A Short History of Boston (Short Histories) [Paperback]

Robert Allison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 14, 2004 | Series: Short Histories

Until 2004 and the publication of "A Short History of Boston," there was no good short history of the city of Boston, not in print anyway. With economy and style, Dr. Robert Allison brings Boston history alive, from the Puritan theocracy of the seventeenth century to the Big Dig of the twenty-first. His book includes a wealth of illustrations, a lengthy chronology of the key events in four centuries of Boston history, and twenty short profiles of exceptional Bostonians, from founder John Winthrop to heavyweight champion John L. Sullivan, from "heretic" Anne Hutchinson to Russian-American author Mary Antin. Says the Provincetown Arts, "A first-rate short history of the city, lavishly illustrated, lovingly written, and instantly the best book of its kind."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert J. Allison is chairman of the history department of Suffolk University in Boston and teaches courses in American Constitutional history and the history of Boston at Harvard Extension School. He lives in South Boston and summers in Provincetown on Cape Cod.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Commonwealth Editions (February 14, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1889833479
• ISBN-13: 978-1889833477
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #157,234 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert J. Allison is chairman of the history department of Suffolk University in Boston and teaches courses in American Constitutional history and the history of Boston at Harvard Extension School. His books include The Crescent Obscured: The United States and the Muslim World, 1776-1815 (2000); A Short History of Boston (2004); Stephen Decatur, American Naval Hero (2005); The Boston Massacre (2006); and The Boston Tea Party (2007). He was a consultant to the Commonwealth Museum at the State Archives in Boston, and he is on the board of overseers of the USS Constitution Museum in Charlestown, Massachusetts. He is vice president of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, an elected fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society, and president of the South Boston Historical Society. He lives in South Boston and summers in Provincetown on Cape Cod. His newest book, A Short History of Cape Cod, is published by Commonwealth Editions.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Short and densely packed, March 16, 2008

By 

Walter P. (Waltham, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Short History of Boston (Short Histories) (Paperback)

I purchased this book to get a little more connected to my adopted home. The book is crammed full of information in its slim 128 pages. Space does not allow any topic to be reviewed in full detail. But, on many pages I found myself saying, "Wow, that's really interesting. I'd love to read more about that." A Short History of Boston is a great launching pad to more study of Boston's nearly 400 years of history.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great short history, May 13, 2010

By 

Jamie Smith "JLS" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Short History of Boston (Short Histories) (Paperback)

We bought this in preparation for a trip to Boston - it was perfect. Short and concise but informative too. An easy read on the plane!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of information, suboptimal writing flow, November 17, 2008

By 

Trevis Rothwell (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Short History of Boston (Short Histories) (Paperback)

I agree with the previous reviewer that there is a lot of information packed into this slim volume, and it would indeed make a great jumping-off point for learning more -- you can peruse this book for what interests you, and then trundle over to the Boston Public Library to dig for more details.

That said, I did not find the writing in this book to flow very well. Informative, yes, but not a very pleasant read. I suspect that an editing overhaul... reword this sentence, rearrange that paragraph, etc... would make the book not only informative but much more enjoyable to consume.