The New York Times

Recommended Civil War Book List

The following recommended Civil War Book List is published on the New York Times website.   The list of 117 books was compiled from three sources:   recommendations made by James McPherson, the Princeton history professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning Civil War author, for American Heritage Magazine in 1990; the finalists and prizewinners for the Lincoln Prize awarded by the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College and the Gilder Lerhman Institute of American History annually; and suggestions by Jack Begg, the research supervisor of The New York Times.   This list has been broken down here into separate tables by subject type.   Each table is horizontally scrollable to allow you to see all its columns of information.

NOTE:   You can toggle the alphabetical sort order of a table column by clicking on the column header.   If you click on a book's Title, a new tab will open and you will be taken to Amazon's web page for that book and its type (hardcover [HC], paperback [PB], or Kindle [K]) where you can get detailed information about the book.When finished reading, click on the "X" on the right side of the tab.   The Amazon window will close and you will return to your spot in this list of books.

If using a PC, to view all of a table's columns, scroll horizontally using your mouse to move the horizontal scroll bar.   If using a smart phone, scroll horizontally using your finger.

• 1.   ABRAHAM LINCOLN (15 titles)
• 2.   BATTLES (2 titles)
• 3.   BIOGRAPHY—U.S. GRANT (33 titles)
• 4.   BIOGRAPHIES (9 titles)
• 5.   CIVIL WAR IN CULTURE (4 titles)
• 6.   GENERAL HISTORIES (23 titles)
• 7.   MILITARY (8 titles)
• 8.   MISCELLANEOUS (2 titles)
• 9.   POLITICS (1 title)
• 10.   RECONSTRUCTION (3 titles)
• 11.   REGIONAL HISTORIES (2 titles)
• 12.   SLAVERY AND ABOLITIONISM (14 titles)
• 13.   WOMEN IN THE CIVIL WAR (2 titles)

1.   ABRAHAM LINCOLN   (15 titles)

Far more books have been written about the Civil War than about any other event in American history, and Lincoln’s stack of books towers over that of any other American figure.   Please note that while the Amazon entry should accurately reflect whether the book is hardcover, paperback, or Kindle ebook, this may not hold true as to the displayed edition/publisher.

Condition Key:   N = New;   E = Excellent;   V = Very Good;   G = Good;   F = Fair   W = Worn

Type Key:   HC = Hardcover;   PB = Paperback   K = Kindle

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2.   BATTLES   (2 titles)

The following two titles focus on Civil War battles.   Please note that while the Amazon entry should accurately reflect whether the book is hardcover, paperback, or Kindle ebook, this may not hold true as to the displayed edition/publisher.

Condition Key:   N = New;   E = Excellent;   V = Very Good;   G = Good;   F = Fair   W = Worn

Type Key:   HC = Hardcover;   PB = Paperback   K = Kindle

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3.   BIOGRAPHY – ULYSSES S. GRANT   (33 titles)

The first 32 titles deal with The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant.   The late John Y. Simon (June 25, 1933 – July 8, 2008) was a professor of history at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale for 44 years.   He had MA and PhD history degrees from Harvard University.   His magnum opus was as editor of the 32 volume Papers of Ulysses S. Grant.   Volume 31 was published posthumously in 2009.

These materials contain thousands of letters written by Ulysses S. Grant (1837-1885), and to him; his military and presidential documents; and a small number of photographs. These manuscripts are extensively annotated to explain their significance. There is also an extended calendar synopsis of letters in each volume. In total, this is the largest and most comprehensive published collection of Ulysses S. Grant correspondence available for scholarly use.

John F. Marszalek was born July 5, 1939 and is an American historian.   He holds a bachelors degree from Canisius College.   He has taught at Canisius College, Gannon University and Mississippi State University, where he became the William L. Giles Distinguished Professor in 1994.   After twenty-nine years as a professor, Marszalek retired in 2002 to become a Giles Distinguished Professor Emeritus.   After John Y. Simon's death in July 2008, Marsazalek was asked to serve as the Executive Director and Managing Editor of the Ulysses S. Grant Association and The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant project.   In this capacity, Marszalek edited The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant, v. 32:   Supplemental Documents, 2012.   The papers of The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant project are now located at Mississippi State University.

Assisting John Y. Simon in editing The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant over the years were the following:

• Aaron M. Lisec, associate editor
• Leigh Fought, assistant editor
• Cheryl R. Ragar, textual editor

Simon wrote or edited four other books, among which is The Personal Memoirs of Julia Dent Grant.

At an average price of $80.00 per volume (each ranging from $60.00 to $100.00), if you were to purchase new copies of all 32 volumes of The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant from Amazon.com, it would cost $2,560.00 (excluding tax and shipping).   At an average price of $50.00 per volume, purchasing used copies instead would set you back $1,600.00, depending on condition and excluding tax and shipping.   Alternatively, the University of Virginia Press allows an individual or high school to purchase a Tier 1 level online digital access to the Ulyssess S. Grant papers, including an index for each of the 32 volume set enabling instant searches, for a one-time payment of $420.00. This is about one-fourth the price of the hardcopy used price set (where the index must be purchased separately and requires manual lookup).

Please note that while the Amazon entry should accurately reflect whether the book is hardcover, paperback, or Kindle ebook, this may not hold true as to the displayed edition/publisher.

Type Key:   HC = Hardcover;   PB = Paperback   K = Kindle

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4.   BIOGRAPHIES   (9 titles)

The following nine titles deal with Biographies.   Please note that while the Amazon entry should accurately reflect whether the book is hardcover, paperback, or Kindle ebook, this may not hold true as to the displayed edition/publisher.

Condition Key:   N = New;   E = Excellent;   V = Very Good;   G = Good;   F = Fair   W = Worn

Type Key:   HC = Hardcover;   PB = Paperback   K = Kindle

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5.   CIVIL WAR IN CULTURE   (4 titles)

The following four titles deal with CIVIL WAR IN CULTURE.   Please note that while the Amazon entry should accurately reflect whether the book is hardcover, paperback, or Kindle ebook, this may not hold true as to the displayed edition/publisher.

Condition Key:   N = New;   E = Excellent;   V = Very Good;   G = Good;   F = Fair   W = Worn

Type Key:   HC = Hardcover;   PB = Paperback   K = Kindle   MM = Multi-media

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6.   GENERAL HISTORIES   (23 titles)

The following 23 titles deal with GENERAL HISTORIES   Please note that while the Amazon entry should accurately reflect whether the book is hardcover, paperback, or Kindle ebook, this may not hold true as to the displayed edition/publisher.

Condition Key:   N = New;   E = Excellent;   V = Very Good;   G = Good;   F = Fair   W = Worn

Type Key:   HC = Hardcover;   PB = Paperback   K = Kindle

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7.   MILITARY   (8 titles)

The following 8 titles deal with MILITARY subjects.   Please note that while the Amazon entry should accurately reflect whether the book is hardcover, paperback, or Kindle ebook, this may not hold true as to the displayed edition/publisher.

Condition Key:   N = New;   E = Excellent;   V = Very Good;   G = Good;   F = Fair   W = Worn

Type Key:   HC = Hardcover;   PB = Paperback   K = Kindle

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8.   MISCELLANEOUS   (2 titles)

The following 2 titles deal with MISCELLANEOUS subjects.   Please note that while the Amazon entry should accurately reflect whether the book is hardcover, paperback, or Kindle ebook, this may not hold true as to the displayed edition/publisher.

Condition Key:   N = New;   E = Excellent;   V = Very Good;   G = Good;   F = Fair   W = Worn

Type Key:   HC = Hardcover;   PB = Paperback   K = Kindle

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9.   POLITICS   (1 title)

The following 1 title deals with POLITICS.   Please note that while the Amazon entry should accurately reflect whether the book is hardcover, paperback, or Kindle ebook, this may not hold true as to the displayed edition/publisher.

Condition Key:   N = New;   E = Excellent;   V = Very Good;   G = Good;   F = Fair   W = Worn

Type Key:   HC = Hardcover;   PB = Paperback   K = Kindle

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10.   RECONSTRUCTION   (3 titles)

The following 3 titles deal with RECONSTRUCTION.   Please note that while the Amazon entry should accurately reflect whether the book is hardcover, paperback, or Kindle ebook, this may not hold true as to the displayed edition/publisher.

Condition Key:   N = New;   E = Excellent;   V = Very Good;   G = Good;   F = Fair   W = Worn

Type Key:   HC = Hardcover;   PB = Paperback   K = Kindle

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11.   REGIONAL HISTORIES   (2 titles)

The following 2 titles deal with REGIONAL HISTORIES.   Please note that while the Amazon entry should accurately reflect whether the book is hardcover, paperback, or Kindle ebook, this may not hold true as to the displayed edition/publisher.

Condition Key:   N = New;   E = Excellent;   V = Very Good;   G = Good;   F = Fair   W = Worn

Type Key:   HC = Hardcover;   PB = Paperback   K = Kindle

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12.   SLAVERY AND ABOLITIONISM   (14 titles)

The following 14 titles deal with SLAVERY AND ABOLITIONISM.   Please note that while the Amazon entry should accurately reflect whether the book is hardcover, paperback, or Kindle ebook, this may not hold true as to the displayed edition/publisher.

Condition Key:   N = New;   E = Excellent;   V = Very Good;   G = Good;   F = Fair   W = Worn

Type Key:   HC = Hardcover;   PB = Paperback   K = Kindle

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13.   WOMEN IN THE CIVIL WAR   (2 titles)

The following 2 titles deal with WOMEN IN THE CIVIL WAR.   Please note that while the Amazon entry should accurately reflect whether the book is hardcover, paperback, or Kindle ebook, this may not hold true as to the displayed edition/publisher.

Condition Key:   N = New;   E = Excellent;   V = Very Good;   G = Good;   F = Fair   W = Worn

Type Key:   HC = Hardcover;   PB = Paperback   K = Kindle

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