Customer Reviews

The Oxford History of the American People, Vol. 1: Prehistory to 1789

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Mr. Morison, the eminent authority on U.S. naval history, has written a great, three-volume introduction to United States history. Volume One will capture you immediately and you will feel compelled to read the other two volumes. Some of the most inspiring historical accounts I have read have come from these pages; I was truly sorry to have reached the end of Volume Three!

Samuel Eliot Morison is the kind of historian who never goes out of style. Over time he may fall out of favor in light of some new theory or school of thought, but in the end his efforts still have merit and rank among the most important historians of all time. His three volume set on the history of the American people shows the reader the depth of knowledge Morison possesses and how he can write an effective, convincing argument. Compare this to the book by William Bennett "America: The LAst Great Hope," and you will quickly realize Bennett isn't qualified to wash the top of Morison's desk, let alone try to write a better history.

Morison covers all of the important basics, but he has an eye for detail that many people will never have. His history comes alive on the pages he writes. Morison includes interpretations that are still quotable by others today.

All in all this is a very thorough series on American history. Anyone who wishes to learn about our country should consider having this book. Nearly every library in the country carries it on their shelves, so finding a copy is not difficult.

If you are interested in American history, this is it! Highly detailed, consist of short pieces, which can be read as stand alone articles. You need not read in sequence. Morison ensures that each section is understood by a lay reader. Sheds light on historical events at sociological angle. You will understand what and why people did throughout decades. What they were thinking, and why.

There are some minor factual errors here and there, and some setions may have been written different. Anyway, extremely good reference book.

Each student should have this book!

You can do no better than to learn U.S. history from Morison. This work, part of a what was a single volume spanning origins to 1963, displays extraordinary depth and breadth of scholarship, written with a superb command of the language that makes our history fascinating.

The Oxford History of the American People, Vol. 1: Prehistory to 1789 is a must read for any history buff, college or high school student. I highly recommend it.

The first volume of this three volume set is exceptional. The breadth of this work is substantial. In fact there is so much ground covered in this work that many truly momentous events are covered in what seems a very short number of pages. Most of us think that the history of the US goes something like "The pilgrims wrote the Mayflower Compact, jumped off the boat, ate thanksgiving turkey, hung some witches, dumped some tea and declared independence." Morison does a fabulous job of filling in the spaces. Morison's style is very engaging as well. It is interesting to note that this volume was published in the 60's so there are frequent mention's of communists themes and when the author mentions native Americans he means people that were born in this country even if they had ancestors from England or other European countries. Highly recommended.

The first volume of this three volume set is exceptional. The breadth of this work is substantial. In fact there is so much ground covered in this work that many truly momentous events are covered in what seems a very short number of pages. Most of us think that the history of the US goes something like "The pilgrims wrote the Mayflower Compact, jumped off the boat, ate thanksgiving turkey, hung some witches, dumped some tea and declared independence." Morison does a fabulous job of filling in the spaces. Morison's style is very engaging as well. It is interesting to note that this volume was published in the 60's so there are frequent mention's of communists themes and when the author mentions native Americans he means people that were born in this country even if they had ancestors from England or other European countries. Highly recommended.

Another great book from Samuel Morison. His "Growth of the American Republic" series is magnificent as well.

...and written in a way that brings the reader back to the early days of the United States and the character of its founders, laborers, and defenders. Highly recommended.