The Civil War: A Visual History (DK Definitive Visual Histories) - Softcover

DK

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1465429573 ISBN 13: 9781465429575

Publisher: DK, 2015

Synopsis

A fascinating and complete guide to the Civil War, this book includes compelling information on the War between the States, Abraham Lincoln, slavery in America, the Confederacy and the Union. Every effort has been made to make Civil War reliable and complete — the book was created with The Smithsonian Institution, using artifacts and photographs from its unparalleled collections.

Even 150 years after the end of the Civil War, the effects of this war are still relevant, but because the war ended so long ago, its events can seem very far away. With Civil War, striking photographs bring the time period back to life. We feel as if we're walking through American history, standing at the side of Abraham Lincoln as he talks about slavery, or walking through the battle camps of the Confederacy. Matthew Brady's personality-filled portraits and battlefield landscapes bring the Civil War to life, and images of artifacts belonging to soldiers, families, and field hospitals make the Civil War story intensely personal. With new photography and updated battleground and historic site information, Civil War is truly an important portrait of a transformative time in American history.

About this title

About the Author

DK was founded in London in 1974 and is now the world's leading illustrated reference publisher and part of Penguin Random House, formed on July 1, 2013. DK publishes highly visual, photographic nonfiction for adults and children. DK produces content for consumers in over 87 countries and in 62 languages, with offices in Delhi, London, Melbourne, Munich, New York, and Toronto. DK's aim is to inform, enrich, and entertain readers of all ages, and everything DK publishes, whether print or digital, embodies the unique DK design approach. DK brings unrivalled clarity to a wide range of topics with a unique combination of words and pictures, put together to spectacular effect. We have a reputation for innovation in design for both print and digital products.   Our adult range spans travel, including the award-winning DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, history, science, nature, sport, gardening, cookery, and parenting. DK’s extensive children’s list showcases a fantastic store of information for children, toddlers, and babies. DK covers everything from animals and the human body, to homework help and craft activities, together with an impressive list of licensing titles, including the bestselling LEGO® books. DK acts as the parent company for Alpha Books, publisher of the Idiot's Guides series and Prima Games, video gaming publishers, as well as the award-winning travel publisher, Rough Guides.

Review

"Drawing on Smithsonian Institution collections, this fact filled and richly illustrated history brings the war fully to life along with time lines, sidebars on particular issues, chapter introductions, lengthy captions and detailed maps...this book is for those wanting to smell the sulfur and hear the thunder of guns...For school libraries, Civil War buffs and re-enactors." --Library Journal, March 1, 2011

"[An] ocular extravaganza presenting America's Civil War...And lest the video generation, to whom the book might most appeal, assume the inevitability of Union victory, the editors cleverly deploy a before-and-after feature to underscore the contingency of events as they unfolded. Consider this lavish display as needed reinforcement for Geoffrey Ward's The Civil War (1990)." --Booklist, April 1, 2011

"The Smithsonian's collection is so vast, everyone can find something to like. The same could be said of a big new book produced with the institution, `The Civil War: A Visual History.' On almost every page there's a picture that will give readers pause, whether it's a shot of the rolling-pin-like device used to code Confederate communications or an 1850 daguerreotype of Frederick Douglass at a gathering of abolitionists and escaped slaves." --The Wall Street Journal, April 16, 2011

"A stunning, large-format pictorial history. The seven chapters are arranged chronologically, beginning with an overview of slavery in the United States, 1815 to 1860, and ending with a survey of the legacies of the conflict during the period 1865 to 1877. The narrative and illustrations highlight all of the issues surrounding the war, including the first shots fired at Bull Run, the blockade of the South, the question of border states, important battles, soldiers' uniforms and weapons, African Americans' roles, the importance of the railroad, photography, Abraham Lincoln's assassination, and Reconstruction. Chapter introductions are followed by illustrated time lines and by short topical divisions that include biographies, maps, original documents or eyewitness accounts, illustrations, historical photographs, artifacts, and reproductions of paintings. Page layouts and the use of color are superb, and sidebars abound, adding to this extraordinary book. An awesome resource for commemorations of the Civil War sesquicentennial." --School Library Journal, June 1, 2011

Edition details

• Publisher: DK
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1465429573
• ISBN 13: 9781465429575
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 384