Best book on Gettysburg

Depends on what you are looking for. I think that the best single volume book is Sears' (but not without flaws.) Pfanz' Trilogy is also pretty good, albeit a tad disconnected. Bradley Gottfried's The Maps of the Gettysburg Campaign, is also an excellent companion reference and gives a unique perspective narratives do not. Speaking of, if you are interested in easy reading, albeit somewhat inaccurate, narratives, Foote's book is ok as such. Earl Hess' book on Pickett's Charge is also very detailed, and preffer it to the day 3 Pfanz' book. Martin's July 1 book is also better than Pfanz' day 1 book. Lots of people swear by Coddington's The Gettysburg Campaign: A study in Command, but it is so dry, I was swearing at it. Eric Wittenberg's Plenty of blame to go around, is an excellent book on JEB Stuart, if you are interested in that subject.

Lots and lots of choice and one is not enough.

Now, if you are not exposed to the Gettysburg Campaign and the battle at all, or just have an overview, I would suggest Sears or even Foote (depending what styles you like to read) as a basic read and take it from there...
 
If you are looking for a single volume study, Trudeu is probably the best. Guelzo's book is very good, but he draws some very unorthadox conclusions. I enjoyed Sears, but his scholorship has drawn some criticism.

For a few alternates to those authors, I would suggest Woodworth's Beneath a Northern Sky if you are looking for a fast, solid summary of the campaign and Catton's Gettysburg: The Final Fury for a good old school narrative of the battle.
 
I would also highly recommend John Cox's "Gettysburg: A History for the People" published in 2013. It is a good, well written book and Mr. Cox is a Gettysburg Guide. I have also read and recommend Sears and Guelzo's books. Tucker's "High Tide at Gettysburg" is also a classic. Gottfried's "Maps of Gettysburg" is great and is particularly useful to take with you when visiting Gettysburg.
 
Coddington if you want a very in-depth study of the campaign and Trudeau for an excellent shorter overview. And get Gottfried's Maps of Gettysburg.

R

I like Trudeau, but, gee, at 750 some pages, I cannot call it "short" by any means. Realistically, it is about 100 pages (12% or so) shorter than Coddington, but it reads better.

Still...
 
I like Trudeau, but, gee, at 750 some pages, I cannot call it "short" by any means. Realistically, it is about 100 pages (12% or so) shorter than Coddington, but it reads better.

Still...

Huh, I don't remember it being that long. Size-wise, I must've been thinking of a different book.

Anyways, anything by Trudeau is excellent.

R
 
In my opinion, these are the best books in order for covering the entire battle:

1. Guelzo
2. Coddington
3. Sears
4. Trudeau

Pfanz is good for Days 1 and 2, as well as Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill.

Martin's book on the first day is good, but you have to make sure you get the revised edition.

Eric Wittenberg has at least four good books on Gettysburg:

Gettysburg's Forgotten Cavalry Actions
Protecting the Flank at Gettysburg
Plenty of Blame to Go Around
One Continuous Fight

Another good book covering cavalry actions is Ed Longacre's The Cavalry at Gettysburg.
 
That's kinda like looking for the best battlefield there is, anywhere.

You won't get a definitive, one-volume answer. I like Coddington, but I'm not the scholar many here are.

You just gots to pays your money and takes your chances. I have about 30 books about Gettysburg, and I can't tell you which is the best. Just make room in your budget for buying a lot of books.
 
That's kinda like looking for the best battlefield there is, anywhere.

You won't get a definitive, one-volume answer. I like Coddington, but I'm not the scholar many here are.

You just gots to pays your money and takes your chances. I have about 30 books about Gettysburg, and I can't tell you which is the best. Just make room in your budget for buying a lot of books.

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I've already ordered Sears and Trudeau's books from Amazon and will check my local library for some of the others.

Brett Bondurant
 
No book on Gettysburg should be short IMO. It was a very complex 3 days and large scale. If you are looking for a short book, I would be weary of the research, unless it is drills into a very particular part of the battle.

That said I have only read Sears, but you guys have given me other ideas. I liked Sears book, but learned I need to write stuff down because I read it very piecemeal.
 
Read Sears, Trudeau, Coddington and Guelzo's books. I would start with Sears or Trudeau and follow it up with Coddington. I would not start with Coddington.

Then you can progress to the micro histories such as Pfanz's
 
Read Sears, Trudeau, Coddington and Guelzo's books. I would start with Sears or Trudeau and follow it up with Coddington. I would not start with Coddington.

Then you can progress to the micro histories such as Pfanz's
Sounds like a college doctorate "assignment," doesn't it? So many books on the subject, so much over-analyzing...I agree with Drew--Sears will give you everything you need.
 
It's the most over written subject probably in all of history. Everytime you think there cannot possibly be anything more to say another one comes out. that was my initial reaction to the Guelzo book.
 
Read Sears, Trudeau, Coddington and Guelzo's books. I would start with Sears or Trudeau and follow it up with Coddington. I would not start with Coddington.

Then you can progress to the micro histories such as Pfanz's
I'm impressed! You've read all these books, Jamieva? Wow!:O o:
 
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