The Civil War, Vol. 1: Fort Sumter to Perryville (The Civil War #1)
I've been reading a lot of popular histories lately and more and more have become disenchanted with the kind of history book that tells a reader that a man's "heart beat faster" or "pupils flared" when to say the least, the chances the historian pulled that detail out of a diary or letter are low. And if you are going to get away with such embellishments, your style better have the panache of a Truman Capote, a Tom Wolfe or Erik Larson. Shelby Foote does have style--he's a novelist rather than a
I wanted a book that would take a year of my life to read, so 3,000 pages in three volumes, I thought this should fill the bill. Well into the second volume, Ill be lucky if it lasts me the summer. Cant put it down.
Fascinating and very readable and informative - think I shall leave writing a full review until I have read volumes 2 and 3 though (which may be later this year as they are even longer than this one which is over 800 pages).
When reading this, it's hard not to recall the words of a colleague of mine who, while acknowledging the undoubted quality of this series, referred to Shelby Foote as a Southern sympathizer. It may be a reflection of the times in which this book was written (mid-1950s), or perhaps a byproduct of humanity's identification with the underdog, but I think my colleague had the right of it, to an extent. Foote, by turns from Mississippi and North Carolina, owns up to a certain need to suppress those
Judging by the size of this book, the civil war is longer than I thought.
Shelby Foote would be considered by many Civil War readers to be the greatest writer on the subject. He considered himself to be a historian but not an academic, and his extremely detailed knowledge of the Civil War coupled with his straight-forward writing style have produced works which have fascinated readers for decades. This book is part of a trilogy of books that Foote wrote over a period of about 20 years. He came about the project originally after publication of his novel "Shiloh" in the
Shelby Foote
Paperback | Pages: 856 pages Rating: 4.43 | 10854 Users | 439 Reviews
List Books Toward The Civil War, Vol. 1: Fort Sumter to Perryville (The Civil War #1)
Original Title: | The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol 1: Fort Sumter to Perryville |
ISBN: | 0394746236 (ISBN13: 9780394746234) |
Edition Language: | English |
Series: | The Civil War #1 |
Literary Awards: | National Book Award Finalist for Nonfiction (1959) |
Chronicle Concering Books The Civil War, Vol. 1: Fort Sumter to Perryville (The Civil War #1)
The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 1 begins one of the most remarkable works of history ever fashioned. All the great battles are here, of course, from Bull Run through Shiloh, the Seven Days Battles, and Antietam, but so are the smaller ones: Ball's Bluff, Fort Donelson, Pea Ridge, Island Ten, New Orleans, and Monitor versus Merrimac. The word "narrative" is the key to this extraordinary book's incandescence and its truth. The story is told entirely from the point of view of the people involved in it. One learns not only what was happening on all fronts but also how the author discovered it during his years of exhaustive research. This first volume in Shelby Foote's comprehensive history is a must-listen for anyone interested in one of the bloodiest wars in America's history.Details Containing Books The Civil War, Vol. 1: Fort Sumter to Perryville (The Civil War #1)
Title | : | The Civil War, Vol. 1: Fort Sumter to Perryville (The Civil War #1) |
Author | : | Shelby Foote |
Book Format | : | Paperback |
Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 856 pages |
Published | : | November 12th 1986 by Vintage (first published November 12th 1958) |
Categories | : | History. Military History. Civil War. Nonfiction. North American Hi.... American History. American Civil War. Audiobook. War |
Rating Containing Books The Civil War, Vol. 1: Fort Sumter to Perryville (The Civil War #1)
Ratings: 4.43 From 10854 Users | 439 ReviewsComment On Containing Books The Civil War, Vol. 1: Fort Sumter to Perryville (The Civil War #1)
Breath-taking scenes and jaw-dropping insights of character lost to all but the tenacious in hundreds of pages of, this army hit here and this army hit here. Foote does try valiantly to recapture in order to make sure the reader doesn't get ENTIRELY bored or lost, and these summations helpI've been reading a lot of popular histories lately and more and more have become disenchanted with the kind of history book that tells a reader that a man's "heart beat faster" or "pupils flared" when to say the least, the chances the historian pulled that detail out of a diary or letter are low. And if you are going to get away with such embellishments, your style better have the panache of a Truman Capote, a Tom Wolfe or Erik Larson. Shelby Foote does have style--he's a novelist rather than a
I wanted a book that would take a year of my life to read, so 3,000 pages in three volumes, I thought this should fill the bill. Well into the second volume, Ill be lucky if it lasts me the summer. Cant put it down.
Fascinating and very readable and informative - think I shall leave writing a full review until I have read volumes 2 and 3 though (which may be later this year as they are even longer than this one which is over 800 pages).
When reading this, it's hard not to recall the words of a colleague of mine who, while acknowledging the undoubted quality of this series, referred to Shelby Foote as a Southern sympathizer. It may be a reflection of the times in which this book was written (mid-1950s), or perhaps a byproduct of humanity's identification with the underdog, but I think my colleague had the right of it, to an extent. Foote, by turns from Mississippi and North Carolina, owns up to a certain need to suppress those
Judging by the size of this book, the civil war is longer than I thought.
Shelby Foote would be considered by many Civil War readers to be the greatest writer on the subject. He considered himself to be a historian but not an academic, and his extremely detailed knowledge of the Civil War coupled with his straight-forward writing style have produced works which have fascinated readers for decades. This book is part of a trilogy of books that Foote wrote over a period of about 20 years. He came about the project originally after publication of his novel "Shiloh" in the
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