Member Review Best Book On Gettysburg

This is a terribly subjective question. Rather than try to tell you what you should read, I will instead suggest what you shouldn't read:

1. Anything by Philip Thomas Tucker, Ph.D.
2. Guelzo's Gettysburg: The Last Invasion. The title isn't even accurate; the Confederates invaded Pennsylvania in the summer of 1864. This book makes allegations against Meade that are not supported by any credible evidence and is terribly slanted and unfair. Avoid at all costs.
 
I read Guelzo's book when it came out and was stunned at the positive reception . His treatment of Meade was terrible and not worthy of a true historian's work . It also won an award ! Soon after it came out I made a trip to Gettysburg and asked a ranger about his opinion of it after he had given a fine presentation at the Peach Orchard . The ranger had had Guelzo as an advisor while in college and had the same opinion as me about the book . When I asked him how Guelzo could have won an award for such a book , he replied that there was a lot of politics involved in academia . I will not name the ranger because he has become well known and I wouldn't feel right about sharing a private conversation .
 
I read Guelzo's book when it came out and was stunned at the positive reception . His treatment of Meade was terrible and not worthy of a true historian's work . It also won an award ! Soon after it came out I made a trip to Gettysburg and asked a ranger about his opinion of it after he had given a fine presentation at the Peach Orchard . The ranger had had Guelzo as an advisor while in college and had the same opinion as me about the book . When I asked him how Guelzo could have won an award for such a book , he replied that there was a lot of politics involved in academia . I will not name the ranger because he has become well known and I wouldn't feel right about sharing a private conversation .
The award came from the same college where he taught at the time. Connect the dots....
 
Guelzo's Gettysburg: The Last Invasion. This book makes allegations against Meade that are not supported by any credible evidence and is terribly slanted and unfair. Avoid at all costs.
Kind of funny. I wrote a paper for Guelzo once that fully praised Meade's leadership at Gettysburg. Think he graded it generously, but did tell me my sourcing was one-sided.
 
For a one-volume general work on the battle, I would recommend either Stephen Sears or Noah Andre Trudeau.

Coddington is good but delves pretty deeply into the minutiae of the commands of the armies. It is very informative but is somewhat dated and generally doesn't go lower than brigade-level so if you want regimental details, you won't find it here.

There are probably hundreds of specialized topics so if there is something that you're interested in, I can give some suggestions.

Ryan
 
Let's organize the replies, which I agree with:
For one volume books, Coddington is the best of the 3. (Sears and Trudeau being the other 2)

However, if you want a more detailed granular account of the battle, I would read the Pfanz books. They cover most of the battle, except for the third day actions of Pickett's Charge and cavalry battle to the east.
 
For a quick, concise account of the battle I strongly recommend Woodworth's Beneath a Northern Sky. Not nearly as detailed as Sears or Trudeau, but covers all the important bits in a shorter read.
 
Kind of funny. I wrote a paper for Guelzo once that fully praised Meade's leadership at Gettysburg. Think he graded it generously, but did tell me my sourcing was one-sided.
Kinda how the college history experience goes: the professors have written books, you buy their books to be in their class, they given you their opinions from their book, you filled a blue book with their opinions for exams...boom, you got an A. If you disagreed, look out.

Also, to get back on the topic, Noah Andre Trudeau's book is in the mix of good books too.
 
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