A Companion to 19th-Century America (Blackwell Companions to American History)

Book Description

A Companion to 19th-Century America presents the most up-to-date interpretations of the wide range of historical experience in nineteenth-century America. Twenty-seven scholars - all specialists in their own thematic areas - demonstrate how nineteenth-century American historiography has evolved, summarize current historical research, and assess the future direction of scholarship. Coverage of topics encompasses not only the traditional areas of political, economic, and diplomatic history but also more recent fields of academic enquiry such as the social construction of race, ethnicity, gender, class formations, and cultural identities.Intended for scholars, students, and general readers of modern American history, this volume stands alone in providing a historiographical overview of nineteenth-century America that is both complete in its coverage and cutting-edge in its interpretations. Each chapter includes a select bibliography which serves as a convenient reference to additional reading.

Customer Reviews:

explores main themes of 19th century.......2007-06-21

The book is best enjoyed and appreciated by a reader already conversant with the main themes of 19th century United States. It provides essays that explore numerous aspects. Notably and unsurprisingly, the Civil War. But also the breakneck growth of the US in its theme of Manifest Destiny.

The span from 1800 to 1900 covers profound changes. One chapter discusses how the early 1800s saw the unsteady emergence of a market economy, in a still majority rural population. While other chapters dwell on the late 1800s and the massive industrialisation that came after the Civil War. Impressive, that all these changes happened in the span of a long human lifetime.

Also, some essays include a second order analysis. Where the views of historians of previous decades is summarised, along with what the current authors have to offer that is different.

The Custer Companion: A Comprehensive Guide to the Life of George Armstrong Custer and the Plains Indian Wars

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review of Custer Companion
A Custeriana Essential
With a vividly presented history of the Plains Indian Wars
Great Overview, Bios, Maps and References for Futher Reading
More Than an Afternoon in June: The Custer Companion

The Custer Companion: A Comprehensive Guide to the Life of George Armstrong Custer and the Plains Indian Wars
Thom Hatch
Manufacturer: Stackpole Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Military & Spies | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0811704777

Book Description

Few figures in American history inspire more interest than the enigmatic George Armstrong Custer. From his early service in the Civil War to his later years fighting Indians on the frontier, Custer's image has been indelibly imprinted on the pages of American history. His last stand at the Little Bighorn has been retold over and over and remains one of the most infamous stories of the American West. Author and historian Thom Hatch has scoured the historical record to prepare this exhaustive compendium of information of and relating to Custer. It will, he believes, come to be known as "the classic reference source" for the enigmatic cavalryman.

Customer Reviews:

review of Custer Companion.......2007-01-11

I was seeking more information of the actual troopers who served with the 7th before and during the Souix Campaign of 1876. There are plenty of photos of the officers and bios but the emlisted soldiers were unfortunaltely absent fo rthe most part. I was expecting at least a list of the troopers and some information of their race, ethnicity, backgrounds etc. I realize these were not necessarily model citizens but they were somewhat representative of the post CW military. I was hoping to be able to draw some comparisons to our "draft" army of the 1960's as far as compositions of troops.

A Custeriana Essential.......2006-05-31

Along with William A. Graham's "Custer Myth" and Paul A. Hutton's "Custer Reader", this book belongs on the shelf of any serious student of Custer's life and career. I do not often feel compelled to comment on books I've read, but this is one of those rare gems that comes along unexpectedly, just when you think that everything that can be said has been said.

My library includes nearly every book ever written about Custer and I would rank Hatch's book with the best of them. Some of those books contain useful and fascinating information but are barely readable, but Thom Hatch manages to make his both fascinating and readable, and that is a laudable accomplishment for any historian. I also disagree with those who say this would not make a good introductory work; I think that on the contrary, it would make an excellent place to start. It covers the entirety of his life and career and leaves few facets unexplored or unremarked, from birth to pre-military teaching jobs to West Point, the Civil War and beyond.

One of its strongest assets is the "for further reading" list appended to each section, listing the various works out there which can better inform the reader about the subject at hand. But this is more than an empty list of authors and titles; Hatch comments on the various books, judging them not only by what he has to say about them but what others have said as well. For instance, of Gregory J.W. Unwin's classic "Custer Victorious" he says "minor drawbacks to this exciting and well-written work is that some have claimed that it is too pro-Custer, with too much cheerleading, and that it - as the title suggests - concentrates on the battles when Custer was a general and fails to adequately chronicle his first two years of service and associated aspects of his career." This is particularly useful information for somebody new to the field of Custer studies and will guide them in picking and choosing their way through the vast library of Custeriana.

Another strength of this book is the sidebars. These are useful and fascinating digressions into areas outside the main body of the text and discuss such things as tables of organization for various expeditions (a plus for the student of military history), "Military Forts on the Central and Southern Plains", "Custer's Mad Dash across Kansas", "Wild Bill's Showdown with Tom Custer", "The Joel Elliott Controversy", "The Arrest and Revenge of Rain-in-the-Face" and so forth. Better yet, associated subjects, though not directly pertaining to Custer, are not forgotten, so we are provided with information about the Battle of Beecher Island, not to mention a biographical sketch of Lt. Beecher himself, Red Cloud's War and the Buffalo Soldiers. These additions better round out the world in which Custer lived and operated and allow the reader to understand the currents - historical, military and social - of his time.

Complementing the sidebars are the biographies. These cover a variety of people, such as Sheridan, Benteen, Reno, Terry and the other "usual suspects" but also lesser known figures, such as scout William Averill Comstock, Captain Louis McLane Hamilton, Major Eugene Asa Carr, not to mention Native American leaders and warriors, not limited to Crazy Horse, Gall and Sitting Bull but including such figures as Roman Nose, Black Kettle, Satanta, Kicking Bird, and others. And these are not dry biographical sketches. His remarks on Winfield Scott Hancock are telling: "Hancock apparently urged Col. A.J. Smith to prefer charges against Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, branding him the scapegoat for this blot on the general's otherwise exemplary military career." Of Captain Albert Barnitz, frequently cited by Custer critics, he says: "Barnitz wrote about Custer to his wife on May 15, 'He is the most complete example of a petty tyrant that I have ever seen.' Perhaps that attitude could be partially blamed on he fact that Barnitz had been arrested for discarding forage and not feeding his horses."

All in all, this is a very balanced treatment of the life and career of George Armstrong Custer. If Custer comes out favorably in these pages, I think it is only because Hatch rightly points out the absurdity of some of the positions his critics have taken, and it is a refreshing change of pace from those who, like Roger Darling, simply assume Custer must have 'gone nuts' on the day of the Little Bighorn. No man lives in a vacuum and as this book demonstrates, the Little Bighorn cannot be taken out of the context of Custer's life, career and experiences.

In the end, the only criticism I can level is that due to the book's organization the reader will be forced to flip back and forth as they read, and this is no real hardship at all given the wealth of information uncovered with every page. "The Custer Companion" is a delight to read. In a field that is possibly the most written about in American history, and home to such giants as Frost, Utley and Dippie, Thom Hatch's accomplishment still stands out.

With a vividly presented history of the Plains Indian Wars.......2003-06-12

The Custer Companion: A Comprehensive Guide To The Life Of George Armstrong Custer And The Plains Indian Wars by historian and Custer expert Thom Hatch combines an informative biography of George Armstrong Custer with a vividly presented history of the Plains Indian Wars. The Custer Companion covers The Surrender Flag Controversy; Custer's Mad Dash across Kansas; Wild Bill's Showdown with Tom Custer; Red Cloud's War; The Sand Creek Massacre; The Russian Grand Duke's Buffalo Hunt; The Arrest and Revenge of Rain-in-the-Face; The Midnight Ride of Charley Reynolds; and a wealth of other aspects of "Custeriana". Solid, straightforward text enhanced with numerous sidebars going into little-known details, as well as a profusion of black-and-white photographs coupled with the results of an exhaustive research, makes The Custer Companion an indispensable resource for anyone studying one of America's most colorful (and controversial) military figures of the 19th century -- a man whose turbulent character and impact on American frontier history evokes renewed interest in every new generation of Americans.

Great Overview, Bios, Maps and References for Futher Reading.......2003-05-18

This is a well detailed overview of the life of General Custer from his roots to the aftermath of the LBH. The book is interlaced with a 100 or more biographies of all the key people associated with from family, soldiers, scouts, and politicians to Native Americans. The bios are outstanding and they fill in some holes even for the seasoned Custerphile. One example is the bio on Dr. Coates, the surgeon who served with Custer in Kansas and. Coates was a key witness on Custer's behalf in reference to the charge that he denied medical treatment for deserters. The bio covers Coates' short army career before and after the incident including his post army life. Another is Colonel Sturgis, the actual Colonel and actual commander of the 7th, who typically was on assignment or administrative duties deferring field command to Custer. In addition, when referencing a particular individual or place or battle, Hatch provides a detailed bibliography on the person or topic. When I read of the controversy regarding Custer's 1867 court-martial, the listed references led me to Lawrence Frost's detailed book on the subject. In addition to the bios sprinkled throughout the book are quotes by the General himself, which are highlighted outside the regular text, which adds depth to what Custer was feeling at that point in his history. It's also quite clear that he and Libby had one of the closest relationships in history. Although there may be more detailed works on the various prime subjects of Custer's life, this book captures it very well and closes ranks on information with people that intersected Custer's life from Reno, Benteen, Tom Custer, Belknap, Crazy Horse, Two Moons, Keough, Calhoun, Weir, Godfrey, Sitting Bull, Gall, Crazy Horse, Curley and on. The biographies sometimes seem a little redundant since they often overlap the text but they are well worth it. My only criticism was that there was not more on Lt. Wallace who was the timekeeper during the LBH command. Wallace appears to have aided and abetted Benteen and Reno at Reno's Court Martial. The fun part is at the conclusion of the LBH the author adds a little argument by critiquing other authors' views in what happened to Custer's brigade and he comes up with his own plausible theory. In Hatch's book, Reno and Benteen are held accountable for their wrong actions or inactions. A very good perspective and well worth reading as it even includes a review of the final Plains Indian campaigns.

More Than an Afternoon in June: The Custer Companion.......2003-04-20

Although "The Custer Companion: A Comprehensive Guide to the Life of George Armstrong Custer and the Plains Indian Wars" is an invaluable collection of source materials on the life lived by the flamboyant and enigmatic General George Armstrong Custer (1839-1876), the book once again reminds us that the life of one man came down to ONE battle waged on a Montana hillside on June 25, 1876. If you were hoping to find a narrative of Custer's life, I would recommend Jeffry K. Wert's "Custer" as a first source and using Hatch's book as a source to garner further information.

Although the Battle of the Little Big Horn and Custer's remarkable failure there has seared the youngest general in United States' history image indelibly on the American imagination, the "myth", to the average 19th Century American was created long before that tragedy. It is the life lived during the American Civil War that provides fodder for the tragedy we recognize as a life cut short, a promise unfullfilled, and it is Custer's early life which is lacking in Hatch's narrative. I found an almost Custer-like impatience by the author in "The Custer Companion. . ." to get to the "big" story and it is this impatience that may contribute to some historical inaccuracies and a noted thinness in Custer's life story before the Plains Indian Wars.

The information on the Battle of the Little Bighorn and the numerous personalities that were factors in Custer's life story is, without a doubt, wonderful. But if you seek to "know" the man on his swift climb to prominence, "The Custer Companion. . ." would not be my first choice.

Book Description

Gone from the plains, missing from the textbooks--coverage of American Indian history has improved remarkably in the past 20 years, yet the subject is still downplayed in many mainstream American history courses. This book is designed to accompany post-Reconstruction survey courses and integrate aspects of American Indian history into more traditional curriculums. Seventeen essays, written by leading scholars, including several American Indians, discuss important policy considerations, as well as environmental, religious, cultural, and gender issues. The essays are arranged according to time periods frequently used in textbooks. Each section includes an extensive list of suggested additional readings. The volume is unique in being the only companion reader designed to accompany college courses focusing on this time period. Instructors hoping to stimulate discussions and include the history of American Indians in their survey courses will find this book a useful, critical addition to their course materials.

A Companion to Modern Spanish American Fiction (Monografías A)

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A Companion to Modern Spanish American Fiction (Monografías A)
Donald L. Shaw
Manufacturer: Tamesis Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Spanish | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Latin American | Classics | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Spanish | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Spanish | Foreign Language Nonfiction | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 1855660784

Book Description

With such figures as Jorge Luis Borges, Miguel ngel Asturias and Gabriel GarcÃa MÃ¡rquez (both the latter Nobel Prizewinners) Spanish American fiction is now unquestionably an integral part of the mainstream of Western literature. This book draws on the most recent research in describing the origins and development of narrative in Spanish America during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, tracing the pattern from Romanticism and Realism, through Modernismo, Naturalism and Regionalism to the Boom and beyond. It shows how, while seldom moving completely away from satire, social criticism and protest, Spanish American fiction has evolved through successive phases in which both the conceptions of the writer's task and presumptions about narrative and reality have undergone radical alterations. DONALD SHAW holds the Brown Forman Chair of Spanish American literature in the University of Virginia.

A Companion to the American West (Blackwell Companions to American History)

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diverse coverage of topics
great work; discouraging price

A Companion to the American West (Blackwell Companions to American History)

Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

Reference | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

Essays | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0631213570

Book Description

A Companion to the American West is a rigorous, illuminating introduction to the history of the American West. Twenty-five essays by expert scholars synthesize the best and most provocative work in the field. Each essay covers a subtopic of western American history, its major concerns, and its major works to provide a comprehensive overview of themes and historiography. The essays not only come from the perspective of the "new western history, " reflecting a resurgence in both scholarly and public interest in the region, but also reflect other schools and positions, such as ethnic studies, cultural studies, and subfields of environmental and gender history.The Companion covers such topics as industrialism, women, Native Americans, exploration, religion, politics, and art. Also included is a combined bibliography to aid further research. The essays are lively, well written, and suited to the student, scholar, and all interested readers of the history of the American West.

Customer Reviews:

diverse coverage of topics.......2007-07-17

Yes, the book is unfortunately steeply priced. But perhaps readers can find it in a good library. It has many analyses of the American West. The book rightfully eschews the appelation Wild West; perhaps as being too crude for a scholarly tome.

There is a distinct effort to cover topics that do not neglect viewpoints often deprecated or totally ignored in histories written in earlier decades. So one chapter by Jameson goes into the history of pioneer women. And another by Flamming discusses Negroes. Nor is the period studied confined to the 19th century. Some passages describe the region in the post World War 2 times, especially concerning the effects of tourism.

great work; discouraging price.......2006-11-11

This is a brilliant work with several historiographic essays on the American West (Andrew C. Isenberg's, "Environment and the Nineteenth-Century West: Or, Process Encounters Place," especially jumps out at me). However, Blackwell publishing needs to get busy and issue a paperback, or something a bit more affordable. At over 100 dollars for a brand new copy, and 95 dollars for a new or used issue... Wow. Talk about making your book inaccessible to undergrads and graduate students. Well, the Yale kids can afford it. But think about us provincials at universities that are actually in the American West (I'm thinking mostly eastern Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas). Our parents don't have those durable east-coast and Berkeley kinds of bank accounts. Oh well: in DeVoto's words, a plundered provice yet again.

Notes on a tour in America, in 1832 and 1833: Intended as a companion and introduction to the "Geogrpahy on a popular plan for schools and young persons," with maps / by the Rev. J. Goldsmith

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Notes on a tour in America, in 1832 and 1833: Intended as a companion and introduction to the "Geogrpahy on a popular plan for schools and young persons," with maps / by the Rev. J. Goldsmith
Stephen Davis
Manufacturer: Waugh & Innes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

The companions of Columbus ;: The Crayon miscellany (The Works of Washington Irving)

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The companions of Columbus ;: The Crayon miscellany (The Works of Washington Irving)
Washington Irving
Manufacturer: Putnam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Spain | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

Book Description

The road to equality and social justice is paved with the efforts of legions of tenacious women who made major sacrifices for their causes. Now the accomplishments of hundreds of women are recognized and illuminated in a first-of-its-kind reference work that ranges over the entire world, from the eighteenth century to the present.

Special features include:

Coverage of women’s activism around the world, from the French Revolution to today

Many women in this volume never before included in a biographical dictionary

Focus on the lives of women little known outside their native countries

International in scope and balanced in its coverage, with emphasis on third-world activists

Written in plain jargon-free language. The book covers social reformers in many areas: health care, medicine, housing, the environment, civil rights, women’s, workers’, and children’s rights, labor legislation, family reform, birth control, suffrage, the international peace movement, and other issues affecting the daily lives of ordinary people.

Book Description

False data published by a psychologist influence policies for treating the mentally retarded. A Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist resigns the presidency of Rockefeller University in the wake of a scandal involving a co-author accused of fabricating data. A university investigating committee declares that almost half the published articles of a promising young radiologist are fraudulent.
Incidents like these strike at the heart of the scientific enterprise and shake the confidence of a society accustomed to thinking of scientists as selfless seekers of truth. Marcel LaFollette's long-awaited book gives a penetrating examination of the world of scientific publishing in which such incidents of misconduct take place. Because influential scientific journals have been involved in the controversies, LaFollette focuses on the fragile "peer review" process--the editorial system of seeking pre-publication opinions from experts. She addresses the cultural glorification of science, which, combined with a scientist's thirst for achievement, can seem to make cheating worth the danger. She describes the great risks taken by the accusers--often scholars of less prestige and power than the accused--whom she calls "nemesis figures" for their relentless dedication to uncovering dishonesty.
In sober warning, LaFollette notes that impatient calls from Congress, journalists, and taxpayers for greater accountability from scientists have important implications for the entire system of scientific research and communication.
Provocative and learned, Stealing Into Print is certain to become the authoritative work on scientific fraud, invaluable to the scientific community, policy makers, and the general public.

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