Customer Reviews

The Great Republic : A History of the American People (Volume Two)

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

 

 

If you are seeking a balanced yet interpretive and thourgh version of the story of America I do not think one can do better than this book. The authors somehow have managed to bring exceptional detail and analysis of how the United States came fom early colonization by Europeans right up to the very recent past while leaving out obvious bias and were still able to make the narative exciting and compelling. I teach history and, although The Great Republic is written at too high of a level to be of much use in my at-risk-kids high school classroom, it has proved itself invaluable to me as a reference work. I read it cover to cover. If you are an American History nut this book belongs in your library as the definitive general reference text.

I reviewed this book at an earlier time and gave it a 1-star rating because of Amazon's faulty link between the title of the book and what is really received when you order it. I removed that review because Amazon lets you revise the words of your review, but not the star rating. I am posting a revised review, but this time with the 5-star rating the book deserves [Amazon itself still gets a ½ star rating for not correcting the link problem with this book].

ORDERING THIS BOOK!!
Be careful in ordering this book--it is not what Amazon says it is--though I am sure this is a mistake. In fact, I spoke with an Amazon customer representative on 3/4/09, and he agreed there "was a problem in their links" for this book--but as of today [May 11, 2009], Amazon has not corrected this problem.

I wanted to order the "The Great Republic: A History of the American People, Vol. I" by B. Bailyn and five other authors. So I entered on Amazon's search dialog box "The Great Republic: A History of the American People" and the page it takes you to was headed by "The Great Republic: A History of the American People (Paperback)." It showed a blue book [at that time I had no idea what the color of the book was] with such a small image that I could read only the main title ["The Great Republic"]. So I click the 'Click to Look Inside' link to see the book in greater detail, and I get to see the Table of Contents, index, and sample pages. The book is just what I wanted, so I ordered it. But what I actually received was the Student Guide to The Great Republic: A History of the American People--and that was for Vol II.

I am partly to blame here as I failed to notice that the cover of the book on the main entry page was blue and had no graphics, but the cover of the book on the page linked to 'Click to Look Inside' was basically orange with a graphic of a "liberty lady" and entitled The Great Republic: A History of the American People, Vol. I by Bailyn and 5 others. Well, the book I received was entitled--in part--The Great Republic: A History of the American People, but it was the Student Guide to The Great Republic: A History of the American People--Volume II--and not by Bailyn or any of the 5 coauthors.

Obviously these are two different books: [1] The Great Republic: A History of the American People, Volume I and [2] Student Guide to The Great Republic: A History of the American People, Volume II (Paperback).

So, be careful in what you order. If you want the textbook, put in the search dialog box "Bailyn The Great Republic: A History of the American People Volume I" and you will get the textbook--780 + pages and about $88.00.


THE BOOKS THEMSELVES!!
If you know little about American history or you might think what you know is wrong or only partially correct and you want a thorough summary of American history, then this is the book for you. I asked the opinion of a well-regarded history professor as to what to read--because I know little about American history and think what I do know is probably not fully correct--and I could not have been more pleased with his recommendation. I have read both volumes now, and they are absolutely outstanding.

The major foci are politics, economics, wars, and westward expansion. The suggested readings at the end of each chapter are a goldmine of information. I not only learned a great deal from these books, but also learned what it is I do not know and need yet to read further. What more can anyone say in support of non-fiction.

I highly recommend this masterfully organized and incredibly well-written two-volume set.