Customer Reviews

Encyclopedia of the American Revolution

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I first became aware of Mr. Boatner's work over ten years ago when I purchased his book, "The Civil War Dictionary". This book was indispensable in my writting and researching of the Civil War. His work is acurate, consise, and ballanced. When I turned my efforts to the Revolutionary War and learned Mr. Boatner had a book that covered this war, it went to the top of my list of a must have reference books on the Revolutionary War. When I received it I was not disappointed. Mr. Boatner turned in another quality piece of work. I was very surprised that the Revolutionary volume was over 300 pages bigger than the Civil War volume. There is also a better index and more cross references for to help one find the specfic topic your looking for. This is not a fluff book with a lot of pictures. In fact there are no pictures, just a lot of facts on every aspect of the war, the battles, places, and people on all sides who participated. There a lot of maps and organizational charts to help visualize these facts. If your are serious about learning about the Revolutionary War, this book is a must for you home or town library.

This book is a handy reference for the Revolution. In a book of this size and scope, there are bound to be errors, and I have found a few. However, this does not diminish the value of this volume as it is jam-packed with valuable information, trivia, references, and wisdom that is seldom found in an encyclopedia-type volume.

Written for the researcher in mind, this book has been invaluable for me in either writing my own articles, or for quickly being able to research some little-known fact while in the midst of a 'historical discussion.'

This volume is highly recommended, and it is useful, and quite literally, indispensable for the serious student.

If you could only get one book on the Revolution, this should probably be the one. All the major battles, leaders and campaigns, plus all kinds of esoteric information difficult to find elsewhere.

First of all, my hat's off to Amazon. I ordered this book on the 15th and received it on the 19th. Now that's fast. On to the good stuff..

I usually wait until I finish a book before reviewing it, but not this time. At 1251 pages, that will be a while, but, I've spent about 2 hours reading a variety of entries, and this is a good book. It doesn't read like a novel, well it's not you know, but the items of discussion are very good reading. Short but informative, this may not be the last place to find everything there is to know about the Revolution, but it's pretty close. I have yet to think of a topic that is not covered, in detail, by this book. The writing style is varied depending on the length of entry, and the cross references are abundant. One can spend a lot of time bouncing from reference to reference to reference if desired.

I'm sorry to hear that the book was out of print, hard to imagine with all the knowledge contained inside, but I'm very glad it's back on the shelves. After reading 2 of Mr. Ketchum's books (reviews on Amazon) this should fill out the Revolutionary section of my library very nicely.

Highly recommended to all with Revolutionary War interest. Get it soon.

In my humble opinion, Boatner has written the best reference book for anyone wanting to learn more of the many Revoltionary War sites in the colonies and territories beyond.

Since I live close to many of the sites in North and South Carolina, the book has been a valuable source of information for learning more about these sites.

Whether you live in the South, North, or Midwest, Boatner's book will be a valuable guide for you in learning more about the sites close to your home. The book is also an interesting read for anyone who may not live close to any of the sites and will encourage you to perhaps visit some of these sites someday.

Read and enjoy!

Mark Boatner's "Encyclopedia of the American Revolution" is an indespensable guide for understanding those who participated, battles that were fought and leaders whom, even though they may have played a smaller role, guided the republic, fought the republic and observed the republic from its inception.
All the facts are here to cross reference the Revolution with any books you may choose to read or facts you may want to dig deeper toward understanding.
Perhaps the most significant piece of a large puzzle in understanding the Revolution from all aspects.

This is a very good book but not as perfect as I expected. Many items that I expected to be separate entries or details in this book are missing (eg Sybil Ludington, Fishkill Continental depot, burial site of Benedict Arnold, etc.), which was disappointing, but it is otherwise an excellent source of information. Information is unbiased due to citations. Maps are clear and helpful. I purchased this book from Amazon and the condition was as advertised; I received it during the scheduled delivery period.

Boatner's book is VERY inclusive. Just browsing shows up many obscure events, facts, people. Major battles are treated in depth extremely well. He includes political & economic causes of the War & background info. Index of maps and major articles is a great feature. Also includes brief source info on many items; very scholarly.

What a great book! For a pittance I now have every fact about the Rev. War at my fingertips - nice and easy, and concise. Yea!, I'm a happy camper - and all because Amazon sent me to a dealer not far away. This has become my bedtime reader. Needless to say, I love it - Thanks Amazon!

This was the first book I picked up on the American Revolution... Its a very useful reference covers the battles, major players, causes of the war, as well as other minor things... I highly recommend this book...