Customer Reviews

The Rise of American Civilization

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This book can be described in one word, AWESOME! Beard approaches history as a science and that is the way it should be talked about. Today we think history is simple; that is only because we simplify it. It gets complicated when we try to analyze it and make bold statements about it from opinions of the time and the general thought of the people of that time. Beard is a genius and a truly great writer of history. I am a high school student that is in love with American History and I am sure that any lover of history will enjoy this book as much as I am enjoying it this very moment. I admit, the price tag is a little hefty, but if you have the money, then spend it on this book!

I did not realize how slanted most of our texts on social subjects, history, and the like had become until I read again this masterpiece that was used 50 years ago to teach American History in my high school. For example, the authors endeavor to ferret out the causes of the Civil War and make clear the number of socioeconomic factors that were involved in the two entirely different ways of life in the North and South. They assign slavery its proper place, but point out that the slave trade had been outlawed and give figures on the number who were being freed. They tell what was known then about mechanized means of picking cotton that in a few more years would have eliminated slavery completely without the loss of more than 600,000 American lives. In this bright light of truth, Lincoln comes through as something less than the hero he is regarded as today.

At the least these two volumes will present facts that have not received balanced treatment for more than 30 years and stimulate your thinking...

This classic account of the the rise of american civilization has long been out of print. For any serious student of history, however, it is one that should be on every bookshelf. Beard takes an objective unvarnished approach to history, that is both refreshing and scholarly. Outstanding!

I have learned more about American History reading this book than in any History Course. The text can be grueling at certain points and it is not for the faint of heart. It is DEEP history and it must have taken a lifetime of research to compile. Good luck if you intend to read the whole thing. I have an original copy that my Great-Grand Father gave me and I am not certain how he came by the text. Does any text pick up where he left off that is of the same caliber?