The Library of Congress Civil War Desk Reference - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0684863502 ISBN 13: 9780684863504

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2002

Synopsis

A single-volume resource contains a timeline of the war; biographies of important figures; listings of major campaigns and battles; coverage of political and social movements during Antebellum, wartime, and Reconstruction periods; and a resource guide for further research. 35,000 first printing.

About this title

About the Author

Magaret E. Wagner is a writer and editor at the Library of Congress who has contributed essays on military history to many Library publications. She was coeditor of Mapping the Civil War, America's Treasures in the Library of Congress, and The Nation's Library.

Reviews

For a broader crash course in Civil War history, the Library of Congress Civil War Desk Reference offers a lucid summary of political rifts that led up to the war, extensive chapters on battlefields and the home front, state-by-state details about the armies and much more. Edited by LOC writer/editor Margaret E. Wagner, University of Virginia history professor Gary W. Gallagher (Lee and His Army in Confederate History) and University of Tulsa College of Law professor Paul Finkelman (An Imperfect Union), the book also has a chapters on "Civil War in Literature and the Arts" and "Studying the War: Research and Preservation," as well as bibliographies, filmographies and lists of other resources and organizations. (Sept. 13)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This work's highly credentialed editors and contributors were able to draw on the vast and rich Civil War resources of the Library of Congress, which include unpublished letters from soldiers and nurses, Union and Confederate maps, speeches by Frederick Douglass, photographs by Matthew Brady, and well over 50,000 published books and pamphlets. The resulting work is not arranged alphabetically; instead, the 13 chapters cover broad topics or themes, including military intelligence, medicine, prisoners of war, wartime politics, the home front, war on the water, battles and battlefields, and weaponry. Additionally, topics appear here that are not usually detailed in overviews of the Civil War, such as antebellum America, the Civil War in literature and the arts, researching the war, preservation, and Reconstruction, giving the actual years of conflict a broader context. Selected sources end each chapter. Although the book can be read as a narrative, the identification and location of specific information can be easily found through the index, the detailed subheadings in the table of contents, or the extensive cross references within the articles. Time lines in the opening chapter and elsewhere guide readers through the era's defining events. The eminently browsable text is profusely illustrated with charts, photographs, maps, drawings, and portraits. As a bonus, leading historian James M. McPherson provides the foreword. This resource is certain to be the definitive one-volume Civil War encyclopedia. Highly recommended for public, high school, and academic libraries. Kathleen M. Conley, Illinois State Univ. Lib., Normal
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The Civil War remains a fascinating and controversial event in American history. The fate of the nation and of slavery hung in the balance, and the resolution affects America today. Following the popular desk reference format, this work provides a thematic approach to the war.

Beginning with the antebellum period, the 13 chapters cover topics such as "Wartime Politics," "Battles and Battlefields," "Medical Care and Medicine," "The Home Front," and "The Civil War in Literature and the Arts." Most chapters include a chronology, and these, although somewhat repetitive, help place events in proper order. Although the maps are sometimes a bit hard to read (such as "Seven Days Battles," which is jammed with information), they do help in understanding troop location, topography, and movements. A section on mapmaking illustrates the importance to both armies. The chapters end with bibliographies of sources, and a massive bibliography provides even more resources.

The final chapter, "Studying the War: Research and Preservation," is especially noteworthy in its comprehensive approach. Anyone wanting to find information on books, people, monuments, battlefields, organizations, or reenactments will find a starting point here. Both print and electronic resources are included.

Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History (ABC-CLIO, 2000) is more comprehensive. But Civil War Desk Reference, with its solid scholarship, informative approach, and broad sweep, is an excellent source for school, academic, and public libraries that cannot afford the five-volume set or need a one-volume supplemental source. Highly recommended for all Civil War collections. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0684863502
• ISBN 13: 9780684863504
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 949
• Editor: Wagner Margaret E., Gallagher Gary W., Finkelman Paul