The American Heritage New History of the Civil War [Hardcover]

Bruce Catton (Author, Narrator), James M. McPherson (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2001

With excerpts from primary-source documents, hundreds of photos and maps, and well-written narrative, The American Heritage New History of the Civil War is an encyclopedic look at the four years of armed conflict at the heart of the division between North and South. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Bruce Catton and illustrated with more than eight hundred contemporary photographs, sketches, and magnificent paintings The American Heritage New History of the Civil War evokes the sweep and drama of a divided nation in one stunning and thorough volume. A great reference for civil war buffs and students of American history.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Ask Civil War diehards when they first fell in love with the War Between the States and there's a good chance you'll hear about one of the early editions of this book, which was originally published on the war's centennial. Thoroughly updated by the remarkable James M. McPherson to take advantage of the latest scholarship, this classic retains all of the wonderful features Bruce Catton originally included. And then there are the pictures--they are some of the most striking battlefield visuals available. The American Heritage New History of the Civil War makes a great gift for young people interested (or potentially interested) in history, or good reading for folks who want an overview of how the North and South fought across five Aprils. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

With these two books, American Heritage continues its tradition of captivating historical storytelling through readable narratives and hundreds of illustrations of contemporary paintings, photographs, and maps many in color. The New History of the Civil War is a reissue of the second edition, published by Viking in 1996, which updated the highly acclaimed classic The American Heritage Picture History of the Civil War (1960). Edited by McPherson (George Henry Davis Professor of American History, Princeton), it retains the style of the late Catton, known for award-winning histories that engage readers in understanding why Northerners and Southerners became passionately embroiled in America's deadliest war. What Catton did for the war generally, Symonds (history, U.S. Naval Academy) does for the Battle of Gettysburg, a monumental clash that marked the turning point of the war. Symonds focuses his narrative on the drama of battle, which lasted for three long days. Civil War aficionados and the curious will enjoy both books. Recommended for public and high school libraries, though libraries facing tight book budgets should stick with the New History of the Civil War for its panoramic coverage of the Civil War. Charles L. Lumpkins, Pennsylvania State Univ., State Coll.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 630 pages
• Publisher: MetroBooks (NY); Reprint edition (October 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586631985
• ISBN-13: 978-1586631987
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9.5 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #616,009 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing and revalatory experience for general reader, July 20, 2000

By 

Ian Muldoon (Coffs Harbour, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The American Heritage New History of the Civil War (Hardcover)

With a pitiful knowledge of the Civil War based on various movies featuring the likes of Randolph Scott and Clark Gable, I was interested in reading an historical text about this defining American event. I was lucky in choosing this lavish volume to do so. With a lucid narrative by the late Bruce Catton as its centre, this Heritage volume has the added advantage of illuminating that text with art (Winslow Homer et al),photos,drawings, maps, cartoons, bills, newspapers, and illustrations of significant battles which are a model of their kind. Whilst the art tends to romanticise (cf the evocative NIGHT BIVOUAC OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT NEW YORK AT ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, VIRGINIA by Sanford Robinson Gifford) the photos reveal the horror and pity of the event and are stunning in their power. Added to this are,from time to time, the words of poet Walt Whitman. Whilst some historical facts may appear confusing - on p286 the illustrated map tells us that Stonewall Jackson was "fatally wounded" by one of his own pickets; on p 282 Stonewall Jackson is "mortally wounded (2May), shot down by his own troops in the confused fighting"; and on p 289 (10 May) Stonewall Jackson dies of pneumonia, albeit, weakened by wounds. Be that as it may, many of the details provided by the works supplementing the central text are fascinating in allowing the reader to realise the effects of war on the the populace and the consequences this must have had on the psyche of generations to come.

Item: WOMEN of the South ran out of PINS and walked around with downcast eyes looking for PINS. Thorns were gathered and dried to use as PINS. Item: CONSCRIPTION: In the South conscription was well implemented, in the North it was a DISGRACE. If drafted, a man could get out of it for $300 or hire a substitute to take his place. The COLORED ORPHAN ASYLUM on FIFTH AVENUE was attacked and burnt because of conscription exempting blacks. Item: PRISON CAMPS: 55,000 soldiers died in the prison camps of the North and the South, the conditions of which rivalled Nazi Concentration camps, indeed may have been worse. Item: BATTLE OF CHATTANOOGA - an uphill "miracle" of courage by Union soldiers. The South lost the war not through want of courage and skill but because the war "wore it out". Not one mile of railroad was produced in the Confederacy during the war. The moral dimension of slavery may have been another factor but only in the latter half of the tragedy. Again, the Union navy played a pivotal role which I for one was completely unaware of. Reading this work has been an engrossing and revalatory experience for me.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gloriously illustrated with elegant prose, July 24, 1999

By 

David E. Levine (Peekskill , NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The American Heritage New History of the Civil War (Hardcover)

An important caveat is that my recently purchased volume is the prior edition of this wonderful book. Changes in the newer edition editied by McPherson, may be for the better or for the worse. With this disclaimer, I rate this beautifully illustrated oversized book very highly. Catton's prose, in this volume, is so elegant yet captivating that I went out and bought his Army of the Potomac trilogy. The illustrations are fascinating. Because the volume is broken down into small sections, it is very managable to read despite sheer size of the book. In short bursts, Catton provides many great insights. For example, he brilliantly captures the economic disparity between the North and South in just a few pages. This is a wonderful introduction to the writings of perhaps the greatest Civil War historian of them all.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a superb one volume history!, July 26, 2000

By 

George Kairinos - See all my reviews

This review is from: The American Heritage New History of the Civil War (Hardcover)

Written by the most renowned author on the Civil War namely Bruce Catton and edited by pulitzer prize winning author Prof. McPherson, there was no doubting that the written portion of this historical treatment of the ACW would be excellent. However the graphical component is just as stunning with superb photographs, paintings and sketchings. If you're interested in a one all encompassing volume on the ACW then this is it. Unfortunately I did not receive the promised CD with the order but of course one cannot fault the book for that. Of course it is nowhere as detailed as Shelby Foote's three volume (3000 page) treatment of the subject but then again Foote's work is a narrative and doesn't include pictures. The best bet is to get them both.....you won't regret it!