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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.7
EAN num: 9780486297026
ISBN number: 0486297020
Label: Dover Publications
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 448
Printing Date: July 07, 1997
Publishing house: Dover Publications
Sale Popularity Level: 522473
Studio: Dover Publications
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
Best one-volume history brings the events, figures, and battles of monumental conflict vividly to life. Absorbing details of military campaigns, battlefield strategies and personalities revealed in an audacious style that carries readers breathlessly along from the day of Lincoln's inauguration to Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House.
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Rated by buyers 
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Where I thought the book was really outstanding was in the occasional observations about the big picture that the author threw in occasionally. For example, this is the very first book where I have read that the North's oft cited advantage in men and machines at the start of the war was not as great as most claim. Also interesting was the observation that it was the battle at Chickamauga that was more important than Gettysburg. Agree or disagree, I really liked these observations when they happened.
What disappointed me was that the battles were dealt with in such a cursory way that they were hard to follow. Probably a necessity when dealing with the entire war in 480 pages. But Gettysburg, for example, took only about 15 pages. It was hard to get a sense of the drama and the personalities involved. Little was mentioned of Stuart's disappearance and late arrival to the battle or of Chamberlains desperate defense and repulse. Also, there were few dates given in the book. If you are already knowledgeable about the Civil War, this may not matter, but if not, it could be a problem... especially since the author sometimes follows one campaign to it's conclusion then backtracks in time to pick up the thread of another campaign.
This book's value, to me, came in those moments where the author put aside simply recounting events and offered up some insights into the bigger picture. I'd recommend this book most to people who know a bit about the war already but want to get some new insights.
Rated by buyers -
This is a very readable, engaging, and concise look at the U.S. Civil war by Fletcher Pratt (1897-1956). This book very first arrived in 1935, but don't worry about its antiquity. This is an excellent account of that tragic conflict, and you should enjoy it whether you are a Civil War buff or one with only a casual interest. Pratt concentrates heavily on the major battles and events, and tells the story of this bloody conflict in concise and readable detail. As one who has read superb in-depth accounts of specific campaigns or occurences by James McPherson and Bruce Catton, I'd recommend these two excellent authors for indepth reading. For a solid, concise, general history, Pratt has the ticket.
Rated by buyers -
I very first read this book when I was about nine years old, having fished it out of my parents' bookcase to while away some idle hours. Eventually, I wore out its fragile binding and was left with a heap of pages until one day, on a visit to Washington DC, I was delighted to find a fresh copy in a second-hand bookstore. To this day, if I crave entertainment and inspiration, I take this book down from the shelf and open it at random. Whatever chapter - paragraph! - I choose is bound to shine.
Just how accurate or balanced Pratt's account of the Civil War is, I do not know. I have not read any other books about it. But he has made Grant, Lee, Lincoln, Stanton, Davis, McLellan, Hooker, Sherman, Sheridan, Bragg, Jackson, Stuart and dozens of others come alive for me.
Aged nine, I did not understand all the long words by any means. (What on earth was the "Dithyramb of Shiva", and what was an "Experiment in Tauromachy"?) But I loved them, and almost always figured out the meaning by the context.
In a way, Pratt made it possible for me to study history at university many years later. He inoculated me against the idea that history has to be boring, because I had such a stunning counter-example at the back of my mind. There are very few books of fiction that I have read that come anywhere near being so entertaining.
Anyone who hasn't read this book really ought to, if they have the slightest interest in military matters and delight in fine writing. Just one tip: if you can get hold of a hardback, it will last longer. The paperback gets fragile after a few readings, and the pages are apt to fall out unless you hold it very carefully.
Rated by buyers -
What can I say about this book? Well, how about in a lifetime of reading many books on the Civil War, both good and great, this one stands head and shoulders above them all. While more ink than the blood that was spilled has been used by many others to explain this terrible war, Pratt managed to capture the essence of the conflict in a short, brilliant book.
Pratt was a military historian of the very first rank, but was also known for clever and exciting high fantasy stories. Perhaps it was this versatility that honed his storytelling ability to the sharp edge that we see here. While not missing a single important detail of politics, causes, battles, and personalities, he weaves an engrossing tale from start to finish, and creates a solidly researched history that is also a page-turner. This book is a joy to the student of the Civil War, but also appeals to those with no particular interest in that conflict, solely on the merit of Pratt's tight storytelling.
This book was written in 1935, and much new material on the Civil War has surfaced since then. Others, such as Shelby Foote, Bruce Catton and James McPherson have written much longer and more comprehensive works on the war that are excellent in their own right. Yet this little book still shines out as a gem among them. With its solid scholarship, sharp storytelling, and precise choice of details, it is the very first rate Cliff Notes to the Civil War.
Theo Logos
Rated by buyers -
I have the new edition of this book, I bought it soon as I saw it sitting on a store shelf, despite already having 5 or 6 copies of the old pocketbook sized editions. I love this book. If you are going to read only one history of the civil war, make it this one. If you are going to spend the rest of your life reading histories of the civil war, start with this one.
It would take thousands of words to express the reasons I love this book. But somehow that wouldn't be appropriate. What I will say is this:
Bruce Canton could spend two pages discribing a muddy campaign, and you will come away knowing it was muddy and what a loggistical problem that was. Shelby Foote could spend a chapter on a muddy campaingn and you will come away knowing it was muddy and how much the troops complaigned about it and maybe a funny incident or two. Fletcher Pratt could spend a paragraph or two on that campaign, and when done you'll notice your leg's hurt. Why? Because you didn't want to get mud on your couch.
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