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The Reader's Companion to American History Hardcover – January 1, 1991

by Eric Foner (Author), John A. Garraty (Editor)

42

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The Reader's Companion to American History offers a fresh, absorbing portrait of the United States from the origins of its native peoples to the nation's complex identity in the 1990s. Covering political, economic, cultural, and social history, and combining hundreds of short descriptive entries with longer evaluative articles, the encyclopedia is informative, engaging, and a pleasure to read. The Reader's Companion is sponsored by the Society of American Historians, an organization dedicated to promoting literary excellence in the writing of biography and history. Under the editorship of the eminent historians John A. Garraty and Eric Foner, a large and distinguished group of scholars, biographers, and journalists -- nearly four hundred contemporary authorities -- illuminate the critical events, issues, and individuals that have shaped our past. More than a reference book to be consulted simply for the dates or details of an event, the Companion offers a history of ideas. It distinguishes itself from conventional encylcopedias by featuring several hundred thematic articles. A chronological account of immigration, for example, is complemented by a conceptual article on ethnicity. Similarly, the Bull Moose party and the Know-Nothings, examined in individual entries, are also placed within a larger context in an article on third parties in American politics. And readers consulting entries on specific religious groups, leaders, and movements will be led to an article offering an overview of religion in America. Linking discrete facts, dates, and events through its interpretive essays, the Reader's Companion presents the overarching themes and ideas that have animated our historical landscape. Over the past twenty years, the study of history has undergone a metamorphosis. Political history, once the primary avenue for exploring the past, has given way to the "new social history." Focus has shifted from key events and leaders to everyday life in America, including the history of the family, women and the work force, race relations, and community life. The Reader's Companion to American History reflects this broader vision of our past. Interweaving traditional political and economic topics with the spectrum of America's social and cultural legacies -- everything from marriage to medicine, crime to baseball, fashion to literature -- the Companion is certain to engage the curiosity, interests, and passions of every reader.

Print length

1248 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date

January 1, 1991
Dimensions

8.25 x 2.75 x 10.25 inches
ISBN-10

0395513723
ISBN-13

978-0395513729
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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.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (January 1, 1991)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 1248 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0395513723
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0395513729
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.94 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.25 x 2.75 x 10.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #420,416 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #338 in History Encyclopedias
- #13,078 in United States History (Books)

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4.5 out of 5

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RandyNYC

Great value and well written!!

Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2023

Verified Purchase

I wasn't into history in school, but I've gotten really into it in the last few years. This book is fantastic!

It's really jam-packed with info and well written. I did some sample searches in it (I have the Kindle version) on topics like Frederick Douglass, the Triangle Factory Fire, Susan B. Anthony, etc. and thought that the commentary for each topic was well written and gave an excellent overview.

In my opinion, this book is underpriced. It's A MUST for history buffs! Highly recommended!

3 people found this helpful

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Teresa V

Super insightful. I have it in hardback which weighs ...

Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2016

Verified Purchase

studying for the FSOT and this book is a gem. Super insightful. I have it in hardback which weighs like a hundred pounds, so I was thrilled to find a kindle version. Now I can pick my way through when I'm on the go. awesome, awesome.

8 people found this helpful

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F. S. L'hoir

Reader Beware! This is a GIGANTIC Book!

Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2013

Verified Purchase

When the great 4th-century BC scholar of the library at Alexandria, Callimachus, wrote "Mega Biblion, Mega Kakon" (loosely translated, a big book is a pain in the neck!), he was praising brevity in poetry, not size. So when "The Reader's Companion to American History" arrived on my doorstep, I was totally unprepared for the sheer volume of the volume. a) My friend who recommended it to me as useful for teaching a class in US History, neglected to inform me of its considerable heft; b) nor did I bother looking at the specifications so conveniently provided by Amazon (I can't believe that it weighs only 5.7 pounds--It feels like 20!); c) The comfy word "companion" is so misleading (Elephant in the room might be more appropriate!).

As to it's content, I found its historical entries *extremely useful* and the articles excellent (e.g. personages, John Adams, Clarence Darrow; British Parliamentary Acts against the colonies: Stamp Act, Townshend, Act; Supreme Court decisions, Marbury vs Madison, Roe vs Wade), but I question its inclusion of singers, such as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra; or even authors, such as Saul Bellow (who's from Canada); or artists, such as choreographer, George Balanchine, and composer, Irving Berlin. To me, the book is trying to be too many things to too many people, especially now that we can get so much information online (My laptop weighs less than the book!).

For readers whose homes come equipped with large libraries, "The Reader's Companion" is just the thing. If you live in a small apartment where space is limited (or if you have a dicky back), you might want to consult the vast resources out in cyberspace!

They weigh far less!

18 people found this helpful

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lovetoteach

Great reference Book!

Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2015

Verified Purchase

Great reference book! I use it often to verify information and create various activities in my lesson planning

4 people found this helpful

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Basil Loucas

EXCELLENT RESEARCH TOOL

Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2016

Verified Purchase

EXCELLENT RESEARCH TOOL

2 people found this helpful

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Bradley Alston

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2015

Verified Purchase

Good copy and fast delivery.

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Kristen A. Miller

American History Dictionary

Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2018

Verified Purchase

The Reader's Companion to American History is really a dictionary of some of the important terms. Yet, the information is really sparse and doesn't really provide a lot of depth.

7 people found this helpful

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pulling cheek swirl better shake up

the trump Tecumseh cycle of social hysteria eating at high tide

Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2018

Is trump our Tecumseh? America as a global superpower with nuclear submarines in oceans of salt water serves a military-industrial complex of institutional thinking, but white superiority as a lesson to rule mortal trash is collapsing in Chernobly yours insights of microcosms of spasmodic disintegration of fuel manias in the wheat dementia of large populations surviving with processed food ailments filling guts with superbugs for heart disease. This Companion calls Tecumseh a war chief of 1800. The Treaty of Fort Wayne (1809) took lands that made Tecumseh the leader of a confederation of Indian tribes in 1811, while U.S. forces burned the settlement at Tippecanoe and destroyed the Indians' food supply. The British had been aiding Indian forces to battle American control of the western territory, and Tecumseh was killed in a battle of the War of 1812.

In the two hundred years since Tecumseh was providing native political leadership, the United States became a global superpower able to impose electronic piracy on everything the U-2 flights that became public in May 1960, when President Eisenhower took responsibility for what America does to "secure and evaluate military intelligence." (p. 1093). I had a teacher who believed you too was an expression for a world in which each side has to snoop in order to protect its future from mass destruction. The symmetry which existed between competing superpowers now has numbers in advanced plastication of financial transactions for burn rate fantasies that might be avoiding detection in secret creative destruction that gives our future a surprise party flash mob moon glow.

2 people found this helpful

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