Customer Reviews

Civil War Stories of Missouri

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This book seriously needs editorial proofreading and correction. There are clumsy sentences, and spelling errors abound. Paragraphs are sometimes disjointed. The subject material is anecdotally presented in a helter-skelter manner that is beyond logical progression. It reminds one of the unfocused reminiscing of an elderly grandparent. For some, that may add to the book's peculiar esoteric interest. For others, it can grow to be an annoyance. Many events are described with no particular historical point. The typical emphasis is on the obscure minutiae of little known people and their actions, rather than on major historical events. On the positive side, there is some information related to the Battle of Lexington, Bloody Bill Anderson, Jayhawkers, and other Missouri Civil War history that is interesting to read. One just has to look beyond the book's technical flaws and its other limitations. It's fair to say this book may have some slight interest for dedicated local Missouri history fans. The casual reader, however, should beware.

This book is in dire need of editorial proofreading and correcting. Sentences are disjointed, words are spelled incorrectly, and the writing, frankly, doesn't always make much sense. The author wanders around the subject matter in a way that makes the reader believe there was no outline or organized plan of the book. It reminded this reader of listening to the mental ramblings of an aged grandparent who knows some local history, but has trouble staying coherent and focused. Events in the book are described without making a relevant or historically interesting point. On the positive side, there is some anecdotal information of the Battle of Lexington, Bloody Bill Anderson, and other people and events of Missouri Civil War history that is mildly interesting to read. Much of the material, however, refers to persons so minor and events so trivial that the reader is left wondering why the author considered the anecdote historically relevant. The book's technical flaws, and its unfocused presentation doom it to dull reading.