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Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Booknotes IV (March '11)

New Arrivals:

1. Guns of the Civil War by Dennis Adler (Zenith Press, 2011).

This is a thick, oversize photographic history of Civil War pistols and shoulder fired weapons, also including a section on reproductions (even those horrible mail order offer things that you can thank your favorite magazine for passing along). The selling point is the close up photography, allowing viewers the opportunity to examine the features of the weapons in great detail.

2. Blood Shed in This War: Civil War Illustrations by Captain Adolph Metzner, 32nd Indiana by Michael A. Peake (Ind Hist Soc Pr, 2010).

Publisher and author did a really nice job in presenting Metzer's illustrations on heavy glossy paper and often in full page layout. The pencil/charcoal drawings and watercolor paintings depict mostly camp scenes and individual portraits. These often approach caricature and no one would mistake them for fine art, but it will be interesting to read more about them in the text.

1 comment:

  1. This book ranks at the top of Civil War art. The sketches and watercolors are outstanding. The history of the 32nd Indiana Infantry that is included in the text enhances the art.

    Joe Reinhart

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