An Atlas and a Map of the Civil War

I like maps. In fact, I can’t remember a time when I didn’t like maps. While they were (and are) abstract in their own way, they also make what they depict manageable and understandable. They also help you find your way to places you’ve never been. When I use a map, I study it, commit major roads and streets to memory, and then go. 

And then there’s history.

 

I may be one of the few people who get excited to receive a Civil War atlas as a Christmas present. But I did, and I was.

 

And it wasn’t only an atlas.

 

The Atlas of the Civil War is, as its name implies, a collection of maps. But it’s also a National Geographic publication, which means your get far more than the maps and chunks of text about them. It’s written by author Stephen Hyslop, who’s published among other historical works, National Geographic’s Eyewitness to the Civil War. It’s edited by Neil Kagan, whose firm specializes in illustrated books. And it includes an introduction by Civil War historian Harris Andrews.

To continue reading, please see my post today at Dancing Priest. 

"Eyewitness to the Civil War" by Stephen Hyslop

Sometimes I’m a sucker for coffee table books. And sometimes they turn out to be more than coffee table books.  

In 2006, National Geographic published Eyewitness to the Civil War: The Complete History of the Civil War from Secession to Reconstruction. Written by Stephen Hyslop and edited by Neil Kagan, the book appears to be a classic book meant for the coffee table. And it could certainly find a home there. But it turns out to be a lot more.

 

The book is like a documentary in print. It provides a basic (and well-written) account of the war from beginning to end, highlighting the major battles, developments, home fronts, and international repercussions. It tells the stories of generals and soldiers, slaveowners and slaves, and farmers and townspeople who lived the war. It shows how an increasingly split nation finally erupted into the violence of civil war.

To continue reading, please see my post today at Dancing Priest.