[Volokh] Sasha Volokh: Good Civil War history book?

[notify at powerblogs.com]

Posted by Sasha Volokh:
Good Civil War history book?
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2008_06_29-2008_07_05.shtml#1214933595


   Does anyone have recommendations for a good book to read about the
   Civil War? Here are my criteria:
    1. It should be written by a serious historian. (But it doesn't have
       to be academic -- if you think The Civil War for Dummies or The
       Complete Idiot's Guide to the Civil War are good, feel free to
       recommend them.)
    2. It should be short, say under 500 pages. (This rules out, say,
       Shelby Foote's three-volume work or McPherson's 950-page Battle
       Cry of Freedom, no matter how good they are.)
    3. It should be a general history, not focused on one particular
       issue like Goodwin's Team of Rivals, a naval history, a
       photographic history, a history of the Civil War as it relates to
       Texas, etc.
    4. It should tell a historical narrative, as opposed to, say, a
       reference guide, 101 trivia facts about the Civil War, or the
       like.
    5. It should be about the U.S. Civil War!
    6. It should cover both the political and military history of the
       Civil War.
    7. It should have good coverage of the runup to the Civil War, and
       preferably should also have good coverage of Reconstruction.
    8. It should be non-fiction, not a novel or alternative ("what-if")
       history.

   Well, I think that covers it. If you recommend a book, please note
   whether you think it has a slant of some sort (e.g., pro-Southern,
   pro-Lincoln, whatever). (Bias is no problem, and I don't even mean the
   word in a negative sense, but it's good to know!) If there's something
   good that doesn't fit all the categories (e.g., "great book but no
   coverage of Reconstruction," or "the best book hands down but
   unfortunately 600 pages long," or "actually about the Spanish Civil
   War"), feel free to note that too. Thanks!