The Reader's Companion to American History (Hardcover)

~ (Editor), Eric Foner (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Like an encyclopedia, The Reader's Companion to American History contains alphabetical entries for almost every important person, place, or event in America's past. Unlike an encyclopedia, however, this lively interpretive volume is meant to be read and enjoyed, not merely used as a reference. It contains three different kinds of articles: short, unsigned listings similar to those found in most encyclopedias; signed biographical pieces by historical authorities; and longer essays on broad topics such as abolitionism or 20th-century art. Each article cross-references related topics, and an extensive index opens up webs of interrelationships, making it possible to delve deeply into areas of special interest. Accessible, comprehensive, and surprisingly affordable, The Reader's Companion to American History merits an important place in any home library.

From Library Journal

In their introduction, the editors emphasize that this book is truly intended as a reader's encyclopedia, to be perused for pleasure or read for instruction. While the alphabetic (rather than chronological) arrangement might make a cover-to-cover reading rather disjointed, there is no question that it would be enlightening. The nearly 1000 entries, ranging from concise explanations to multipage essays, are all equally well written, crisp, and entertaining. Most articles are signed by the nearly 400 contributors, many of whom are acknowledged experts in their fields (e.g., Arthur S. Link on Woodrow Wilson). Brief bibliographies and thorough "See also" references to related articles follow each entry. The accustomed bow to American popular culture is included, with Sinatra and Astaire rubbing elbows with Jefferson and King. By far the most useful and interesting articles are the essays on sociological issues, presenting fact-filled historical overviews on such topics as Housework, Abortion, Divorce, and Advertising. A similar book in concept and execution is the Concise Dictionary of American History (Scribner, 1983. $95). However, the articles here are more current and lengthy, and the authoritative writing and reasonable price make The Reader's Companion the better buy. This handy one-volume reference source for overviews of issues, movements, trends, and personalities is recommended for school, public, and university libraries.
- James Moffet, Baldwin P.L., Birmingham, Mich.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 1248 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin; First Printing edition (October 21, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395513723
• ISBN-13: 978-0395513729
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.4 x 6.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #576,762 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful for Skimming and Quick Overviews, March 14, 2002

By	Eric H. Roth "English teacher/conversationali... (Venice Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Although I've only read a small fraction of this delightful reference work, I'm quite grateful to own it. It allows you to quickly research difficult topics, check the veracity of a book, and follow your intellectual curiousity.
For example, I recently watched a biography of Frederick Douglass, the 19th century abolitionist. That revitalized my interest in the fiery orator and the abolitionist movement. The Reader's Companion contains a concise, yet in-depth profile that emphasizes Douglass' insights into the roots and consequences of racism in the 19th century.
This hefty reference work, featuring the work of respected scholars should be used by anyone enrolled in a United States History course, professional historians, and amateur historians.
There is also enough balance that you can easily detect the biases of various writers.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Highly Slanted Revisionist Articles with Emphasis on Obscure Minority & Female Individuals, August 26, 2008

By	David M. Dougherty (Arkansas) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Authors Foner and Garrity warn the reader in the Introduction that this volume is not a presentation of historical facts, but rather an INTERPRETIVE History. Boy is it ever! Their bias is the contemporary far-left, "America has much to apologize for" viewpoint held by the vast majority of tenured academicians today. That makes this volume extremely useful for college and high school students -- they can liberally lift their term papers from this book and readily find favor with their professors and teachers. In so doing, however, we all lose.

The authors made a special effort to include biographical sketches of members of minority groups and women, in their own words, "... partly because such people have often been neglected in encyclopedias." When this book was first published a storm of protest arose due to this careful selection of biographical entries, leading to incongruous abnormalities such as giving more space to Alice Hamilton, Dorothea Lange, Richard Allen and Jacob Lawrence than to Jefferson Davis. Historical figures like Generals James Longstreet or "Mad" Anthony Wayne are, of course, not mentioned at all. Foner and Garrity have turned American history on its head with this volume, but it is useful as a reference on people the reader has never heard of.

There is a central theme to this interpretive history as noted, and the authors appear to have controlled its content to fit their agenda. The short articles were written by graduate students or post-doctoral writers working under their supervision. The longer, interpretive essays were written by other authorities, but their editorial hand appears heavy and consistent. I am reminded of the statement made by an editorial writer of the Atlanta Constitution, "It doesn't make any difference who writes the editorial, we all pretty much think alike." So it is in this book.

The authors also state that there are two histories: that what actually happened, and that what historians write. They may be literally correct, but one should be aware that much of what is written can be inaccurate or simply propaganda. The German atrocities in Belgium during World War I, for example, were actually fabrications to whip up war fever against the Germans. Such writing is not history, although it fits the author's very liberal second definition. I would contend that the thrust and much of the context of this book is also designed to create a new social history of the US for the authors' own political purposes and as such is hardly history. What is written should be fair and balanced as much as possible given the source materials.

I would recommend buying this book if only to see the depths to which contemporary revisionism has fallen. If the reader is traveling to New York, Hollywood, or attending an elite university, I recommend that large parts of this work be committed to memory. The reader will be able to amaze his acquaintances at cocktail parties or thrill his professors with his knowledge of the contributions made by women and blacks, and become much in demand among limousine liberals. In the red (enemy) states such knowledge will be useless.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a superb guide to assist one in the study of history, November 10, 2000

By	j white "jwwhite5" (Uxbridge, MA USA) - See all my reviews

the book is invaluable as it is quite difficult to read any history book and know every subject or person involved in the reading. Therefore, the reader's companion is a great source when doing history projects or simply reading history. One does not need to pull out all his encyclopedias or go online to find out who a person in his or her reading is. For any student, especially those of history, this book comes highly recommended. The exerpts are detailed, yet not too lengthy, and provide enough bacground for the average researcher.