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A SHORT HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR

Name: A SHORT HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR
Author: James L. Stokesbury
ISBN: 0-688-11523-3

by James L. Stokesbury ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 15, 1995

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Who needs another one-volume history of the Civil War? When it comes from Stokesbury, a master of the form (A Short History of the American Revolution, 1991, etc.), the result is well worth adding to the bulging shelf of Civil War histories. Although Stokesbury's (History/Acadia Univ., Canada) primary focus is military (and his battle descriptions are nothing less than thrilling in their sweep and momentum), he is also adept at integrating socioeconomic and political factors into his narratives, and this volume is no exception. Given the complexity of the period leading up to the conflict, Stokesbury successfully digests and synthesizes a mountain of material covering a turmoil- filled half-century in only a few thoughtful pages. He quickly joins the school of Civil War historians who see slavery as the heart of the conflict (citing Lincoln himself as his authority for that judgment) and skillfully recounts the history of the ``peculiar institution'' in America. His retelling of the Nullification Crisis and subsequent attempts to sunder the Union have an eerie ring in these days of ``the county movement'' and self-anointed militias. As for his narration of the war itself, it is highly competent and compellingly written. If at times it lacks the passion and fire of a McPherson, Catton, or Foote, the book has a nice balance of completeness and conciseness to compensate. Stokesbury is particularly good at making the reader understand why the Civil Waras the first railroad war, the first great mass war, the first ``total'' waris the first truly modern war in history, a terrible visitation on a continent that has been spared mass bloodshed since then. An excellent introduction to one of the most eventful stories in American history.

Pub Date: Nov. 15, 1995

ISBN: 0-688-11523-3

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1995

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.