Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Booknotes IV (May '09)

Acquisitions or review copies received this month:

1. Lincoln's Censor: Milo Hascall and the Freedom of the Press in Civil War Indiana by David W. Bulla (Purdue Univ. Press, 2008).
Journalism professor David Bulla's book examines government attempts to stifle public opposition in Civil War Indiana, where district commander Gen. Milo Hascall issued a highly controversial general order equating public dissent in print or word with treason. Not that it would be unusual, but I don't recall this book getting much attention when first published back in early '08.

2. Andersonvilles Of The North: The Myths and Realities of Northern Treatment of Civil War Confederate Prisoners by James M. Gillispie (University of North Texas Press, 2008).
Published late last year, Gillispie's book takes on an important subject, the realities of Civil War prisons vs. the agenda-driven memory fights conducted during the fifty year period following the war. I will be posting a snapshot review sometime in the near future.

3. Ironclad Down: USS Merrimack-CSS Virginia from Design to Destruction by Carl D. Park (Naval Institute Press, 2007).
A beautifully illustrated book detailing the design and construction of the Virginia. This is a keeper for anyone interested in Civil War navies.

3 comments:

  1. Hi Drew,

    Looking forward to your review of Andersonvilles of the North. I've recently taken an interest in prisons during the Civil War and am always on the lookout for things to read. Robert

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  2. Drew,

    I just finished Andersonvilles of the North over the weekend and I'll have a review up in early June (scheduling ahead is working out nicely!). I enjoyed the book, and despite several criticisms, I thought it was an important contribution to Civil War prisons literature.

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  3. Robert,
    I don't read much in the way of CW POW camp literature, but the Pickenpaugh book I reviewed last year, "Camp Chase and the Evolution of Union Prison Policy" was pretty good.

    ReplyDelete

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