PRELUDE TO WAR

This first Sourcebook on the Civil War in a new series of ``American Albums from the Collections of the Library of Congress'' almost overwhelms with the sheer number of facts in its relatively narrow confines. The book begins with various theories on the causes for the War, roots them in intelligently argued positions, then places the information in spreads with readable columns of text under such headings as ``An Era of Reform,'' ``Uncle Tom's Cabin,'' ``John Brown,'' ``Free Blacks,'' and ``The Nullification Controversy.'' The visual documentation (b&w and color photos and reproductions) is outstanding: editorial cartoons, advertisements, handbills, and pamphlets all contribute to a sense of events spiraling out of control, beyond any reasonable debate, and into the arena of war. Impressive, especially taken with the rest of the series: The First Battles; The Road to Appomattox; 1863: The Crucial Year; Behind the Lines; and One Nation Again. Maps; chronologies; further reading; extensive index. (Nonfiction. 11+)