What American Civil War Books Are You Planning On Buying/Reading Next?

R. Evans

Sergeant
Joined
Jan 19, 2013
Location
Salem, Ohio
Forgive me if there is a thread like this around. I did a search and couldn't find anything.:smile:

So here goes. These 3 should be here tomorrow or Saturday. Can't wait to dive in.​
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I love buying a used book where the description is 'light underlining' and when I receive it the appearance is like a CIA redacted document! :D
It is annoying (to say the least). I can't understand why people would pass on a book like this: it isn't as if all people find the same passages enlightening...or enraging.
 
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It is annoying (to say the least). I can't understand why people would pass on a book like this: it isn't as if all people find the same passages enlightening...or enraging.
Agree with you on the passing on of such books. This underlining etc... makes me unhappy as I view it as destroying the book.

A feature on Kindle was / is listing how many people underlined a passage of the book as I'm reading that part. Turned this option off.

Think Lub correct in ascribing most to college undergrad quick reading for a course and then selling to used book store. I once acquired the Fred Dustin book 'The Custer Tragedy' for a really nice price. This literally had underling and margin notes on almost every page as well as pictures of Custer, images of troopers, flags, and poetry pasted in the margins throughout. Nice price or not all this was a distraction which rendered the book unusable to me. Though clearly a prized possession of the previous owner.
 
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Agree with you on the passing on of such books. This underlining etc... makes me unhappy as I view it as destroying the book.

A feature on Kindle was / is listing how many people underlined a passage of the book as I'm reading that part. Turned this option off.

Think Lub correct in ascribing most to college undergrad quick reading for a course and then selling to used book store. I once acquired the Fred Dustin book 'The Custer Tragedy' for a really nice price. This literally had underling and margin notes on almost every page as well as pictures of Custer, images of troopers, flags, and poetry pasted in the margins throughout. Nice price or not all this was a distraction which rendered the book unusable to me. Though clearly a prized possession of the previous owner.
I do highlight my e-books, but this can be deleted.
 
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Agree with you on the passing on of such books. This underlining etc... makes me unhappy as I view it as destroying the book.

A feature on Kindle was / is listing how many people underlined a passage of the book as I'm reading that part. Turned this option off.

Think Lub correct in ascribing most to college undergrad quick reading for a course and then selling to used book store. I once acquired the Fred Dustin book 'The Custer Tragedy' for a really nice price. This literally had underling and margin notes on almost every page as well as pictures of Custer, images of troopers, flags, and poetry pasted in the margins throughout. Nice price or not all this was a distraction which rendered the book unusable to me. Though clearly a prized possession of the previous owner.
The worst part is you can't get even. If I decide to seek revenge by marking up a book like I did my high school notebook, what chance will I have of the original perpetrator buying my used copy? None. I might as well seek my fortune playing Lotto.
Lubliner.
 
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When I was in college I got a book through interlibrary loan. It was an old book called the Spirit of Old West Point by Morris Schaff. It had small notes with comments on the margins of the book. The book had been owned by Adelbert Ames. The notes were comments he made on his classmates at West Point, both Federal and Confederate. I hand wrote copies of his comments. I wish I still had them. I still cannot believe I got this book through interlibrary loan, and I was surprised it had been loaned out to students.
 
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When I was in college I got a book through interlibrary loan. It was an old book called the Spirit of Old West Point by Morris Schaff. It had small notes with comments on the margins of the book. The book had been owned by Adelbert Ames. The notes were comments he made on his classmates at West Point, both Federal and Confederate. I hand wrote copies of his comments. I wish I still had them. I still cannot believe I got this book through interlibrary loan, and I was surprised it had been loaned out to students.
Imagine there were some interesting opinions recorded.... Ames was pretty candid...

I wish you still had them too..... :smile:
 
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When I was in college I got a book through interlibrary loan. It was an old book called the Spirit of Old West Point by Morris Schaff. It had small notes with comments on the margins of the book. The book had been owned by Adelbert Ames. The notes were comments he made on his classmates at West Point, both Federal and Confederate. I hand wrote copies of his comments. I wish I still had them. I still cannot believe I got this book through interlibrary loan, and I was surprised it had been loaned out to students.
Don't you think that this was more the exception than the rule? Most people who mark up a book--and then resell it--probably aren't people of especial note. In fact, unless there was a handwriting analysis of the ownership signature and the notes, the library may have assumed that the notations were added by others (it probably checked out used books when they came in)
 
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Allan Nivens wrote a vast amount of history, much of it on the Civil War, and also its causes. Has anyone read any of his works, and if so, how are his works; (see list below);
https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/121933.Allan_Nevins
Lubliner.
I found this set last year on Ebay for less than $30 in good condition. I'm on the second book as of now. Good reads so far, can be a little dry at times, but pretty good overall!

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I found this set last year on Ebay for less than $30 in good condition. I'm on the second book as of now. Good reads so far, can be a little dry at times, but pretty good overall!

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The ones I had included quite a number of small map movements, if I remember correctly. Not full page, but still adequate to use as a reference guide. That was a lucky buy on those.
Lubliner.
 
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I'm finishing up Bluecoats and Tarheels: Soldiers and Civilians in Reconstruction North Carolina by Mark L. Bradley.

Book is a bit of a disappointment, but that is more my own fault than that of the author. I was looking for an up-to-date overview of Reconstruction in NC, but the book is not that. Rather, it's a study of civil-military relations 1865-1876 with little effort made for any larger context or explication. That's what author Bradley set out to do and I think he did a good job (the University Press of Kntucky thought so, and published a handsome volume in 2009) within those limits.

Still looking for something good to read on Reconstruction NC.
 
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Second installment
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(Fortunately, the Mrs never checks my bookshelves or what I post here... or maybe she appreciates that there are worse addictions?...)
Larry Daniel's book on Shiloh is a very good read, one of my favorites! I always say for a more in depth military study of the battle, Tim Smith's "Conquer or Perish" is the go-to, but Larry Daniel did a fabulous job at making the action easy to follow, along with a good flow to the book, overall.
 
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Have already read most of the books mentioned but will comment

looking to get ed bearrs 3 volume set on Vicksburg

Just finished Volume 1 you will not be disappointed.


1864 with the Atlanta campaign
Still looking for recommendations on the best sources here.
Would you recommend Receding Tide by Ed Bearss? The 3 volume set appears limited in availability and very expensive. I’m searching for an excellent reading on Vicksburg in advance of visiting sometime in the near future. Your recommendations would be most appreciated. Thank you in advance for your time. J.S.
 
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Yesterday, I started To the Gates of Richmond - The Peninsula Campaign by Stephen Sears. I just finished A Battle From the Start - The Life of Nathan Bedford Forrest by Brian Steel Wills.

I really liked To the Gates of Richmond. It inspired to pick up several other books on the Penninsula Campaign. Sears' is probably the best.
 
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Would you recommend Receding Tide by Ed Bearss? The 3 volume set appears limited in availability and is very expensive. I’m searching for an excellent reading on Vicksburg in advance of visiting sometime in the near future. Your recommendations would be most appreciated. Thank you in advance for your time. J.S.

I got “Receding Tide” on the recommendation of CWT member James N.

The late (☹️) Ed Bearss was very knowledgeable and an engaging writer. The book has an excellent overview of the operational movements of the Vicksburg campaign. (The sections on Gettysburg seem a bit rushed in comparison but that’s ok - it’s not like there isn’t a ton of info available for that battle. LOL) There are a good number of easy-to- follow maps, which is always a plus.
 
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