The Civil War Trilogy Box Set: With American Homer: Reflections on Shelby Foote and His Classic The Civil War: A Narrative (Modern Library) Hardcover – Box set, March 23, 2011

You know those hypothetical questions you get asked in adult board games (i.e. If you were stranded on a island what CD/book would you like to have)?No doubt about it, Shelby Foote's masterpiece trilogy would be resting beside my palm leaf makeshift bed as I sleep and I would turn those pages until they whithered away.The reason I used the above quote is the reading has been so "sweet" and has hooked me into the ACW. I will go on to read dozens of more books on people, places, battles, politics. The "sorrow" lies in the fact that the journey has come to an end.I'm an avid reader, so it took me about 2 months to finish the approximate 3000 pages. I look forward to reading it again in a few years, when I want a little refresher. I suspect that a work like this will probably take most people several months, if not years to finish. In any case, it's well worth it.The amount of detail is perfect. The major engagements get full treatment, down to brigade and in some cases regimental levels. But no stone is left unturned. Minor skirmishes and rear guard activity are also noted. The west, the east, the naval battles. The focus is primarily military, however, there is a nice dose of political, social, biographical and cultural topics. Tons of anecdotes and "I did not know that" type information. There is also a good balance of tactical vs. down in the ditch accounts.Very good maps. Just as the details of troop movements start to get a bit hazey, you turn the page to find a perfect map. I would have like to seen just a few more, but there are plenty and all well done.There are a few comments from other reviewers about Foote's allegiance to the South and leaving out atrocities and such. This is hogwash. I knew very little of the ACW before reading these volumes and I feel that his treatment was very fair to both sides. A poor leader is critized, whether he wore blue or gray/butternut. Just as a good leader is praised. Grierson's raid during Vicksburg gets as many high marks as any of Forrest's.Many others have noted all the highlights, much more articulated than I ever could, so I'll refer you to those reviews. Simply put, this book is a must read to begin or expand your knowledge of the ACW. It took 20 years for Foote to finish, and literally every word was well thought out. It ranks in many "top 100" lists for best nonfiction of the 1900's.

I haven't read it all yet but its a very graphic and real look into life in the Civil War era. I highly recommend.

As the title of this review indicates, I have issues with this edition but the writing itself is of course a treasure: if I could give Shelby Foote six stars I would. Unfortunately, ML's product does not rate as high.I purchased this Modern Library set to replace my old volumes, purchased more than twenty years ago and lost in a recent move. Foote's narrative is among the best I have ever read, and his opening description of Jefferson Davis rising in the U.S. senate to give his farewell is riveting. I challenge anybody to read the first fifty pages of Vol. 1 -- through the surrender of Ft. Sumpter -- and not be hooked.As to the current edition, it was a disappointment. I have other Modern Library offerings which are of high quality but admittedly were purchased many years ago; perhaps the intervening years have seen a decline across the board in the hardcover publishing business. Specifics:1. The box itself is just OK, fairly stout cardboard with a printed paper covering.2. The books unfortunately have the same cover material as the box, which is to say cardboard and paper, a far cry from the cloth bindings of my old set.3. No dust covers. Yes, I know that this is a box set, but one of the charming things about earlier editions was the dust covers with pictures of the author that show the passage of time from the presentation of volume one through the completion of volume three more than a few gray hairs later.4. Size (inches, not words). These volumes are printed on paper that is 8.2 x 5.5 inches, which is too small. Foote's hand-drawn maps which adorn the inside of the covers are thus reduced in size, and the print is just that little bit too small on the interior pages; what should be a joy in reading becomes a bit less so in bright light and a chore by bedside light. One wonders whether the bean counter who claimed this savings for the company actually reads things unrelated to the bottom line.5. Paper. Cheap. Barely a half-step above copier paper.6. Printing. On a par with the paper I suppose. There are pages where a letter close to the margin goes completely AWOL. Again, think "copier" and not a really good copier either.On the plus side, there is a nice little paperback collection of laudatory essays that comes with the set; Michael Beschloss' "Foote and Lincoln" was particularly good. I will retain this set if for nothing else than that, and the fact that I keep books. However, I will be hunting earlier editions; the toil and expense will be worth it for this masterpiece.

Aproveché el descuento que tenía y compré este box set en $600 y pico (normalmente se vende en más de $2000). Es una edición en pasta dura de The Civil War de Shelby Foote, una historia narrativa de la guerra civil de Estados Unidos. El autor trabajó arduamente por décadas en esta obra y la consideraba su intento de realizar un Ilíada para su país. Incluye además un delgado libro de ensayos.

Often times, when we study the Civil War, it's from the perspective of the North. But how can one truly understand the most tragic war in American history without hearing the views of the other side? Well, Shelby Foote's Civil War trilogy presents the Civil War from the Southern narrative. He explains the events and underlying issues that ultimately brewed into succession. He describes the battles that took place between 1861 and 1865 in great detail. The trilogy itself is written in such an eloquent manner that made it very a bittersweet read, given the nature of subject itself.

Livros lindos,edição impecável com mapas,realmente recomendo!

I'm British, and this is hands down the best history of the US civil war that I have read. This is a narrative account of the military progress of the war, including incredibly detailed insights into the main figures involved as well as huge amounts of anecdotal information about the officers and men on both sides. Highly readable, I couldn't put it down!Please note, this is not a social or political history of the reasons for war, beyond the essential facts of secession and the abolition movement. It is primarily a military narrative that paints detailed and convincing portraits of the key participants in the war, their manoeuvres and materiel, and the occasions on which they met in battle and butchered each other.There has been some (somewhat justified) criticism of the work as it does not talk about - for instance - important black figures of the abolition movement: a correct observation, but the book is not about abolition, it's about war - don't expect long discussions about the 'right to secede' or the 'moral duty to abolish slavery' by force of war.This is a book about the war itself; an account of the many thousands of 19th century Americans who took up arms and slaughtered each other in unprecedented numbers. If you are looking for a detailed political and social history of the era regarding slavery and the progress of the abolition movement; the rights and wrongs of secession (or federal force); or an account of the war in the context of contemporary discussions about white supremacy in the US or the roots of 'systemic racism' in the transatlantic slave trade - then you will be disappointed. This book does not analyse the reasons for war in order to justify a side, it comes from a long tradition of written history that assumes you have a moral compass of your own and don't need one spelled out.However, for a hugely informative and entertaining account of the courage & cowardice, sacrifice & selfishness, benevolence & butchery, moral crusade & madness of this historical example of killing on an industrial scale, then read this book, and re-read it. It is exciting and melancholy, inspiring and depressing: a superb achievement of scholarship and a fantastic read.Such as it is, I don't think it will ever be equalled.

Shelby Foote is without doubt one of the best wordsmiths I have ever read. I read the 3 volumes of his Civil War almost 25 years ago, and have returned to them this year. I am about to finish volume 3, with regret. He will be a very hard act to follow, when it comes to choosing my next reading.