From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up–The author's stated aim is to provide an objective account of military facets of the American Revolution in response to Hollywood's biased portrayals in movies such as
The Patriot. The first part of the book is a detailed chronology of the conflict from 1763 to 1783; next come 368 alphabetically arranged topical and biographical essays of 500-2000 words each, followed by an appendix containing 21 clear, informative battle maps. A number of black-and-white reproductions of paintings and drawings are included. Bibliographies provide citations to current scholarly research. There are essays on Chief Cornplanter, Chief Cornstalk, and Chief Joseph Brant, but none on the role of various Native American tribes. Although there is much here to aid beginning research, this information has been amply covered in other works.
–Madeleine G. Wright, New Hampton School, NH Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This no-nonsense compendium is intended for serious researchers and offers a considerable amount of information in an accessible and manageable format. Coverage is limited to war-specific material: campaigns, politics, diplomacy, and individuals who were directly involved. There are two main sections: a chronology and a historical dictionary. The day-by-day chronology spans two decades (1763-1783) and tracks significant developments on various fronts: regional battles and skirmishes, diplomatic and political maneuverings, and so on. Events are described in single sentences or brief paragraphs and are preceded by boldface subheadings ("Caribbean," "North," "South," "Naval," etc.) that alert researchers to pertinent information while allowing for rapid skimming.
The second section, the historical dictionary, consists of alphabetically arranged articles that range from a few paragraphs to a few pages. These entries address people, places, events, and broad topics such as African Americans and Privateering. Every entry concludes with a list of print resources (monographs, periodicals, dissertations, etc.). Additional print sources are listed in a general bibliography that covers Revolutionary War scholarship published between 2000 and 2005.
An extensive appendix of maps details campaigns and individual land and sea battles. Occasional black-and-white illustrations are scattered throughout the dictionary section. These are primarily portraits from national museums and portrait galleries and military institutes. Author Fredriksen indicates in his introduction that the illustrations not only depict individuals normally overlooked in standard treatments but also bring images of some Revolutionary War-era contemporaries together in print for the first time.
This is the inaugural volume of Facts On File's Almanacs of American Wars series. Korean War Almanac is also in print, and future offerings will address the Civil War, the war in Vietnam, and World Wars I and II. The current offering provides a needed update to Revolutionary War research and is recommended for upper-secondary and academic collections and large public libraries. Kathleen McBroom
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
