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The Civil War: A Narrative--Fort Sumter to Perryville, Vol. 1
written by Shelby Foote
Studio : Vintage
by Vintage
Release Date : 1986-11-12
Publisher : Vintage
Released : 1986-11-12
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 9780394746234
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 22 reviews)
List Price : $26.00
Our Price : $11.65
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Americancivilwar.com |
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In 1954, Shelby Foote was a young novelist with a contract to write a short history of the Civil War. It soon became clear, however, that he had undertaken a long-term project. Twenty years later Foote finally completed his massive and essential trilogy on the War Between the States. His three books are prose masterpieces with lively characterizations and gripping action. Although Foote never sacrifices the truth of what happened to his penchant for artistry, his skills as a novelist serve him well. Reading all three of these books will take some time, but they are worth the investment--especially if you, like Foote, have a touch of sympathy for the South's lost cause. |
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Product Description |
FORT SUMTER TO PERRYVILLE
"Anyone who wants to relive the Civil War, as thousands of Americans apparently do, will go through this volume with pleasure.... Years from now, Foote's monumental narrative most likely will continue to be read and remembered as a classic of its kind."--New York Herald Tribune Book Review
"Here, for a certainty, is one of the great historical narratives of our century, a unique and brilliant achievement, one that must be firmly placed in the ranks of the masters."--Van Allen Bradley, Chicago Daily News |
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Not what you think... |
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Okay, Shelby is great. No question. And his knowledge and grasp aren't just encyclopedic, they're unsurpassed. That having been said (deep breath) if you're coming to this from the PBS series because you fell in love with his voice and insight there, you're probably going to be disappointed. Ken Burns turned to Shelby for insight, for color commentary, for a sense of the soldier on the ground. And he supplied it, in spades, with that slow southern drawn and his dead-on sense of events. This books is strictly a "great man" summary of the war. You won't find much of the common soldier, and beyond body counts and the odd quote you won't learn much about how the man-in-the-field felt or experienced events. For that matter. you won't find much about what Shelby thinks or feels about it to. While he is encyclopedic, in a strange way, it actually crowds out his voice and sensitivity, so you learn a lot about events -- in great detail -- but very little Shelby's own evaluation or perspective about them. Which for this reader, was the real reason to pay the price of admission. I doubt I will move on to the other books in the series as I'd planned -- it's incredibly informative without having any particular narrative drive or being in any way really gripping. Think of it as the Encyclopedia Britannia coverage (rather than a book by one man whose mind and erudition you love) and you'll get some idea. Oh, and for those of you tempted to get the audio version, again, I'd think twice. I was looking forward to Shelby's quite, authoritative drawl in my ear, but they chose a Northerner (award-winning, actually, but nonetheless!) who to my ear has an annoying drawl and stopped his mic every few pages so he's continually coming back in slightly different sound and register. Sorry to write this, really, wanted to love this book and the whole series. |
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North and South go at it. |
Shelby Foote knows his stuff. Over 800 pages of exciting Civil War action, from the secession crisis of early 1861 to the inauguration of Mississippian Senator Jefferson Davis as President of the Confederate States. From Yankee disaster at First Manassas to Robert E. Lee's embarrassing debut in western Virginia. From riverboat actions on the Mississippi and its tributaries, to George McClellan's snail-like movement up the York-James Peninsula toward Richmond. And on and on, until October 1862, when the Confederacy retreats from failed invasions of Kentucky and Maryland.
As I said, Foote knows what he is writing about. He has plenty of stories to tell about the first two years of the Civil War, and he'll keep the reader busy with his storytelling. Along with James McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom and Bruce Catton's work on the Army of the Potomac, Foote's Civil War Narrative belongs on the shelf of every Civil War enthusiast, this volume as well as the other two. |
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All Americans should read..... |
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I could write a very long and boring review about this book but i won't. This series of books is one of the best about the war. It doesn't get bogged down in troop movements but it gives the reader an excellent overview of any particular battle. It shifts from theater to theater with plenty of adventure on all pages. This is not just an account of the Civil War, it is an account of all the aspects that make us who we are today. Enjoy not only the best retelling of The American Civil War but also one of the best American books of all time. |
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Top Rate |
As military / political narratives go, this book is first rate. Foote explains the battles as well in a comprehensible way (something that many military history books don't do). The book is interesting and moves along (something that most 800 page books don't do either). Overall, it is a vivid picture of the people and the history.
That being said, here is my critique: reading this book is a major undertaking. The book is 800 pages and is only the first book in a triology. According to Americancivilwar, the entire triology is about 3000 pages. While I do not consider myself a civil war buff, I guess I am one now -- at least for a third of the war. While well written, its not the kind of prose that you can race through. This is a major reading commitment.
A reading marathon like this raises a unique issue. Noone wants to read 3000 pages and conclude they could have spent their time better. While I have labored through inaccurate and ridiculous history books, these books were a lot shorter and I knew they were inaccurate / ridiculous when I read them. Worrisome to me, two reviewers say the book is inaccurate and I should read McPherson. I don't take that to heart though; reviewers of McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom say you should read Foote.
Overall, a great book and recommended. Now I'm off {sigh} to read volume II.
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One of the best books on the ACW |
Mr. Foote has done one of the best outlines of the American Civil War period. If one wants to read a book that is just chocked full of interesting incidents and characters. Then one needs go no further then these 3 massive tomes. Just don't be put off by their massive size, it is well worth the time.
While Bruce Catton is a good rivial, he is a Yankee. Mr. Foote is a true son of the South and so you get a much needed Southern View point that is missing in most of the current popular books on this turning point of our nations history. |
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