured prominently. Foote was well known to consider himself a novelist more than a historian, and this book definitely has the touch of someone skilled in turning a fine sentence. In addition, it is also packed with personal level detail of many of the battles that shaped the early year of the Civil War, and the personalities of those leaders tasked with leading the war. I highly recommend this book. | | |  | A literate examination of the Civil War: Fort Sumter to Perryville Nov 1, 2009 |
Shelby Foote wrought a wonderful three volume history of the Civil War. Surely, there are questions one can raise about his set. Covering the complexity of the Civil War, even in three volumes, can give short shrift to many important issues, battles, and persons. As with many other histories, the war in the West and Trans-Mississippi does not received what I think of as sufficient coverage. Foote did not begin as an historian; he was a novelist. Nonetheless, his work on the Civil War is well written and a terrific introduction to this bloody conflict for readers who want a good, accessible introduction.
This volume begins with the prelude to Civil War. Coverage of the War begins with the brief siege of Fort Sumter and ends with Burnside in charge of the Army of the Potomac and the Emancipation Proclamation issued. In between? The major early battles of the war, becoming bloodier as time went on: First Bull Run (or Manassas), Forts Henry and Donelson, Shiloh, Second Bull Run (Manassas), Wilson's Creek, Pea Ridge, and Antietam.
This not a work by a professional historian of the Civil War, but it is a very readable volume that provides entree to the person who wants to learn something of the scope of the Civil War. In this, Foote's first volume succeeds nicely.
| | |  | Not for all Civil War buffs Oct 26, 2009 |
Back when Ken Burn's PBS documentary on the Civil War was first aired and was generating a lot of interest, I received the 3-volume set of Shelby Foote's narrative history as a Christmas present. As someone who was interested in history, and who was eager to learn more about the Civil War in particular, I was nonetheless rather intimidated about the prospect of delving into these prodigious volumes. What made the process even more challenging was the fact that I soon discovered that Shelby imparts a rather dry style in this "narrative," a style quite unlike his charming, anecdotal, folksy storytelling that appeared in Burn's documentary.
The result is that this book has sat on my shelf for almost twenty years, with periodic and failed attempts to stick with it and read it through. Several times I gave up before the first twenty pages. Most recently, I read over 500 pages before I decided to be honest with myself and admit that I was bored and would rather spend my limited reading time on other books.
Does this mean that these are bad books? Not by any means. It only means that I myself found these books a bit plodding, due to an amount of detail I don't require. To me, the style is not only very dry, but rambles, and has a redundancy that irritates after a while. One such example is Foote's alternating nicknames and real names, such as referring to the South's Beauregard as "the Creole." This comes off as a literary gimmick that becomes more painfully redundant than if he had just stuck with using the General's name each time he needed it.
What also made reading difficult was that just when I thought we had arrived at a certain point in the chronology, Foote would backtrack and take me to a different time and place within the time period covered by the volume. I mention this, of course, realizing that this is perhaps unavoidable when you are recounting a history as complex eventfully and geographically as the American Civil War. Maybe there's no other way to do it, but the chronology felt disorganized, even sloppy. It was difficult to get a grasp of the "big picture" which may have helped to keep my interest alive and impel me to read further. All too often, I found myself unable to read more than a few pages at a time before my eyes glazed over, the eyelids became heavy, and the book went back on the nightstand.
In spite of these criticisms, I can't give the set a lower rating, simply because it reflects such a respectable amount of effort, research and information. And for those who are more obsessed with historical details of the Civil War, Foote's 3 volumes will no doubt have a lot of value and appeal. | | | | Quick Delivery, Good Product Sep 2, 2009 |
| Great product and quick shipping, I appreciated it. My only pitfall was that the envelope the book was shipped in was a tight fit and caused a little bit of corner damage. Not a big deal as it was just for personal reading, but it kept me from giving a 5-star rating. I was very satisfied. | | | | It is still around for a reason Aug 2, 2009 |
This review is only discussing volume 1 of the series.
I am not a Civil War historian, and so I can not judge the accuracy of this book point by point. However, I did read this knowing that is an older book, and much information has come out since it was written. That being said, growing up there were two "texts" of civil war history. Foote and Canon. So after my grandfather passed away I finally decided to read up on the war and choose to start with Foote as I was told it was an easier read.
It is an easy read. Finding this book has been a real joy. Learning about the Civil War is a smooth read with this book. I must admit I became so involved I started to rely on the audio version so that it could be enjoyed outside my home (it is too big to drag around with me).
Now that volume 1 is completed, my plans are to listen to the portions on Antietam again with William A. Frassanito's Antietam: The Photographic Legacy of America's Bloodiest Day and the The West Point Atlas of War: The Civil War open in front of me. Prior to reading Foote, my understanding of this battle was very limited. He has opened my eyes through his descriptions to the physical as well as psychological understanding of the war. Now the maps and military strategy are much clearer. One can assume his descriptions of other battles are as complete.
I highly recommend this book to others who wish to learn about the Civil War. My only regret is that I had not let the size of the books scare me off for so many years.
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