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The Illustrated Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era [Hardcover]

James M. McPherson (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)


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The Illustrated Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era The Illustrated Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era 4.1 out of 5 stars (14)
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Book Description

November 6, 2003
Winner of the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for History and a New York Times Bestseller, Battle Cry of Freedom is universally recognized as the definitive account of the Civil War. It was hailed in The New York Times as "historical writing of the highest order." The Washington Post called it "the finest single volume on the war and its background." And The Los Angeles Times wrote that "of the 50,000 books written on the Civil War, it is the finest compression of that national paroxysm ever fitted between two covers."
Now available in a splendid new edition is The Illustrated Battle Cry of Freedom. Boasting some seven hundred pictures, including a hundred and fifty color images and twenty-four full-color maps, here is the ultimate gift book for everyone interested in American history. McPherson has selected all the illustrations, including rare contemporary photographs, period cartoons, etchings, woodcuts, and paintings, carefully choosing those that best illuminate the narrative. More important, he has written extensive captions (some 35,000 words in all, virtually a book in themselves), many of which offer genuinely new information and interpretations that significantly enhance the text. The text itself, streamlined by McPherson, remains a fast-paced narrative that brilliantly captures two decades of contentious American history, from the Mexican War to Lee's surrender at Appomattox. The reader will find a truly masterful chronicle of the war itself--the battles, the strategic maneuvering on both sides, the politics, and the personalities--as well as McPherson's thoughtful commentary on such matters as the slavery expansion issue in the 1850s, the origins of the Republican Party, the causes of secession, internal dissent and anti-war opposition in the North and the South, and the reasons for the Union's victory.
A must-have purchase for the legions of Civil War buffs, The Illustrated Battle Cry of Freedom is both a spectacularly beautiful volume and the definitive account of the most important conflict in our nation's history.


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

McPherson's Pulitzer Prize-winning opus is by now the standard one-volume treatment of the Civil War. Encyclopedic in scope, it synthesizes political and military history into a sweeping narrative of America's national epic, one that paints the North's victory as the triumph of a "revolutionary future" of "competitive, egalitarian, free-labor capitalism" over the tradition-bound and hierarchical society of the South. This new edition eliminates the footnotes and trims a fifth of the text to make way for color maps of major battles and campaigns and hundreds of photographs, cartoons and artist's depictions from the period. McPherson's accompanying captions sometimes overdo the characterological readings (in one portrait of a Confederate general we can supposedly "almost see Breckinridge's handlebar mustache twitching in anger"), but they provide interesting biographical background as well as piquant details and an indelible period feel. Serious Civil War buffs will delight in this magisterial treatment.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review


"In this impressive book, famed Civil War historian McPherson revises his Pulitzer Prize-winning Battle Cry of Freedom, reducing the text by one-fifth in order to add a stunning array of over 700 illustrations from the Civil War era--photographs, cartoons, lithographs, etchings, woodcuts, and paintings--that give new life to an already vivid, engrossing history.... Real value is added not only by the illustrations, which are neatly woven into the narrative, but also by the copious captions (which add some 35,000 words), which introduce new material and expand on subjects sometimes lightly touched in the original.... One can smell the sweat and sulfur from McPherson's riveting narrative and can see the dangerous age as those who lived in it. Essential."--Library Journal


"If you read only one general history of the Civil War, McPherson's book should be it."--Houston Chronicle


"A handsome volume, much appreciated by any American history buff."--Seattle Times


"I could go on, but by now you get the point: The Illustrated Battle Cry of Freedom presents an outstanding set of images that will enrich anybody's understanding of the Civil War."--National Review Online


"Serious Civil War buffs will delight in this magisterial treatment."--PW Online


"For history buffs, the coffee-table book of the year."--Weekly Standard


"It would seem hard to improve upon a book that won a Pulitzer Prize, made bestseller lists and is widely considered the finest one-volume treatment of its subject, but McPherson's history of the Civil War has gained significantly from being reissued with illustrations. Except for being trimmed by about 20 percent and shorn of its notes, the text is virtually identical to that of 15 years ago. But the photographs, paintings, blueprints, cartoons and other illustrations--along with the author's lucid captions--add materially to the overall effect."--Washington Post Book World



Product Details

  • Hardcover: 800 pages
  • Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1st edition (November 6, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0195159012
  • ISBN-13: 978-0195159011
  • Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.1 x 1.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 6.2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #255,256 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author


James M. McPherson is the George Henry Davis '86 Professor of History Emeritus at Princeton University. He has published numerous volumes on the Civil War, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Battle Cry of Freedom, Crossroads of Freedom (which was a New York Times bestseller), Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution, and For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War, which won the Lincoln Prize.

 

Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
5 star:
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4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Still the place to start, October 8, 2003
This review is from: The Illustrated Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (Hardcover)
It's been fifteen years since "Battle Cry" first appeared -- and time has only enhanced its standing. The book is still the place to start for anyone seeking to understand the war era or, for that matter, anyone seeking to understand the sinews of American national identity. Some readers have taken issue with "Battle Cry"'s triumphant tone; recent books have tended to stress cynicism over affirmation. Still, McPherson's achievements here are legion. This new edition contains hundreds of impressive photographs -- most readers will delight in these, even if McPherson's original footnotes had to be cut in order to make room.
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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars McPherson's Illustrated Battle Cry of Freedom, July 12, 2004
By 
This review is from: The Illustrated Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (Hardcover)
Professor James McPherson's "Battle Cry of Freedom" initially appeared in 1988 and received the Pulitzer Prize, together with great popular and critical acclaim, for its detailed single-volume study of the Civil War. Recently, in "The Illustrated Battle Cry of Freedom" (2003), Professor McPherson has reformatted and edited his outstanding 1988 study. The major change to the book is the addition of many illustrations, which include photographs, portraits, paintings, cartoons, drawings, and maps from the Civil War era. To make room for the illustrations, about 20 percent of the original text has been cut, and there are no footnotes and bibliography.

This illustrated version is, probably, the best single-volume introduction to the Civil War. (Some of the works by
Bruce Catton come close.) The illustrations add an irreplaceable element to the story and enable the reader to see and to get the feel of the Civil War, its era, and its major protagonists in a way the printed word cannot capture. The photographs and the contemporary artwork, including drawings and paintings by the soldiers, are difficult to find in one place. I found they added a great deal to my understanding.

Apart from the illustrations, this book remains a magisterial overview of the Civil War. The book weaves together descriptions of the military campaigns of the War with discussions of the sources of the conflict. It discusses in depth the differences between the North and the South in their conceptions of freedom and in their understanding of our country. McPherson covers the domestic fronts of the War, including both economic and social issues, in both North and South and also explains the efforts of both sides in the sphere of international relations. The book focuses on the change of the Civil War from a conflict to restore the Union to a total war to create a unified Nation. The climactic point of the story is President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation which made the abolitition of slavery an irreducible element of the Union war effort.

McPherson describes eloquently how the Civil War effected a radical change in our country from a loose union of states to a united Nation. He discusses the changing concept of human freedom and liberty which emerged from the War and which remains evolving in our country to this day. The valor of the soldiers and civilians on both sides of the conflict is presented from the inside and with respect and reverence. McPherson shows the reader how and why the Civil War was the turning point in our Nation's history and encourages the reader to reflect and to explore further.

This book is large,heavy and bulky, making it unsuitable to carry around for reading on the bus, train, or in the park. The loss of portions of the text is a pity, but it is more than compensated by the illustrations. Readers who wish to track down sources or explore further will need to consult the original edition for references. With these caveats, this book is still the best source to introduce the reader to the facts and significance of the American Civil War.

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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent single volume history of the American Civil War, November 11, 2003
By 
This review is from: The Illustrated Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (Hardcover)
This is an excellent single volume history of the American Civil War. Originally published in 1988, this updated version of the Pulitzer Prize winning history now includes haunting photographs, maps, paintings, and newspaper cartoons. This is much more than a history of the war. It covers the people, economics, political atmosphere, and events that led America into disaster. All of the major land battles and campaigns are covered as well as naval action at sea and on America's rivers. Reading this book gives one a taste of the anger, hate, frustration, and political intensity of the time. Both Northern and Southern armies suffered horrific casualties from the battles, disease, and the crude medical technology available, making the Civil War the bloodiest war in American history. If you are going to read a single volume history of the Civil War, this is the best one in my opinion written to date. It should be required reading for students of American History.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
In 1850, Zachary Taylor-the last president born before the Constitution-could look back on vast changes during his adult life. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
federal slave code, conditional unionists, southern hopes
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, United States, South Carolina, Jefferson Davis, Army of the Potomac, New Orleans, North Carolina, New England, Bull Run, War Department, New Mexico, Shenandoah Valley, West Point, Van Dorn, Know Nothings, Mexican War, Harper's Ferry, Army of Northern Virginia, West Virginia, Abraham Lincoln, Alexander Stephens, Seven Days, Dred Scott, Wilmot Proviso, Frederick Douglass
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