American Civil War book recommendation please

I bought the book accompanying Ken Burns' fabulous Civil War documentary series which must be one of the best pieces of TV of all time. This book is more of a browser than a reader and as I'm no expert I can't comment on how neutral it is. It's worth considering though.

I missed the series. Maybe it's on the History Channel again soon.

Rasher,
If you're interested in the American Civil War you have got to see this series. It's so vivid in its use of photographs and music, with a mesmerising voice over and charismatic expert comment. It makes it all come alive.

I've seen it within the past week or two on the History Channel so if you're lucky you might still be able to catch the final couple of episodes.

"Don't Know Much About the Civil War" from the "Don't Know Much About History" series might be a good place to start. My copy is at home and I'm not, so let me know if you need more information.

It sounds like your wife's cousins were born and raised here in the South. Most of the rest of the country has pretty much forgotten that we had a civil war.

Strangely no.
One bunch (my wife's mother and uncle) grew up in India, but she settled in the UK and he in Florida after moving to the US alone when he was 16, and living probably at some time or other all over the country. His daughters are in New York where they grew up, both now with cute new babies. My wife's second cousin, from the branch-out one generation above, started in Chicago and settled in Tennesee, before coming to the UK 8 years ago to live with us for a year until they sorted themselves out. They live here in Brighton now. Messy divorce. The ex-husband is in Chicago now, where he came from, but I'm not allowed to see him, even though I will be there next month. We were good buddies, so it's a shame.
Families, eh!!

If you want Civil War facts, there are lots of books that will do. If you want the story, nobody has done that as well as Shelby Foote in his three volume set, Civil War: A Narrative.

It's no accident that he was a major voice in Ken Burns' excellent documentary. The man's a national treasure.

Battle Cry of Freedom - James M McPherson. Published by Penguin and available at Amazon (or your local Waterstones)

I'd second jayd's recommendation for shelby foote's marvellous civil trilogy...one of the greatest works of history ever - i'm sure this will live on in hundreds of years, as gibbon has done...the mcpherson is a good introduction to the civil war but you won't find yourself immersed in it as will with foote...

leopold

Thanks guys. I've located a copy of Shelby Foote's work.
Exactly what I was after.

Rasher,
Did you get the book yet and was it what you were after? Since you started this thread I've been reading the one I've got - "The Civil War - an illustrated history" by Geoffrey C. Ward with Ric Burns and Ken Burns. It really was a fascinating period wasn't it.

Incidentally if you want a slightly different souvenir of the time Sideshow Toys do a beautiful series of superbly detailed museum quality 12 inch figures. I've got a few in my collection.

It hasn't been delivered yet Tom, but that's OK, I have still 3 books on my bedside table to be finished before I get stuck in.
A few years ago I went through a phase of not being inspired by anything in the book shops, but lately I have a backlog of stuff that I can't wait to read.

Shelby Foote has died.

Obit

I didn't know that Iraq, I mean America had ever faught a Civil War ?



Fritz Von The things one learns on this forum, quite amazing, innit


I've always been a Morgan Freeman fan myself, though that old Honky Alisdaire Cooke weren't bad either, told things how they were, and not how he percieved other people wanted them to be seen in the cold day of light like some designer journo of the highest order or summfin, innit

He did a good tour as well!