The Civil War in Books: An Analytical Biography

by David J. Eicher

Book Overview

With the assistance of several
scholars, including James M. McPherson and Gary Gallagher, and a long-time
specialist in Civil War books, Ralph Newman, David Eicher has selected
for inclusion in The Civil War in Books the 1,100 most important
books on the war. These are organized into categories as wide-ranging
as "Battles and Campaigns," "Biographies, Memoirs, and
Letters," "Unit Histories," and "General Works."...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0252022734
• ISBN13: 9780252022739
• Release Date: November 1996
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 2.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 8.8" x 11.3"

Customer Reviews

Highly useful, yet dated (1997 publication date)

This is an excellent book for the Civil War buff and the Civil War book collector. This book covers over 1100 different books on the period organized into an easily followed and highly useful work. The book looks at the most significant works in place (as determined by a panel of Civil War historians Gallagher, McPherson, Neely, Geoffrey, and Robertson) for all sorts of Civil War topics with typically a brief synopsis (3 paragraphs or more) of the work, any biases that are present as well as any errors that appear in the work. Each entry also lists publication information for all editions of that book, making it a great reference work for collectors. There is also a very helpful index, listed by author, which makes it possible to find works authored by your favorite writers.The only problem with this book is that it is now 10 years old, so it does miss a portion of significant Civil War scholarship, however, it is unequaled as a guide to works published before 1997.

A frequently helpful compilation

In my daily perusal of ebay book auctions, I use Eicher's bibliography in deciding whether and how much to bid for an intriguing but unfamiliar title. His descriptions are usually interesting in themselves, and in many cases I have learned a lot without ever getting the book in question. The major drawback is his blind prejudice against Confederates.

Essential for every Civil War student.

The author, who seems to have read everything ever written about the Civil War, has shared his expertise by selecting and describing 1100 of the most important books on the Conflict, with summaries, and comparisons, where appropriate, with competing works. His informed choices serve as a reliable guide to the best and most useful, but include a few (e.g., Gone With the Wind), which are perhaps of lesser value but which must be included for the sake of completeness. The work is organized into the broad themes of Battles and Campaigns; Confederate Biographies, Memoirs, and Letters; Union ditto; General Works, and Unit Histories, and handily subdivided into topics such as Soldiers, Sailors, Politicians, Equipment, Battlefields, Railroads, and more. The States have additional, separate listings of their own. Eicher's work will stand as a classic reference, which will be of value indefinitely to students of the Conflict, as a starting point for beginners or to fill in gaps for Old Hands. Highly recommended. The "score' rating is an ineradicable feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score" books.)