Stonewall A Stonewall Jackson Bookshelf

For those that have read it How Are the biographies on Jackson by Frank Vandiver and Byron Farwell are they both easy to read and are they a good starting out point on Jackson?

I must confess to having read neither of them; however, @Nathanb1 swears by Vandiver, so I consider that a recommendation. For beginners, I recommend They Called Him Stonewall by Burke Davis.
 
Farwell's book is good, modern biography. It is substantially less admiring of Jackson than Robertson and also the bibliography seems a little short for a 500-plus book. But it's readable and useful.
 
Thank you for both of your insights.I have heard that Farwell's is good but wasn't sure.I will have to read They called him Stonewall to start off with.By any chance has anybody read the one by Rafuse and know if it is a good one as well?
 
I have read every book about Jackson that I could get my hands on and I always considered Robertson's work as the very best. That is, until I read "Rebel Yell". It is excellent and gives many small details that I have not read previously. As others have already mentioned, it is definitely worth reading and is my new favorite.
 
I have read every book about Jackson that I could get my hands on and I always considered Robertson's work as the very best. That is, until I read "Rebel Yell". It is excellent and gives many small details that I have not read previously. As others have already mentioned, it is definitely worth reading and is my new favorite.

I can second this! Rebel Yell is one of my favorite books on Jackson.
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I used to own some of those books. I really like Kyd Douglas' I rode With Stonewall and Stonewall in the valley. I would like to read the Stonewall novel. As I enjoy reading fiction. One of my main ways to entertain myself. Not easy to concentrate on books the last year or so. A good thread on Jackson in all forms of media. Thanks.
 
Indispensable for the serious Jackson collector. Many editions. Expect to pay $60 - $125 for cloth. Ebook available. It took me many years to get a copy back in the 1980's before web:

(Jackson, Stonewall). Wayland, John W. STONEWALL JACKSON'S WAY: Route-Method-Achievement
Staunton, Virginia: 244 pages; indexed. Over 180 photographs and 56 maps.
"Photographs and maps enhance a superb text that recounts Jackson's exploits in the Valley."--Nevins II, page 247.
 
I can second this! Rebel Yell is one of my favorite books on Jackson.
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I bought "Rebel Yell" when I worked at Barnes & Noble right before it came out. Never got around to reading it, though. I was going to read it after finishing Robertson's book last month, but it really felt redundant after having devoured Bud's Behemoth, and I moved on to the next book in my stack.

That being said, I've heard great things about it. I'll get around to it eventually, probably after hitting Gettysburg hard.
 
I bought "Rebel Yell" when I worked at Barnes & Noble right before it came out. Never got around to reading it, though. I was going to read it after finishing Robertson's book last month, but it really felt redundant after having devoured Bud's Behemoth, and I moved on to the next book in my stack.

That being said, I've heard great things about it. I'll get around to it eventually, probably after hitting Gettysburg hard.

Rebel Yell is enjoyable to read, but Robertson's book is much better from the standpoint of accuracy and historical analysis. If a person is going to read only one book about Jackson, then Robertson's book is the one to read. If one is going to read several books about Jackson, then Rebel Yell should be on the list.

https://studycivilwar.wordpress.com/2015/03/13/rebel-yell/
 
Rebel Yell is enjoyable to read, but Robertson's book is much better from the standpoint of accuracy and historical analysis. If a person is going to read only one book about Jackson, then Robertson's book is the one to read. If one is going to read several books about Jackson, then Rebel Yell should be on the list.

https://studycivilwar.wordpress.com/2015/03/13/rebel-yell/

I mean, I read the first couple chapters of "Rebel Yell", but I felt that it was written for an audience with less knowledge or background in the subject. Maybe that was just my perception, but I felt that Robertson's book was a better fit for me. I'm still going to read "Rebel Yell", of course, but I'll keep coming back to Robertson.
 
One of my favorites is The Family and Early Life of Stonewall Jackson by George Bird Cook. There are several editions of this, including the first in 1924. I don't remember where got mine but I do remember that it was hard to find. I probably paid way too much for it, but it has material you literally won't find anywhere else, including in Robertson. Cook covers Jackson's prewar life in tremendous detail but also includes a chapter about the war years. If you are mostly interested in Jackson the person rather than Jackson the general, this book is for you (provided you can find it).
 
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