A Sense of History: The Best Writing from American Heritage (Hardcover)

~ Byron Dobell (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In his introduction to this rich anthology, Dobell, editor of American Heritage, speaks of "the desire of Americans to know what happened in history to people like themselves." These selections amply satisfy that desire. Culled from the first three decades of the magazine founded in 1954 by a group of journalists and historians are distinguished, well-told stories: "The Great Vanderbilt Will Battle" by Frank Kintrea mingles ugly legalism with flaring humor; Louis Auchincloss subtly follows "Henry Adams in the South Seas" after Adams's wife's suicide; Malcolm Cowley inspects "The Hawthornes in Paradise." Historians share the territory with novelists, journalists and social critics in an informal history of our nation from its founding to Watergate, in a voyage of exploration. BOMC selection. November 14
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 832 pages
• Publisher: Amer Heritage Pub Co (September 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0828111758
• ISBN-13: 978-0828111751
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,056,520 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Best Bio of Frank Hague & Other Stories in U.S. History, September 13, 2002

By	Kenneth French (Montclair, NJ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Among the masses of great writing here is Thomas Fleming's definitive biographical article on Jersey City mayor and political boss Frank Hague. In addition to being an excellent historian, Fleming's father was a ward leader under Hague, so Fleming had access to a lot of inside stories. Due to Hague not leaving much of a paper trail, this may likely be the best bio we ever have on the man, though it's also worth tracking down Thomas Smith's THE POWERTICIANS.

4.0 out of 5 stars History as Literature, August 30, 2003

By	Randy Keehn (Williston, ND United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Some years ago I got this book as part of a come-on to join a book club. I finally picked it up with a casual attitude but was quickly given an attitude adjustment. This book is an excellent collection of essays that read more like short stories. The subject matter is quite varied but they all concern US history either directly or indirectly. Many of the subjects concern famous people and/or events while others focus on the obscure people and events of our history. One of my favorites was a biographical sketch of L. Frank Baum in which I discovered that "The Wizard of Oz" was just one of many books about that magical land. Other essays were about inventions, weather phenomena, social issues, etc. All of the essays were well written by a wide assortment of historians. It really was like reading a collection of short stories that just happened to be informative as well as engrossing. I was reminded of this book when I saw a book club offering it as a selection. I thought it was out of print but I'm glad to see it's going to be available again. It certainly was pleasure to read.