Rating: 
Summary: The Humanity Of It All
Review: A comprehensive historical account, this book also offers a feel for the men who participated in the Civil War through pictures, letters, etc.
Rating: 
Summary: Well,,,at least the maps were nice.
Review: A good basic,, strictly introductory account of the so called CIVIL war from a revisionary point of view. At least it did point out that lincoln USED the slavery issue to help win the war and NOT as a reason to fight it.
Lots of pics of confederate dead,,only confederate dead?? no union dead,,why is that??
Any way the maps are nice.
Rating:
Summary: Civil War as an illustrated history...
Review: An outstanding book...you get all the emotion and history of the war and you don't even need to watch the video version. Most accounts of the war that I've read do not approach this level of personal touch (James MacPherson a notable exception)and this weaving of everyday life with the battle details makes for an exceptional perspective. I especially enjoyed the integration of photos with Ward's outstanding writing style and the digressions into cultural issues (slavery, politics...)that really give the reader an intimate "feel" of what the times and the war were all about. The war in the West is given an equal billing with the more celebrated Virginia accounts and Ward proves that the Union momentum sprang partly from these battles. Lastly, I've never seen better and more abundant maps of all the battles...these really made each confrontation stand out and gave me a better "picture" of "who went where". I bought this book thinking I'd get a summary of the video and a brief overview of the war...I now think that this belongs on any Civil War library shelf. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Civil War as an illustrated history...
Review: An outstanding book...you get all the emotion and history of the war without even watching the movie. Most accounts of the war that I've read do not approach this level of personal touch (Bruce Catton being a notable exception) and this weaving of everyday life with the battle details makes for an exceptional perspective. I especially enjoyed the integration of photos with Ward's outstanding writing style and the digressions into cultural issues (slavery, politics...)which really gives the reader an intimate "feel" of what the times and the war were all about. The war in the West is given equal billing to the more celebrated Virginia account and Ward proves that the Union momentum sprang largly from these battles. Lastly, I've never seen better maps of all the battles...these really made each confrontation stand out and gave me a better "picture" of "who went where". I bought this book thinking I'd get a summary of the movie and a brief overview of the war...I now think that this belongs on any Civil War library shelf. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: The Ties that Bind
Review: Burns is at his best here with Ward. His voice keeps you enthralled. Besides the Lewis & Clark audio, this one is a very close second. Doesn't cover the war in great detail, but tells its on story very well.
Rating: 
Summary: EXCELLENT BOOK - ONLY ONE THING I WOULD CHANGE...
Review: FINALLY, A WONDERFUL, READABLE BOOK ABOUT THE CIVIL WAR. I UNSUCESSFULLY TRIED TO TACKLE MR. MCPHERSON'S BOOK "BATTLE CRY OF FREEDOM," AND THIS IS SO EASY AND DELIGHTFUL TO READ. I LOVE THE PICTURES AND YOU FEEL AS IF YOU ARE TRANSPORTED BACK IN TIME AND THAT YOU ARE A PART OF THE STORY. I ONLY HAVE ONE RECOMMENDATION, GENTLEMEN, AND THAT IS TO INCLUDE THE RECONSTRUCTION PERIOD IN THE SAME MANNER. I HOPE IF THE AUTHORS READ THIS, THAT THEY WILL CONSIDER DOING SO.
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT BOOK - ONLY ONE THING I WOULD CHANGE...
Review: FINALLY, A WONDERFUL, READABLE BOOK ABOUT THE CIVIL WAR. I UNSUCESSFULLY TRIED TO TACKLE MR. MCPHERSON'S BOOK "BATTLE CRY OF FREEDOM," AND THIS IS SO EASY AND DELIGHTFUL TO READ. I LOVE THE PICTURES AND YOU FEEL AS IF YOU ARE TRANSPORTED BACK IN TIME AND THAT YOU ARE A PART OF THE STORY. I ONLY HAVE ONE RECOMMENDATION, GENTLEMEN, AND THAT IS TO INCLUDE THE RECONSTRUCTION PERIOD IN THE SAME MANNER. I HOPE IF THE AUTHORS READ THIS, THAT THEY WILL CONSIDER DOING SO.
Rating:
Summary: When Hell was Incarnate on Earth
Review: Gepffrey Ward's narrative is a complete departure from the textbook Civil War stories that we tend to read today. His is a fascinating account that deals with the ordinary people and the history that they lived through. I found this book an especially rewarding buy because of it's very interesting and absorbing language and illustrations. Overall, this book has made a particularly deep impact and led me to look at the civil war as a time, when hell was truly incarnate on earth. In view of Ward's excellence in writing I would give him five stars, and also because he tells the full stories of Gettysburg, Bull Run (both of them), Antietam, Shiloh, and Appamattox Court House. He brings the Civil War to life like nobody else can. I am especially touched by his quotation from the letter of Col. Sullivan Ballou of Rhode Island, it was a tear-jerking moment for me when I saw the series and when I read this book over and over again. This book is an amazing readable account of a gone-by era and I appreciate the effort that Ken Burns and Geoffrey Ward to bringing this bloody, romantic, and adventurous era to life just as they have in The West with Dayton Duncan, Baseball, and Lewis & Clark. Read this book for the story and the pictures!
Rating:
Summary: Great Introduction by the master
Review: I have to agree with a prior reviwer in that this is a very good book for one just beginning to delve into the sad, glorious, heroic, sordid and heartbreaking tale that is the American Civil War. This book serves as a fine outline of the beginning, prosecution and conclusion of the war. It is a slim volume so do not expect a extensive economic analysis of the conditions prior to the war, political events leading up to the war or during it; but as a brief overview of the war it is as good as it gets. Catton is lyrical and easy to read as usual; a fine preview to his Army of the Potomac Trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: Great Reference Book for the U.S. Civil War
Review: If you don't have any books on the U.S. Civil War or just wanting to add to your collection then I highly recommend this text. It would rate as one of the best books I have seen on the subject and provides a great deal of information leading up to the war and some of the causes and reasons why people went to war, the war period itself and then the results of the war. This is all told from the different perspectives of civilians and soldiers from both the North and the South. The photographs shown in the book are extensive and thought provoking in themselves. One of the reasons why this is such an enjoyable read is that it discusses many of the relationships between some of the key players in the war such as those which Robert E Lee shared with U.S. Grant (who he had reprimanded for his slovenly appearance during the Mexican War), Abraham Lincoln (who had offered the command of the Union States to Lee), John Brown (the abolitionist who Lee arrested prior to the war) and George Washington (Lee married the grandaughter of Washingtons wife). Many other fascinating facts are contained in the book. The book may also dispel some myths which some people may have as to the war. For example, Abraham Lincoln was not loved by all Americans, not all Confederate soldiers supported slavery, not all Union soldiers opposed slavery. This makes for a compelling read as all points of view seem to be considered. The book is also very thought provoking as you to try and think what you would you have done in the same situation during the war if you had relatives fighting on one side and some on the other. This happened to many families as people found themselves opposed to the beliefs and thoughts of their family, freinds and neighbours. The text is also layed out in a format so that you can pick the book up and read a whole chapter in the one sitting or just a paragraph or two if you wish. So the fact that you can take your time and read it over several weeks without losing the plot may appeal to some readers. All the best and enjoy.
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