Loved cold mountain, but i had trouble getting through andersonville. Gone with the wind by margaret mitchell, team of rivals. Personal experiences of the late war 1879 by richard dick taylor, war reminiscences and stuart cavalry campaigns 1887 by john singleton mosby. That and the fact that i am curios as to who thinks what are the best books that have been written on the civil war. Diaries and firstperson narratives came aplenty from the civil war. Civil war book list by the new york times far more books have been written about the civil war than about any other event in american history, and lincolns stack of books towers over that of any other american figure.
This anthology of sources for the civil war era is a well contextualized collection of documents and secondary sources. Popular literature during the civil war encyclopedia virginia. It was first published serially in 18511852 in the antislavery newspaper the national era. The american civil war bibliography comprises books that deal in large part with the american civil war.
The civil war a narrative by shelby foote, excellent condition, complete 9 volu. James mcphersons fastpaced narrative fully integrates the political, social, and military events that crowded the two decades from the outbreak of one war in mexico to the ending of. The primary sources reproduced are both visual and written, and the secondary materials present a remarkable breadth and quality of relevant scholarship. Far more books have been written about the civil war than about any other event in american history, and lincolns stack of books towers over that of any other. The countrys bloodiest war has been captured in novels, memoirs, and. For indeed there are civil war books that take a decidedly lighthearted approach to the topic, discussing some of the curiosities of the era such as secret weapons that largely went no where, unique and eccentric personalities consider the exploits of elmer e. From there, i began grabbing everything i could find, both fiction and nonfiction, and i now have a library of over 200 books just on the american civil war.
Popular literature during the civil war contributed by thomas cutrer with the formation of the confederacy at the beginning of the american civil war 18611865, the southern literary establishment foresaw the dawning of a new literature. The american civil war began in 1861, lasted until 1865, and was ruinous by any standard. A tough assignment but these books especially faust made the journey of writing like reliving the conflict up close and personal. All letters archived at this site are authentic and have not been edited by me in any way. Aug 16, 2017 10 books about the civil war that should have been assigned reading in american schools. Topics are wideranging and organized into easytouse categories, so readers can find exactly what they are seeking. To commemorate the occasion, weve compiled a list of some of the most noteworthy. Civil war literature has also been used to gauge attitudes in the era toward race, gender, ethnicity, class, and the justifiability of war. Contains an extensive selection of writings and illustrations on the american civil. Civil war confederate, lees lieutenants 3 vol illustrated maps book set. About eight out of every ten confederate soldiers and nine out of every ten union soldiers could read and write. The consideration of nonfiction texts as literature along with the historical questions asked of the fiction written in the civil war era has led to.
Civil war soldiers were among the most literate in history. When it appeared in book form later in 1852, its popularity had no precedent, writes critic elizabeth ammons. Ellsworth, the dashing officer who is considered to be the first union casualty of. I still assign this to graduate students as an example of historical writing at its best and for its deployment of the concept of irony to the sectional conflict. Jun 09, 2017 books set in reconstruction era america ask how to rebuild after atrocity, how to love after war, and how to move toward a more perfect union. Books about the civil war, including fiction and nonfiction selections. This section highlights several of these types, and provides access to representative examples of each in the library of congresss american memory collections. Discover librarianselected research resources on women in the u. The political genius of abraham lincoln by doris kearns goodwin. Within months of president lincolns inauguration, seven southern states began the secession from the union and declared the confederate states of america. Literature of the civil war books tell you why, inc. Far more books have been written about the civil war than about any other event in american history, and lincolns stack of books towers over that of any other american figure. Civil war faq and will be posted on or about the 20th of each month. Read an excerpt from an abolitionists diary written.
Search the librarys online public access catalog to find holdings of general books on the civil war era, including military histories, bibliographies, and guides to other state and private archives. The civil war books that should have been assigned reading in. Forstchen and new gingrich have teamed up to write a number of bestselling books, including gettysburg. There is an extraordinary range of material in this anthology, from lincolns gettysburg address to a contemporary account of a visit from the ku klux klan. Soldiers diaries and letters essential civil war curriculum. A critical bibliography includes nearly 3,000 books, most of which have been published since the appearance of eichers groundbreaking 1997 study. The book discusses the political, social and military events of the civil war era, starting with the events that led up to the war, such as the dred scott case and john browns raid on harpers ferry, and ties them all together to explain why.
Civil war reading list is to provide the beginning civil war reader with a short guide to good introductory books on the war. As critics christopher hager and cody marrs recently noted, 1865 has provided a nearly unquestioned periodization for students, teachers, and scholars of american literature. Reids, freedom for themselves, is the first such account that focuses. For more information, contact the indiana state library at 3172323678 or askalibrarian. Im including the 11 years that led up to the actual war for the sake of continuity with the other lists below. This blog post was written by jocelyn lewis, catalog division supervisor, indiana state library. Search the librarys online public access catalog to find holdings of general books on the civil war era, including military histories, bibliographies, and guides to other state and. Dec 27, 2010 the top 12 civil war books ever written. Published in 1988, this book is considered one of the best books ever written about the civil war.
Lost cause of the civil war could just as easily be written today. May 06, 2016 10 nonfiction books about the civil war that will fascinate any history buff. This week marks 150th anniversary of the attack on fort sumter, s. There are hundreds every year on abraham lincoln alone. Beginning of a dialog window, including tabbed navigation to register an account or sign in to an existing account. Online shopping from a great selection at books store.
As the title says, this is as much a book about america during the civil war era as it is about lincoln, who led the northern states to victory. This split in the fabric of the country began a bitter war, concluding in the death of more than. Michael shaara shelved 28 times as civil war fiction avg rating 4. When i listened to and watched online lectures by david blight on the civil war, and blight discussed uncle toms cabin, then said something to the effect. The best civil war books of all time analysis civil war monitor. Apr 12, 2016 during the civil war, one could find rhetoric as hostile and antagonistic as the marching troops of the battlefield. Authors james lincoln collier and christopher collier stated in 2012, no event in american history has been so thoroughly studied, not merely by historians, but by tens. Filled with fresh interpretations and information, puncturing old myths and challenging new ones, battle cry of freedom will unquestionably become the standard onevolume history of the civil war. Here are 100 of the best civil war books every writtenboth fiction and nonfiction. Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books. Highlighted sections ask thoughtprovoking questions, directing students attention and challenging them to come to grips with the complexities of this era. To find more materials on the civil war, please search the indiana state librarys online catalog.
New listing history of kearnys first new jersey brigade camille baquet 2nd lt. Aug 02, 2016 the period that youre talking about is highly controversial, and to a certain extent an embarrassment in our nations history. Read on to explore this rich body of literature and share your favorite reconstruction era books in the comment section below. Neither were the books written by many women, except for george eliot and the bronte sisters. Read an excerpt from an abolitionists diary written during the post civil war era by melanie albanesi.
From james mcphersons definitive history to tony horwitzs adventures among obsessives, here are the 11 best books on the civil war in time for the. This is probably the best book ever written on any single battle of the civil war. A narrative by shelby foote as exhaustive a rendering of the military history of the civil war as any ever attempted, footes 2,968page, 1. There are over 60,000 books on the war, with more appearing each month.
Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. The best an author could hope to do, whitman concluded, was offer a few stray glimpses. Jan 17, 2017 10 books about the civil war for the history buff in all of us by huffpost partner studio if your idea of good reading involves stories about the union and the confederacy, then youll want to add these pageturners to your bookshelf or kindle. Aug 01, 2016 a list of 100 of the best civil war books, spanning several decades and genres. Why is the era between the end of the civil war and ww1 under. This is a broad library containing novels like the red badge of courage and uncle toms cabin, civil war stories by ambrose pierce, ppems from julia ward howe and emily dickison, and historical documents including the emancipation proclamation, and. Hey all, christmas is coming up and for those of us that have an amazon addiction its time to get some ideas on what to ask santa claus for.
James mcphersons fastpaced narrative fully integrates the political, social, and. The southern novelist has been better at creating plot situations and characters that embody the long, haunted aftermath of the civil war, as in faulkners the sound and the fury and absalom, absalom. Books on the american civil war era casemate publishers. Between the fabulousness of gone with the wind and the beautifully written love letters of the civil war era, it. For almost a century and a half, america was merely a group of colonies scattered along the eastern seaboard of the north american continentcolonies from which a. Dark tourism and memories of slavery from the civil war era the steven and janice brose lectures in the civil war era.
Civil war era romance for adult mf romance in the united states between 1850 and 1865. Mary boykin miller chestnuts a diary from dixie creates a vivid portrait of a united states senators wife moving within circles of the confederate powerbrokers. This section is dedicated to the words of those brave men and women who participated in the american civil war and shared their experiences with friends and loved ones through the written word. The civil war and readjustment in kentucky u of north carolina press, 1926. I used many of these to recreate my civil war ancestor story in first person. Six books on the civil war these six histories of the civil war that are mustreads if you want to better understand the conflict. Feb, 2019 i happened to read the alligators of abraham by robert kloss, which is an incredible novel set during the american civil war era, and that led me to grab the killer angels by michael shaara. Asked about the most formidable aspect of writing a book about two of the most already written about subjects in the publishing world the american civil war and abraham lincoln pistor said. Reference books on the civil war national archives. The indiana state library rare books and manuscripts division recently acquired two civil war era handwritten letters by henry b. Posts may contain affiliate links, meaning cwba might get a commission from purchases made through those links, at no cost to you. A list of 100 wonderful, mustread books about the civil war era, spanning several decades and genres. The direct use of the civil war as setting and theme in southern poetry has never been more pronounced than it was in the time of timrod and ryan.
Its a unique historical document that gives greater influence to our classical past. The letters and diaries written by union and confederate soldiers have bequeathed to scholars in the field the unusual problem of having an overabundance of firsthand. Armies and soldiers genealogy general government documents guides to records in the national archives laws maps military operations personal papers and other archival collections the list below is highly selective. Woodworth is one of the most prolific and respected civil war historians working in academia today. The civil war has long served as a powerful, organizing division in american literary history. Any recommended reading list therefore has to be highly selective and at least somewhat arbitrary. Like other national literatures, american literature was shaped by the history of the country that produced it. The book takes place in 1863, and imagines history as it could have been.
Civil war literature, 18611914 american literature. Douglas southall freeman perfect condition no reserve. Best cw era books ive read are andersonville, and cold mountain, but i have high expectations for the shaara books. Mcpherson is the professor emeritus of united states history at princeton university and has written many books about american history such as for cause and comrades.
Lee, clashed in maryland with the union army of the potomac. The war, in uprooting the social order, also gave women a more proper eminence. The reason this book stops at waterloo and mentions nothing of the civil war, or the world wars, is that it was written in 1851. Abraham lincoln had begun working out a method of readmitting states to the union when he was assassinated. Many types of poetry were written during the civil war era. Writing tagged civil war era the mute of sadness 1 chapters updated may, 2015 06.
Civil war era primary sources from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals, magazines, newspapers and more. Southern audiences would no longer, in the words of the editor of the richmondbased southern illustrated news. Refuting whitman, the 1989 pulitzer prizewinning battle cry of freedom. The best civil war books of all time analysis civil war. These mustread books cover both fiction and nonfiction about the war. Instead, he predicted, the region would enjoy southern books, written by southern gentlemen, printed on southern type, and sold by southern. In some cases the southern experience of the civil war as recorded in memoirs by confederate army officers also deserves a place on the literary shelf, for example, destruction and reconstruction. The book sold more copies than any book except the bible. Not really a civil war book, but crucial to understanding all other civil war books.
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