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Truman
David McCullough
Simon & Schuster, 1993
A massive and excellent biography of Harry Truman
This biography of Harry Truman is about what you would expect from David McCullough--a detailed, massive work, illuminating the character of Truman with detailed documentation. The end result is a book that appears to capture the nature of its subject excellently. On ...
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Common Sense, The Rights of Man and Other Essential Writings of Thomas Paine (Signet Classics)
Thomas Paine
Signet Classics, 2003
Freedom and Rights of man
I have read much on the history of our beautiful country and also of other countries as well.
This book by Thomas Paine "COMMON SENSE AND THE RIGHTS OF MAN" is an extraordinary out line of how man should form his government and live in harmony with his fellow man ...
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John Adams
David McCullough
Simon & Schuster, 2008
Fascinating and in depth...
Like another reviewer, my larger introduction to John Adams was through the 1970s musical "1776". I became aware of David McCullough after purchasing his (unrelated) book, also called "1776". When I saw "John Adams" on a bookstore shelf, I cracked it open and was ...
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What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848 (Oxford History of the United States)
Daniel Walker Howe
Oxford University Press, USA, 2007
Well-deserved praise
This book is truly deserving of the Pulitzer Prize and inclusion in the Oxford History Of the United States series.I was a bit apprehensive when picking up this massive book and deciding whether to purchase. As I randomly thumbed through the pages, every page I read ...
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1776
David McCullough
Simon & Schuster, 2006
Fantastic
I thought that this book was fantastic. It goes into great detail about the year 1776, the problems with keeping the army together as well as the the battles. McCullough writes in such a unique and interesting way that it grabs and holds your attention. It is one of ...
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The New York Times: The Complete Front Pages: 1851-2008
CC The New York Times
Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 2008
But what are the reasons for the changes on the front page?
This is a fascinating look at one well-respected newspaper's visual and editorial presentation of daily history for the last century and a half. It is a remarkable resource for students of journalism and history, as well as newspaper experts and lovers of the daily ...
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The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It
Tilar J. Mazzeo
Collins Business, 2008
Another great rise to power book
I read The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty recently, and I just finished reading Widow Clicquot. I never knew the wine business was so interesting! This book captures the dynamic story of a strong, independent woman who makes a name for ...
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Samuel Adams: A Life
Ira Stoll
Free Press, 2008
Even better than the beer.
This is a must-buy for anyone who loved McCullough's John Adams or Isaacson's Benjamin Franklin. Ira Stoll puts Sam Adams back where he belongs, front and center with the great founding fathers. But "Samuel Adams, A Life" is not merely a work of history, it is a ...
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From Colony to Superpower: U.S. Foreign Relations Since 1776 (Oxford History of the United States)
George C. Herring
Oxford University Press, USA, 2008
A monumental effort but ought to have been more selective
Herring's laborious and sincere efforts in this comprehensive book on US foreign policy is indeed commendable. Belonging to the Oxford History of the United States Series it is obvious that it should be an extremely detailed and voluminous book. In this connection, I ...
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The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family
Annette Gordon-Reed
W.W. Norton & Co., 2008
A masterful study of the Hemings family
Annette Gordon-Reed has written a captivating piece of history about the Hemings family, about the way they were inexorably intertwined with the Jeffersons well before the Sally story, about the feel of what it meant for slaves like the Hemingses to live in Virginia ...
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Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (Oxford History of the United States)
James M. McPherson
Oxford University Press, USA, 2003
A Feast of Facts and Intrigue
This hefty tome is comprehensive and cram-packed with details. But fear not. You know the basics. You know the outcome. You know many of the key events. And yet this book is a gripping, edge-of-the-seat page turner.
The amount of research done in preparation ...
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Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
Walter Isaacson
Simon & Schuster, 2004
Highly readable, non-academic treatment
Walter Isaacson's resume reads much like that of his subject; businessman, publisher, head of a non-profit society and author. One wonders where he has found the time to produce this book and the biographies of Henry Kissinger and most recently that of Albert ...
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Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America (America: a Cultural History)
David Hackett Fischer
Oxford University Press, USA, 1989
Indispensable for understanding the origins of the American Civil War
As someone with a keen interest in the American Civil War and its origins, I found Fischer's Albion's Seed to be extremely valuable. Although the period it describes is mostly colonial leading up to the American war for independence from England, the four folkways ...
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The Prince (Bantam Classics)
Niccolo Machiavelli
Bantam Classics, 1984
The Recipe of the American Corporate State
Machiavelli's "The Prince" is a guide of morality-void techniques for acquiring and maintaining political power and ultimately, political fortune. Written nearly 500 years ago, this blueprint for tyranny is just as relevant today. As his compass, Machiavelli uses ...
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Undaunted Courage : Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West
Stephen Ambrose
Simon & Schuster, 1997
A Story of True Courage
Wow! This was the first Stephen Ambrose book I ever read. Now I'm hooked. His attention to detail is incredible. How those guys survived attacks by savages, grizzly bears, and other forces of nature is hard to imagine.
Ambrose takes the reader step-by-step through ...
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