History of the
American Revolution.
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This classic work provides a comprehensive and highly readable account of the Rev War. This is primarily a military history, which concentrates on the campaigns, battles and personlities involved. Those wanting the social and political aspects of the conflict should turn elsewhere to the numerous current works out there.
Christopher Ward was the last of the old style historian. He tells the story as he sees it, and does not pull any punches. His style is clear, elegant, and naturally flowing. You find yourself caught up in the saga reading chapter after chapter because the narrative is so smooth.
Many current, popular historians on the subject have used this work, and I suspect have copied freely from it. What sets it apart is the author's smooth, crisp attention to detail. Unlike many works today Ward gives you a clear list of regiments, battalions and brigades in action. You learn a lot about the leaders involved and get frank assessments of their abilities. Washy is admired, but often critisized for his inabilities on the field. So no excessive Washy worship here.
The size of the book, almost a thousand pages, allows the author to delve into aspects of the conflict often glossed over by many popular historians. Breath and scope is what sets this classic apart from the rest. The large size might put off some readers, but the beauty of this work is that each chapter stands on its own. This allows the reader to dive into any phase of the war and get a comprehensive look without having to read the whole epic. This makes it a valuble reference source. Most chapters have a decent map or two that allow you to chart the action.
A current reprint exists from Barnes & Noble in one volume which is not available here, but a newer edition with an introduction should be printed. This classic deserves a new life. If you want to see where McCullogh and Ketchum got the guts of their works, you need look no further than here. Recommended for serious and causual readers of the Rev War. Also for wargamers of the period as the detail and maps are ideal for re-creating the battles described.
Christopher Ward was the last of the old style historian. He tells the story as he sees it, and does not pull any punches. His style is clear, elegant, and naturally flowing. You find yourself caught up in the saga reading chapter after chapter because the narrative is so smooth.
Many current, popular historians on the subject have used this work, and I suspect have copied freely from it. What sets it apart is the author's smooth, crisp attention to detail. Unlike many works today Ward gives you a clear list of regiments, battalions and brigades in action. You learn a lot about the leaders involved and get frank assessments of their abilities. Washy is admired, but often critisized for his inabilities on the field. So no excessive Washy worship here.
The size of the book, almost a thousand pages, allows the author to delve into aspects of the conflict often glossed over by many popular historians. Breath and scope is what sets this classic apart from the rest. The large size might put off some readers, but the beauty of this work is that each chapter stands on its own. This allows the reader to dive into any phase of the war and get a comprehensive look without having to read the whole epic. This makes it a valuble reference source. Most chapters have a decent map or two that allow you to chart the action.
A current reprint exists from Barnes & Noble in one volume which is not available here, but a newer edition with an introduction should be printed. This classic deserves a new life. If you want to see where McCullogh and Ketchum got the guts of their works, you need look no further than here. Recommended for serious and causual readers of the Rev War. Also for wargamers of the period as the detail and maps are ideal for re-creating the battles described.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Christopher Ward's "The War of the Revolution" is one of the most authoritative and best written books available on the Revolutionary War today. Fortunately for readers, this book has recently been reprinted in a single, hardbound volume and is once again widely available.
Those familiar with historian David McCullough's "1776" and other books on the American Revolution will find that McCullough appears to have borrowed a great deal from Ward. Ward's book focuses on the battles of the Revolution and the personalities involved, American, British, French, and German. Each chapter is a masterpiece - well organized, well written, and insightful - making this book required reading for any student, serious or otherwise, of America's war of liberation. The maps provided in each chapter make it easy to follow the story and Ward makes extensive use of primary source documents, including the letters of soldiers and politicians, thus giving a voice to participants from all sides.
This reprint is extremely timely. Those familiar with the Revolutionary War may draw strong parallels between the American fight for independence from Great Britain and that of Iraqi insurgents against U.S. forces in Iraq. History appears to indicate that the United States faces many of the same challenges faced by the British in America. That too was a long war, lasting eight years before the British realized they could not defeat the more numerous Americans, who were supported by two other world powers - France and Spain.
"The War of the Revolution" is highly recommended for anyone interested in a great read and rediscovering how long and hard fought the battle for independence really was.
Those familiar with historian David McCullough's "1776" and other books on the American Revolution will find that McCullough appears to have borrowed a great deal from Ward. Ward's book focuses on the battles of the Revolution and the personalities involved, American, British, French, and German. Each chapter is a masterpiece - well organized, well written, and insightful - making this book required reading for any student, serious or otherwise, of America's war of liberation. The maps provided in each chapter make it easy to follow the story and Ward makes extensive use of primary source documents, including the letters of soldiers and politicians, thus giving a voice to participants from all sides.
This reprint is extremely timely. Those familiar with the Revolutionary War may draw strong parallels between the American fight for independence from Great Britain and that of Iraqi insurgents against U.S. forces in Iraq. History appears to indicate that the United States faces many of the same challenges faced by the British in America. That too was a long war, lasting eight years before the British realized they could not defeat the more numerous Americans, who were supported by two other world powers - France and Spain.
"The War of the Revolution" is highly recommended for anyone interested in a great read and rediscovering how long and hard fought the battle for independence really was.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Set aside the above reviewer's comparison to current Iraqi "insurgeants," which I consider fallacious, Christopher Ward handles Benedict Arnold's March to Quebec deftly and dead on accurate. I can believe the rest is as well, based on my knowledge of this episode because his handling of my ancestor Rueben Colburn, the Maine boatbuilder and patriot who set up the expedition is as good as my own, even if less detailed, albeit justifiable given the scope of his project.
This volume is for sale at Barnes & Noble, but the notes aren't available for the chapters up to #38. He cites the "lack of dried wood" as the inevitiable cause of the failure of many of the bateaux, and unavioidable for Colburn. This is the earliest reference to this aspect I've found since 1902 when Justin Smith wrote of it.
This volume is for sale at Barnes & Noble, but the notes aren't available for the chapters up to #38. He cites the "lack of dried wood" as the inevitiable cause of the failure of many of the bateaux, and unavioidable for Colburn. This is the earliest reference to this aspect I've found since 1902 when Justin Smith wrote of it.
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
