would you question the book's, and by extension the author's and publisher's, level of seriousness? We all know jacket endorsements do not always carry significant meaning, but this history of a pro-southern group of western Virginia guerrillas does carry accolades from a pair of professional historians.Maybe I'll give it a try anyway.
A number of West Virginia Civil War books are either privately published or small press with the usual associated production problems. I have David L. Phillips' biography of John McCausland, published by Gauley Mount Press, the cover of which makes this cover look like a Da Vinci. West Virginia does not get much attention from publishers. Mark Neely, in his "Southern Rights", complained about the lack of a single book explaining the origin of the state.
ReplyDeleteI don't know anything about the author, but I did see his review of another self-published book by another West Virginia author on Amazon called "Another Day in Lincoln's Army: The Civil War Journals of Sgt. John T. Booth", by Marie Mollohan, the cover of which is a bit more choice.
My goodness, that was good for a laugh this morning.
ReplyDeleteJoel Manuel
Baton Rouge LA
Bob,
ReplyDeleteI agree. With WV CW history we often have to take what we can get, although the Quarrier Press books have been consistently good.
I think there was a self-published book about the Moccasin Rangers released a couple years ago, which I avoided.
I have to say in my years of collecting Civil War books that is one of the strangest, silliest covers I have ever seen. I guess the smiling man was in the Moccasin Rangers, at least?
ReplyDeleteChris