The Civil War: A Narrative - 3 Volume Box Set Paperback – Box set, November 12, 1986

I bought this for my father, who loves reading about the Civil War using these things called books. Not sure what to make of it because you have to put this extra effort of turning pages and straining your eyes. Anyways, the old man gave these books a 2 thumbs up and recommends it as a good read.

Foote is a novelist first, and the skill of his narration bears this out. Although the reader knows (or should know) what is about to take place (after all, this is the most written about war in literature), the author presents the events as a first rate novelist presents his plot twists and turns - with such subtlety that the reader is somewhat surprised when he comes face to face with such events as the assassination of Lincoln. And one has to remind oneself that the presidents, politicians, generals, officers and men of both sides are not literary creations but real men; they come alive to the reader as the best constructed fictional character comes alive to the novel reader. Being born and raised in Louisiana, I came to the book with some built-in biases, particularly against some of the Union generals like Sherman and Sheridan while harboring almost deistic sentiments toward Lee, Longstreet and Stonewall Jackson. Foote shatters these biases. By using primary evidence such as personal letters, public speeches and contemporary observations these men shed their auras and become merely flesh and blood doing what they had to do given the exigencies of the war. I gained a begrudging respect for Sherman who always knew what war was about and knew best how to go about winning one. I was shown another side of Stonewall as a cruel, lemon sucking, self-appointed messenger of God who could sincerely give prayerful thanks for allowing him to slaughter the enemy. Sheridan I still do not like. Also gratifying was the attention that Foote gave to the Red River campaign and the exploits of General Richard Taylor, a part of the war that is often given scant attention or ignored all together by other historians.That it took Foote "five times longer to write the war than the participants took to fight it" only matures his work, as age matures a first rate single malt Scotch whisky. During the time of Foote's labor, several historical events occurred that reflected the actions of the period of which he was writing, some one hundred years earlier: the assassination of a president; the beginning and end of another war; a continuation of the civil rights struggle so intimately associated with the Civil War and the assassination of its leader; and a period of uncertainty as manifested by Watergate. These re-occurrences surely had its impact on Foote (he makes parenthetical references to these contemporary events throughout the book) and tempered his efforts to write the definitive book on a definitive period of American history.There has been much comment regarding Foote's seeming disregard for the principles of academic writing; i.e., the lack of footnotes or other forms of citation, and the lack of a comprehensive bibliography. He is compared unfavorably to other Civil War historians who lavish much time on such niceties with the result that Foote's extensive labor has been somewhat castigated. Come now! Are narrative histories by Herodotus, Livy, Thucydides and even Homer any less valuable because the emphasis is on narration rather than on a slavish adherence to the rules of academia? Foote, in his bibliographical notes, remarks in summation, "Farwel my book and my devocion', my rock and my companion through two decades," and it was with the same mixed feelings of reluctance and relief that I turned the last of almost three thousand pages of these three volumes, my own companion for countless mornings and evenings.

As the title of this review indicates, I have issues with this edition but the writing itself is of course a treasure: if I could give Shelby Foote six stars I would. Unfortunately, ML's product does not rate as high.I purchased this Modern Library set to replace my old volumes, purchased more than twenty years ago and lost in a recent move. Foote's narrative is among the best I have ever read, and his opening description of Jefferson Davis rising in the U.S. senate to give his farewell is riveting. I challenge anybody to read the first fifty pages of Vol. 1 -- through the surrender of Ft. Sumpter -- and not be hooked.As to the current edition, it was a disappointment. I have other Modern Library offerings which are of high quality but admittedly were purchased many years ago; perhaps the intervening years have seen a decline across the board in the hardcover publishing business. Specifics:1. The box itself is just OK, fairly stout cardboard with a printed paper covering.2. The books unfortunately have the same cover material as the box, which is to say cardboard and paper, a far cry from the cloth bindings of my old set.3. No dust covers. Yes, I know that this is a box set, but one of the charming things about earlier editions was the dust covers with pictures of the author that show the passage of time from the presentation of volume one through the completion of volume three more than a few gray hairs later.4. Size (inches, not words). These volumes are printed on paper that is 8.2 x 5.5 inches, which is too small. Foote's hand-drawn maps which adorn the inside of the covers are thus reduced in size, and the print is just that little bit too small on the interior pages; what should be a joy in reading becomes a bit less so in bright light and a chore by bedside light. One wonders whether the bean counter who claimed this savings for the company actually reads things unrelated to the bottom line.5. Paper. Cheap. Barely a half-step above copier paper.6. Printing. On a par with the paper I suppose. There are pages where a letter close to the margin goes completely AWOL. Again, think "copier" and not a really good copier either.On the plus side, there is a nice little paperback collection of laudatory essays that comes with the set; Michael Beschloss' "Foote and Lincoln" was particularly good. I will retain this set if for nothing else than that, and the fact that I keep books. However, I will be hunting earlier editions; the toil and expense will be worth it for this masterpiece.