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| Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History | 
| Author: James M. Mcpherson
Creators: David Stephen Heidler, Jeanne T. Heidler, David J. Coles
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Category: Book
List Price: $79.95
Buy New: $50.37
You Save: $29.58 (37%)
New (14) from $50.37
Avg. Customer Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 190683
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 2784
Shipping Weight (lbs): 8.4
Dimensions (in): 11 x 8.9 x 3
ISBN: 039304758X
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.703
EAN: 9780393047585
ASIN: 039304758X
Publication Date: September 16, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
The definitive reference work on the Civil War, this thorough and wide-ranging volume, rich with over 500 illustrations, 75 maps, and 250 primary source documents, offers more than 1,600 entries that chart the war's strategic aims, analyze diplomatic and political maneuvering, describe key military actions, sketch important participants, assess developments in military science, and discuss the social and financial impact of the conflict. Written by today's leading Civil War scholars, the essays are authoritative and easily accessible to anyone with a passion for American history.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
 It's comprehensive, all right! November 23, 2008
This sure is a complete reference for the American Civil War. My only complaint would be that I thought at least something would be in color, but it is all black and white, which gives it the feel of a book from my grandmother's attic. It's still a great book, I just was expecting it to look more current.
Superb in all respects September 2, 2008
Superb in all respects.
The definitive reference book on the American Civil War.
An absolute must for any serious Civil War buff.
Absolutely outstanding.
It will become one of your principle resources July 21, 2008
Whenever I want to do very much research on the Civil War my principle resources begin with the books of Bruce Catton. Following extremely close on their heels is this one.
I used to refer to "Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History" as an arm killer even before I got it. This came from finding it in a local bookstore several years back and sitting down with it. It's a big book, over 2,730 pages long. Get the picture? This isn't the type of book you get if you have only a passing interest in the war. If you have a passing interst in the war, this is the type of book you hope your local library has in it's reference room while if you're serious about studying the war it's the type you want in your personal library.
And believe me, you'll be happy it's in your personal library because it literally is an encyclopedia on the war. As you might expect there is info in here on the major battles of the war as well as key military and political figures. Battles and individuals you've probably had to learn about since grade school. But this also goes into detail on lesser or unknown battles and individuals. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Subjects covered by this book includes music, newspapers, Union and Confederate railroads, Union and Confederate navies, Union and Confederate rations, female soldiers, the Trent Affair, the suspension of Hapeus Corpus, states themselves, the formation of the Congressional Medal of Honor, prisons, etc.
Articles are divided by alphabetically, as should be expected in an encyclopedia. On top of this, the book is also divided into the encyclopedia section, a section on documents from the war and just before, five different appendices, a chronology of the war, and a glossary. All of which, naturally, adds to why theis will become one of your principle resources
The documents cover several hundred pages of the book. The section is divided in two, a listing of the documents featured which serves as a kind of table of contents that is divided by subject matter and then the documents themselves. Subjects are each divided into the principle subject and a sub-sets of subjects. For example, the very first principle subject is "The Political Crisis" and sub-sets of this subgect include "The Harper's Ferry Raid," "The Election of 1860," and "Secession- The First Wave." Each sub-set within a subject includes at least one document. Some sub-sets may themselves be broken even further into sus-sub-sets. The "Secession- The First Wave" is such an sub-set, being broken into A-G sub-sub-sets which cover the secession documents of the first seven Confederate states to seceed before the shelling of Fort Sumter.
The appendices are pretty straight forward. The first two are for the Confederacy, one on it's officers and one it's government. The next two are the same as the first but for the Union. And the fifth is a listing of Civil War battlefields and state maps helping to locate them. On the officers appendicies, these are basically just lists of generals with the highest rank they achieved during the war. The government appedicies include the presidents (Buchanan, Lincoln and Davis), Senators, Representatives, presidential cabinet members, and Cogresses and their sessions.
Like the appendicies, the chronology and the glossary are also straightforward. The chronology offering dates and events that occured on those dates while the glossary offers definitions of terms one might not understand. An example from the chronology, maybe you want to see what might have occured on February 7, 1862. You look it up and find the book lists this as the start of the Battle of Roanoke Island, NC which you can then look up the main article on the battle in the encyclopedia. An example from the glossary, maybe you've heard the term panada in reference to the war but don't know what it is. The book's glossary specifically explains panada is a "mush consisting of corn meal, crackers, and boiling water, often flavored with seasoning and wine."
Is this book worth the price? Well, it may seem a bit steep. But in the end the book ends up paying for itself as it becomes, as has already been noted, a principle resource for studying the war.
complete reference January 28, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
There is so much information in this book it is ridiculous. I have found new sources just by flipping through this book. Every entry is detailed. Many different facets of the war are covered such as political, military, and socioeconomic issues. This is a true all encompassing source to the American Civil War! It is well worth the money.
Amazing Work!! August 2, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is an absolutely essential book for anyone with an interest in Civil War scholarship. The scope and breadth of this work is utterly astounding. Over 250 Civil War scholars have joined to create over 2700 pages on 1600+ entries in this massive book. As advertised, this book is a political, social and military history, as pretty much nothing is missed. Makes a phenomenal starting point for information and research on about any subject or person relating to the war that you can think of. Each entry also includes a list of recommended books and articles for further reading for each entry in the encyclopedia. Several appendicies to the book are made up by important documents realted to all aspects of the conflict, a civil war chronology of events and a state by state battlefield location map. This is a book you will constantly refer back to for information. And, at the seldom instance you are not using this book for study, you can use it in your workout program, as it is darn heavy for a book.
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