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Rating: 
Summary: A well-crafted, visually interesting intro
Review: I enjoyed this book quite a lot and was put off by some of the other reviews posted here. This is a concise history that is lavishly illustrated with photos, artwork, and pretty good maps. It balances military detail of the battle sequences with background details about the major players, soldiers' lives, weapons, etc. As a popular introduction, it has its share of anecdotes, some fanciful, but that wasn't a major distraction for me. It would be a decent introduction to the battle for someone with modest familiarity with the Civil War, but I would not give it to the average teenager, as suggested by another reviewer. I also thought that the treatment of Longstreet was not overly negative; read D. S. Freeman if you'd like to see a really negative treatment. I have read 6 other books on Gettysburg so far and was happy to make this the 7th.
Rating:
Summary: A Pictorial and Imaginative Recreation of Gettysburg
Review: The Civil War and the Battle of Gettysburg in particular continue to have a great hold over the thought and imagination of many Americans. The Civil War, including its grandest battle, is often referred to as the "American Iliad" with all the horror, suffering, and search for glory of that mythical conflict between the ancient Greeks and Trojans. There are many ways of approaching the Battle of Gettysburg. Some people are primarily interested in understanding simply what happened as a matter of fact. Other people are more interested in exploring its meaning -- both the meaning it may have for them personally and the meaning it has had for others. Craig Symonds's "American Heritage History of the Battle of Gettysburg" (2001) is a coffee-table sized book and a collage.
But that is just the beginning. The book has a great deal to offer both those with a casual interest in the Battle of Gettysburg and to serious students of the War and of the Battle. It is one of the relatively unusual books that will offer something different to every reader. The book includes Symonds' succinct yet informative narrative of the Battle. He begins with the fateful decision of the Confederate military and political leadership to invade the North following Lee's victory at Chancellorsville in early May, 1863. There is good discussion of the reasons which lead to this decision. Symonds then follows the course of the Confederate invasion of the North together with the pursuit of the Union Army. He discusses in a thorough, simple way the meeting of the two armies at Gettysburg, the first day's fighting, Longstreet's attack on the second day, the fighting at Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill, Pickett's Charge on the third day, and the Southern retreat and Union pursuit. His account is less than fully detailed but it is far from superficial. I found it showed balance and an effort to be fair to all the participants. The story of the Battle has been told many times. I thought that the many photographs, drawings, and paintings made this book fresh and valuable. To begin with, Symonds offers clear maps of some of the confusing movements on the battlefield. The book also includes an excellent collection of historical photographs of the Battlefield that are reproduced well with cogent annotations and explanations. The book also includes drawings of the events of the Battle, some of which were made contemporaneously with the events and some of which postdate the Battle. Finally, there are many reproductions of paintings of scenes from the Battle of Gettysburg. These are all reproduced well and informatively annotated and explained. I was intrigued and moved to see the many photographs, drawings and paintings gathered together to illuminate a narrative history of the Battle. The paintings especially were mostly unfamiliar to me, and I learned a great deal by seeing how American artists had imagined the Battle. (The quality of these paintings as works of art is for this purpose less important than the way they present their subject.) The Battle of Gettysburg was a historical incident which is worth studying to determine what happened and what didn't happen. But it is also an American legend and it is more than worth seeing how Gettysburg has fared in the American imagination. This book does well in capturing Gettysburg both as history and as memory. Those with a casual interest in the Battle will receive an adequate factual account with lovely pictures and trappings. I think readers knowing more about the Battle will find the greater interest in the photographs, drawings and paintings that show how Americans have explained and recreated the Battle of Gettysburg for themselves subsequent to the eventful days of July 1 -- July 3, 1863.
Rating:
Summary: A Pictorial and Imaginative Recreation of Gettysburg
Review: The Civil War and the Battle of Gettysburg in particular continue to have a great hold over the thought and imagination of many Americans. The Civil War, including its grandest battle, is often referred to as the "American Iliad" with all the horror, suffering, and search for glory of that mythical conflict between the ancient Greeks and Trojans. There are many ways of approaching the Battle of Gettysburg. Some people are primarily interested in understanding simply what happened as a matter of fact. Other people are more interested in exploring its meaning -- both the meaning it may have for them personally and the meaning it has had for others. Craig Symonds's "American Heritage History of the Battle of Gettysburg" (2001) is a coffee-table sized book and a collage.
But that is just the beginning. The book has a great deal to offer both those with a casual interest in the Battle of Gettysburg and to serious students of the War and of the Battle. It is one of the relatively unusual books that will offer something different to every reader. The book includes Symonds' succinct yet informative narrative of the Battle. He begins with the fateful decision of the Confederate military and political leadership to invade the North following Lee's victory at Chancellorsville in early May, 1863. There is good discussion of the reasons which lead to this decision. Symonds then follows the course of the Confederate invasion of the North together with the pursuit of the Union Army. He discusses in a thorough, simple way the meeting of the two armies at Gettysburg, the first day's fighting, Longstreet's attack on the second day, the fighting at Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill, Pickett's Charge on the third day, and the Southern retreat and Union pursuit. His account is less than fully detailed but it is far from superficial. I found it showed balance and an effort to be fair to all the participants. The story of the Battle has been told many times. I thought that the many photographs, drawings, and paintings made this book fresh and valuable. To begin with, Symonds offers clear maps of some of the confusing movements on the battlefield. The book also includes an excellent collection of historical photographs of the Battlefield that are reproduced well with cogent annotations and explanations. The book also includes drawings of the events of the Battle, some of which were made contemporaneously with the events and some of which postdate the Battle. Finally, there are many reproductions of paintings of scenes from the Battle of Gettysburg. These are all reproduced well and informatively annotated and explained. I was intrigued and moved to see the many photographs, drawings and paintings gathered together to illuminate a narrative history of the Battle. The paintings especially were mostly unfamiliar to me, and I learned a great deal by seeing how American artists had imagined the Battle. (The quality of these paintings as works of art is for this purpose less important than the way they present their subject.) The Battle of Gettysburg was a historical incident which is worth studying to determine what happened and what didn't happen. But it is also an American legend and it is more than worth seeing how Gettysburg has fared in the American imagination. This book does well in capturing Gettysburg both as history and as memory. Those with a casual interest in the Battle will receive an adequate factual account with lovely pictures and trappings. I think readers knowing more about the Battle will find the greater interest in the photographs, drawings and paintings that show how Americans have explained and recreated the Battle of Gettysburg for themselves subsequent to the eventful days of July 1 -- July 3, 1863.
Rating: 
Summary: Great photo imagery with lousy historiography
Review: Too bad the publisher could not have included text that would do justice to this volume's photo imagery. That is why for appearance and artistic design, the book rates 5 stars; however, for accuracy of historical text, Mr Symonds rates negative stars. The author advances so many myths (just two of the many horrendous myths advanced Mr Symonds are: 1) Longstreet is to blame for July 2 and; 2) Richard Ewell was given discretionary orders by Lee to pursue on July 1. Both are pieces of fiction that all too often repeated as fact) that the reader must simply consult many, more reliable texts on the battle. Need a coffeetable book to get someone's attention on Gettysburg? This will do it. Need a book to learn the facts about the battle? Don't open this one.
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