Crucible of War : The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766

Rating:
Summary: The eyes have it
Review: This is unquestionably a great book, but I sure wish I had bought a large print edition. The print is so small and the maps (which were terrific) need a magnifying glass to read. Also the pages tend to fall out of the book. Having whined all that, buy and enjoy this wonderful book, but, keep tape and magnifying glass handy.

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Account of the Seven Years War
Review: Fred Anderson's "Crucible of War" is an engrossing, detailed, and engaging account of the Seven Years War, known as the French and Indian War to most Americans. The book is thoroughly detailed in its handling of not only the military aspects of the period, but also of the political maneuverings on both sides of the Atlantic. Anderson's narrative also discusses the shift in how both the French and English generals and politicians in North America essentially "co-opted" one another's treatment of and engagement with the Indian tribes and nations.

An earlier reviewer commented that Anderson presents 'not quite revisionist' view that there is no link between this period and American Revolutionary period. I finished the book with an entirely different perspective. Prior to the Seven Years War, the colonies had been more or less left by Britain to tend to their own affairs. However, as Great Britain struggled with the enormous costs of waging a world war and the subsequent peace, she began looking towards the colonies as a source revenue as well as taking a more active role in colonial governance. In the colonial reaction to Proclamation of 1763, the Stamp Act, and Townsend Acts, I saw a "revolution" in the colonial mindset that began to question the relationship between Great Britain and her colonies.

One take-away I had from the book was a correction of my long-held misconception that the "French and Indian War" was one war. In fact, at the very least, the argument could easily be made that these were two separate wars, an Anglo-French War (w/Indian allies on both sides) followed by an Anglo-Indian War(s).

I truly appreciated the detail and effort the Mr. Anderson obviously put forth in the text and believe it has helped me gain a more comprehensive understanding of the tumultuous period and events that led to the founding of our great nation.

Rating:
Summary: Deceptively easy on the eyes and brain
Review: Fred Anderson states in the Introduction his hope that he's fulfilled his ambition to write a book that combines both narrative flair with scholarly rigour, melding the surface political events of the period to the underlying competing social perspectives and economic constraints of the age. I hazard that he's succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. This is magisterial history writing of the highest order. It is rare enough in any discipline to find scholars who can match their theoretical and analytical skills to a well-honed command of the English language together with an almost intuitive ability for pithy summation, the well-chosen character description and the seemingly-effortless capacity to journey from the personal to the epic. What's interesting is that, as the book progresses, so you can see and feel Fred Anderson's writing gaining confidence. He starts well, and just gets better and better. This ranks alongside David Potter's IMPENDING CRISIS, the works of Richard Hofstadter, Don Fehrenbacher, James M. McPherson and, in another field of history, Jonathan Sumption's yet-to-be-completed history of the Hundred Years War.

Buy it. You won't be disappointed.


Rating:
Summary: a long book, detailed honorable
Review: Interested in the birth of the American psyche? Before the revolution the American colonies were driven into a viscous war with their northern and western neighboors, the french and indians. Forced to learn the art of colonianal combat and deep forest fighting in a hostile climate the colonies earned a sense of independence. This war was also dotted with the interested personalities of General Pitt and Montcalm. THis book fills an essential gap in American history. A great read for the military scholar and the political historian.