Maryland Books

Baltimore Elegance
I have taken classes with Ely. I own just about all her books. This is the best out of all! Easy to read, great pictures for visual understanding. Great information and explainations. Must have book for applique...

Elly has outdone herself with this book...the techniques she teaches is invaluable to anyone who wants to learn to applique. And the patterns are among her best yet. Plus it has projects that are fun to make too! This is a 'must-have' for every quilter who likes applique....whether you applique now or you want to learn!

As a seasoned quilter, I had always avoided applique. There were too many conflicting methods floating around, and none of them seemed to work for me. Elly's book clarified everything! She explains all of the methods in easy to understand steps. She explains the hows and the whys, and tells you what to look for to avoid problems down the road. The lessons are terrific, and presented in clear, concise steps with good illustrations. Her patterns advance in skill level as the lessons progress. My projects were a success, thanks to Elly, and I now feel comfortable with applique.

Elly has done it again for all her fans and is sure to gain new ones with this simplified approach to a classic style. Her "voice" can be heard in every written line for those of us lucky enough to have attended her academy classes. Add this to your collection, or start a collection with this wonderful book. Keep them coming, Elly!

Elly has written many books on Baltimore album quilts, but this is one of my favorites. It has 8" block patterns, rather than the more traditional 12". It's full of instructions for applique, stitching, transferring designs, and lots of color pictures. Plenty of ideas to work from. The only applique method she doesn't explain is the Templar Starch method, which I think is a good way to do applique, but I won't mark down her score for this.

I can only add to the plaudits below. I didn't go to Navy, but my father and brother did. I've always wondered if plebe year was as wierd and hard and fascinating as they said it was -- now I know the answer. But beyond the wonderful introduction to USNA life, this is a terrific story -- great, complex characters, inspiration as well as sardonic humor, and a terrific twist at the end. Anyone who is interested in military life will enjoy this book. I'm about to buy several copies to send to friends.

From all indications, the Naval Academy is not a place for humor but with this book, David Poyer has shown that humour can thrive in a military environment even though it really doesn't have a place. The characters were well developed and the ending had a surprising twist. A wonderful read for anyone interested in the military way of life

As a graduate of the Naval Academy, I found this book to be a fresh, vibrant and comical description of the life of a first year Midshipman. For those who have not lived the experience first-hand, it will be amusing and informative. For those who have been there, it will resonate with the irony and irreverance that characterize the radical metamorphosis from civilian to naval officer.

For those of us who will never attend a service academy, books such as "Return of Philo McGiffin" give us a glimpse of what it takes to get through these tough institutions. They are colleges in one sense but as a character in the book says "this is your first duty assignment in the Navy!" For anyone thinking about Annapolis or who has a friend or relation who will attend, this book is a must read. My grandfather went to West Point and spent almost 40 years in the Army - now I have an idea of how he got there. Philo McGiffin is great book for anyone who is a fan of our Naval Academy but wants no illusions of how hard it is there.
My hats off to all Annapolis Alumni!

It won't take too long, because you'll find Philo hard to put down. If you're a Navy grad, you'll love it. The book is funny and poignant. You'll remember incidents you'd long forgotten. (Hmmm, maybe that's not such a good recommendation.) Beat Army!

I was a member of the congregation of Faith Christian Fellowship (the church that Maria's husband co-pastors) during my years in medical school in Baltimore. It was one of the amazing churches that I have attended in my life- and the first church that I decided that I wanted to join as a member, even though I've been a Christian for 13 years. This book was a beautiful testimony to God's faithfulness to two people who made living their lives out totally for God's glory the top priority of their lives. It is that much more special to me because I've seen it in real life. The book is both at times gut wrenching, touching, inspiring- and above all, real. It is totally worth picking up and totally worth passing along to a friend. You'll be glad that you did...

Maria Garriott accounts for her twenty-five years of multiethnic urban ministry in Baltimore--but she also does much more. A Thousand Resurrections reveals a kind of honest faith that is refreshingly witty and delighful. I would highly reccomend this book and can't wait to share it with my mother-in-law who works with urban Chicago ministries.

Maria Garriott's A Thousand Resurrections is the story of the Garriott family's ministry work in a poverty-stricken community. Garriott's struggle to balance the interests of her family's Pen Lucy ministry, along with her marriage and children, is evident in this touching and inspiring account.

With a realistic, heartfelt, and even humorous style, Garriott draws her readers into the very heart of her trials and triumphs. As a wife, mother, college graduate, and woman who seeks to do God's work through helping those in need, Maria Garriott has written a truly unique and candid retelling of her experiences in urban Baltimore.

Maria Garriott never sugarcoats the details of her story. From dealing with a drunken lay leader to protecting her children from the harsh realities of poor urban life, or trying to, Garriott provides a wonderful resource for people considering urban ministry.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone curious about the realities of urban life and ministry, or ready for a dose of reality about the life of the urban poor. A Thousand Resurrections is a treasure written by a highly educated woman who has "been there, done that," and has now told all about it. Maria Garriott is an author worth remembering, and her church planting story not to be missed. - Meg D. R. Tepfer, Christian Book Previews.com

Maria presents an honest account of what it's like to minister in an urban setting. This book is an encouragement. It validates what so many of us feel as we try to reach out to our cities. Her story demonstrates God's faithfulness to a church, a neighborhood, a family, an individual. It shows how God uses weak people who are simply available for Him to use. Thanks, Maria, for writing your story. It will help us to pray more intelligently for neighborhoods, because now we know some of the hard truths of urban life. It will help us to pray more intelligently for urban pastors and their families too.

This is an inspiring, wise, and often humorous account by the wife of a pastor of the founding and growth of an inner-city multi-racial congregation over a 25 year period. The book is a must-read for anyone praying and working to make a difference in a high-poverty neighborhood within urban America. The book is also sure to be a favorite of those who like Jan Karon's Mitford series. Of course, the characters in this book are real not fictional, but they just as endearing as those in the Mitford series and the portrait of the rewards and challenges of ministry, relationships, and family is similar even though inner-city Baltimore is so different than Mitford.

I received this book as a gift, never having heard of the author or Smith Island. After reading the book, I feel very lucky to have discovered a new favorite author. Tom Horton's book is a gem! He's a talented writer and Smith Island is a rare and beautiful subject. As an Iranian, I found his descriptions so enchanting that I plan to visit Smith Island someday soon.
This book is appropriate for all ages and especially for those who appreciate the environment and a simplicity to life that is fast disappearing.

Notice that all the reviewers here live near the Chesapeake Bay. This bay will interest and speak to all those that have an interest in a society and environment almost gone. A super read, intimate in detail and beautiful in imagery.

Tom Horton's great gift as a writer is his ability to conjure up the natural world in words. His memoir of his family's time on Smith Island is his best work yet. Note I said yet. A book by Tom Horton is always a cause for rejoicing. His environmental writing is up there with Aldo Leopold and Barry Lopez.

Tom Horton's great gift as a writer is his ability to conjure up the natural world in words. His memoir of his family's time on Smith Island is his best work yet. Note I said yet. A book by Tom Horton is always a cause for rejoicing. His environmental writing is up there with Aldo Leopold and Barry Lopez.

An avid reader of publications like National Geographic, I found this book to be a very enjoyable and accurate depiction of an area that receives too little attention. The only thing that could improve this story would be full color photographs illustrating the brilliant sunsets, changes in water color, the wildlife and the characters that are detailed throughout. This book sparked such an interest in the area that my family currently is searching for a new home on the Crisfield side of the Bay. We appreciated the pace of life and the simplicity that have caused the locals to resist change and embrace their past. Many thanks to the author for clueing us in.

A fabulous book, with so much to read and see, and LEARN! Gloria Allen is always thorough in her research. Wonderful!

Gloria Allen's "A Maryland Sampling" is much more than a book about needlework or samplers. In truth, it weaves multiple histories of young girls, the early days of female education in Maryland, families and tradition to create a fascinating picture that deserves to be told. Equally important, "A Maryland Sampling" details, to a greater extent than ever before, the embroidery work of young African-American girls in Baltimore and the teachers and schools that sought to give young girls of color an education equal to that of while children. Even if you're not a needleworker or sampler collector - and I am neither - "A Maryland Sampling" is a beautiful book with a beautiful story.

A former curator and then director of the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum in Washington, D.C., Gloria Seaman Allen brings to bear her considerable years of experience and expertise in "A Maryland Sampling: Girlhood Embroidery 1738-1860". A beautifully illustrated history of Maryland samplers and pictorial embroideries that were the instructed obligation of young girls who were thereby able to showcase their needlecraft skills and abilities. Now these samplers are highly prized among collectors and antiques dealers. Allen focuses specifically on Maryland and how needlework traditions from its 18th and early 19th century English, German, and French settlers were carried on down through the end of the American Civil War. A truly seminal work of painstaking scholarship, "A Maryland Sampling" is especially recommended as an addition to academic library American Cultural History reference collections, and to the attention of needlecrafters, as well as Americana collectors and dealer.

Dr. Allen is an excellent historian and this beautiful, informative book gives evidence to it. For anyone interested in the historical aspects of needlework of the Baltimore area, this is a must see and read book. The pictures are sharp and clear and the history of the girlhood embroideries is right on track.

THIS IS A WONDERFUL BOOK OF 384 PAGES, WITH MANY BEAUTIFUL PICTURES. IT DOCUMENTS MARYLAND SAMPLERS AND EMBROIDERIES. THE BOOK GOES IN DEPTH TELLING ABOUT THE SCHOOLS, TEACHERS AND THE PUPILS, INCLUDING THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY WHO CREATED THESE BEAUTIFUL WORKS OF ART.

VERY INTERESTING TO READ, AND A VALUABLE BOOK TO HAVE, FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN SAMPLERS AND THEIR HISTORIES.

The item arrived on time and this web site was the ONLY place I could find this book as my daughter needed it for her English class at school!
Amazon really came through for me when we couldn't find the book anywhere else. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

THIS BOOK IS POWERFUL, ITS SHOCKING, AND IT IS ASPIRING. THERE IS NOTHING ON CHANNEL 11 THAT BRINGS THE HONEST, INSIGHTFUL, VERY REAL ACCOUNT THAT MR.DOUGLASS DOES IN HIS BOOK. FROM SLAVE TO FREE-MAN, THIS IS TRUELY AN AMERICAN SUCCESS. SKIP THE INTRO, AND JUMP INTO IT.

Douglass's second, and lengthier, narrative fills in many of the gaps left in his first autobiography: we learn about his mother, his siblings, and more details about his psychological transformation from brute to man. It's quite insightful, as Douglass is careful to relate each of his personal experiences to the innate evil of the peculiar instituition, for both the slave and the slave holder.

Having read a biography of Douglass many years ago, I thought I knew his story. Hearing through his pen was an entirely different matter. What a master of the language and insighful set of observations on human nature.

I am a man of many words, but words fail me in my endorsement of this book. The letter to his former master in the appendix is worth the price of the book by itself.

Standing in line at the Lincoln Memorial, a book beckoned to me that I previously hadn't seen before. The face of Frederick Douglas grabbed my attention; a man that I've respected for many years, encountering him mainly through my study of Abraham Lincoln. On the spur of the moment, I snatched up a copy of "My Bondage and My Freedom", and within a few days, my admiration in Frederick Douglass was transformed from interest to awe.

Frederick Douglass orginially penned his book as a response to people's accusations that someone as articulate and composed as he couldn't possibly be a former slave. With that goal in mind, Douglass wrote his memoirs, in a straight forward, powerful way. In the book, he painfully and honestly documents the path his early life took; the memories of being owned, how slaves coped during these times, and how he managed to pull himself out of it all.

While Douglass' life in itself is amazing, (as he describes the amazing process he undertook to learn how to read), what amazed me even more are Douglass' discourses that he sprinkles through the book, discussing relevant issues during the time. In one instance, he addresses the concern about why slaves simply didn't run away from their oppressive situations. It's almost as if you can actually hear the people talking to Douglass and he responding to them.

This book does not only tell the tale of a truly amazing American, but gives us a unique insight to the times. This book should be required reading in every high school in this country.

The book arrived quickly and in the condition that was specified. No issues, would use this seller again.

Particularly for a budding Optometrist, this book allows the Optometrist to be acquainted with all the fine arts of optics and the like.

Book arrived in great shape. Like new!!

One of the best science textbooks I've ever read. Clearly written and interesting to read. Heavy on concepts, light on math. Diagrams are simple but effective. It's rare to see a physics book as approachable as this one. As an amateur photographer and research microscopist, I love this book. Some parts of the text are a bit outdated (remember it was published in 1986), but the vast majority is valuable information. This is a great tool for physics students and teachers.

This is the best textbook I ever had, and I sold it for some ($$$) at the end of a semester to buy a bus ticket. Very mad; I miss the book, but it's so expensive. It's amazing the way the author incorporates all sorts of literary allusions in this physics book, such as offering an interesting hypothesis on the optical illusion of the egyptians getting swallowed by the red sea while chasing the jews. Every chapter, light becomes a metaphor for so many things, the way we see, the obstacles, etc.

This book takes the reader out of time and space and into a realm of wonder. After growing up in St. Mary's County, it was astounding to see how much the mother county of Maryland has evolved through the centuries. The author, who I am proud to say is my aunt, has put together a collection of pictures that accurately represents the county in a way that makes it unique than any other county in the United States. Once the reader picks it up he or she will not be able to put it down, it is truly captivating.

This is an amazing book to have if you are from the area. The pictures are beautiful and offer an amazing look into the County, the people of the area and it's history. You will definitely not regret this purchase and it is a treasure to have. Thank you Linda. -Heather

Linda Reno, in her St. Mary's County, Images of America, has provided me a stroll through the home county of many of my ancestors. In her inimitable way, Linda has brought to life for me their homes their faces and their customs through her choice of pictures and reader friendly text. I couldn't stop reading it even when I came to the last page. I started all over again. It's destined to become a family treasure. I highly recommend it for it's sheer delight.

The pictures--all taken in the early 1900s--that were gathered for this wonderful book really bring old St. Mary's County to life. Linda's clear and concise captions are even more interesting. She not only identifies those in the old family photos, but also includes a brief genealogical sketch. The pictures of so many St. Mary's County locations, most of which no longer exist, allow us to "see" through the eyes of those who went before us. To be able to view, as well as read about, the churches, schools, barns, hotels and homes of the past give us a glimpse into the daily lives of the County's early 20th century residents.

I don't know of any other book that provides such a comprehensive pictorial history of St. Mary's County. It is obvious that Linda put her heart and soul into this project. She did a phenomenal job.

I would like to HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone with even a passing interest in the history of Maryland. So often history is just dates and faceless names, but this book brings the people and places of St. Mary's County to life. The pictures are wonderful and capture the mood of a earlier more simple time. The captions are informative and well written. Linda Reno brings considerable expertise to this endeavor. Among her many roles, Linda heads up the Maryland GenWeb for St. Mary's County and has done so much to bring to life the history of St. Mary's County, the birthplace of Maryland. Linda has written extensively on the history of St. Mary's County and yet she always always has been ready to give freely of her time and knowledge. Where she finds the time I do not know!

My family has its roots in St. Mary's County and Linda has done us all proud. Buy this book and then just settle in and enjoy a wonderful view into an earlier period in our history. Thanks Linda for a wonderful book which I hope will allow more people to share in our proud Maryland heritage.

I loved Lisa Samson's wonderfully flawed human beings. They are well rounded and interesting people with problems and hang ups, just like I have. It gave me hope. If they can hang in there, so can I!

I don't ever read books with Christian themes; they tend to get a bit preachy for this non-Christian. However, the Christianity of Samson's characters is so skillfully interwoven with their personalities that it's easy to "forgive" the preaching.

I appreciate faith, and the fact that her characters are so deeply flawed and not harp playing angels makes their faith and application of that faith a very lovely read.

It's nice to read about people overcoming their hamartia, it lends such hope to the rest of us. What Samson portrayed was a God who uses all things to his own ends, the fire, the lies, all of it, and that Romans 8:28 is a universal truth.

Aside from Lark making me want to slap her for being so backwards (she made me nervous and I wondered how she could be such a good Christian if she didn't even trust her God to take care of her when she left the house.)...LOL I truly enjoyed this book and will buy it for my mother who loves books with Christian themes.

This book came recommended by a good friend, one who knows I don't usually like books with "Christian" themes. However, Women's Intuition quickly won me over. It's an awesome read--I loved it and was sad to finish the book. The characters are quirky, funny, honest and compelling. They struggle with fear and with how to have faith in the midst of painful circumstances. The writing is lively and reminds me of Elizabeth Berg or Anne Lamott. I've already recommended this book to three of my friends! Lisa Samson is an up and coming author and I can't wait to read her next book.

Reading a Lisa Samson book is like diving into a refreshing literary river--clear, clean prose that carries you along in waters delightful and deep, funny and profound. Women's Intuition is no exception. I am not usually a "women's fiction" reader, but I read Samson because I love good writing, and find she transcends the same old-same old. Join the delight. Discover Lisa Samson for yourself.

Lisa Samson has succesfully created a work of fiction that will touch every facet of your life. She weaves a tale with love, laughter, fear, and joy that anyone would love to wrap themselves up in. Brew a pot of coffee and enter Lark Summerville's complicated life. You won't want to go back home.

Gary Gallagher has written/edited a number of books on the Civil War. This book is an edited volume, focusing on several aspects of the sanguinary battle at Antietam, fought in 1962. All told, there are ten essays in this volume, with Gallagher contributing the lead essay. As with all edited volumes, some of the works may not be up to the same standards as others. But, overall, this is a useful volume. It might best be used by reading it alongside one of the better histories of the battler, such as Stephen Sears' "Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam." Let's take a look at some of the essays to illustrate what the book is about. . . .

Gallagher begins the book with an essay on how the south saw the aftermath of the battle. He notes that, in the final analysis, southerners were more likely than not to see Antietam as a plus for the cause. In the aftermath of the Peninsula successes of General Robert E. Lee and the remarkable victory by the Confederate forces at Second Manassas, this was seen as the denouement of a stretch of marvelous fighting by the Army of Northern Virginia.

Brooks Simpson authored a more positive than usual account of Union General George McClellan's leadership at Antietam. McClellan was often accused of "the slows," because of his seeming inability to fight aggressively. Simpson argues that some of McClellan's arguments made sense, such as logistical problems associated with the movement of the Army of the Potomac toward Antietam.

The last chapter is a nice counterpoint, examining how Antietam was used by the Army for training/education before World War I. This battle was one example used at the Army War College to prepare officers for command. They would go over maps and scenarios (e.g., what if McClellan had hurried toward Antietam after finding Lee's orders as opposed to his rather movements). The students and teachers were pretty much unanimous in concluding that McClellan had not generaled his forces very well--up to Antietam and at the battle site itself.

Other chapters speak to addition key issues, such as: how poorly supplied Confederate forces were, the Confederate cavalry's and artillery's role in protecting the Confederate flank, the action at Bloody Lane, and the ineptitude of Confederate artillery chief William Pendleton.

For those interested generally in Civil War history and, specifically, the battle at Antietam, this will be a welcome volume. While there is some unevenness across the chapters, all in all this is a solid volume.

Early in September, 1862, Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia crossed the Potomac River into Maryland in what became the Confederacy's first invasion of the North. General McClellan received command of the Union troops following the disaster of Second Manassas. In a daring move, Lee divided his army in an attempt to capture Harpers Ferry, and McClellan had the good fortune to recover Special Order No 191 detailing the movements of the Confederate units. McClellan pressed forward, albeit cautiously, and the result was the Battle of Antietam (or Sharpsburg) on September 17, 1862, the bloodiest single day in American history. Following the battle, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Antietam, rather than the more famous Battle of Gettysburg, is increasingly regarded as the pivotal moment of the Civil War.

The Maryland Campaign and the Battle of Antietam have provoked no end of controversy. This excellent collection, "The Antietam Campaign", edited by Gary Gallagher, consists of ten essays by as many different students of the Civil War examining in detail various aspects of the Antietam campaign. The essays are thoughtful and provocative and will cause the reader to rethink commonly held assumptions about Lee's first invasion. The book is part of a series edited by Gallagher titled "Military Campaigns of the Civil War".

Various aspects of the Battle itself are examined in three essays in the volume. Robert E.L. Krick's article, "Defending Lee's Flank" explores the role of Confederate artillery in holding off the initial Union attacks early in the morning on the Confederate left in the vicinity of Dunkers' Church and the infamous Cornfield. Robert K. Krick's essay takes a close look at the Union's attack on the center of the Confederate line on what has become known as the Bloody Lane. Lesley Gordon's "All Who Went into that Battle were Heroes" is an essay in history and memory. It examines the fate of the 16th Connecticut, a unit of green volunteers, which had the unenviable task late in the battle of meeting a counter-attack by A.P. Hill's troops, after Union General Burnside had finally crossed "Burnside's Bridge" and was pressing the Confederate Army to cut-off its line of retreat.

An additional essay in the collection, "We didn't know what on Earth to do with him" by Peter Carmichael covers a little-known aspect of the Maryland campaign. A small component of Union troops attacked the rear of the Confederate Army of September 19, 1862 in an attempt to harass the retreat. Confederate artillerist "Parson" Pendelton failed to hold the line, but the small Union force was, even so, rebuffed with great loss. Carmichael, as are most scholars, is highly critical of Pendelton's role at Antietam and in the War.

The remaining six essays in the collection offer broader views of matters related to the Maryland campaign. Three essays focus on the Confederacy. Gallager's own essay, "The Net Result of the Campaign was in our Favor" explores Confederate reactions immediately after the battle. Confederates looked to the capture of Harpers Ferry, the victory at Shepherdstown, and the hard draw at Antietam as evidence of their Army's prowess, and were motivated to continue the long, hard fighting of the Civil War. Keith Bohannon's essay, "Dirty Ragged, and Ill-Provided for is, together with the essay by Carol Reardon, the finest in the collection as it explores the difficulties faced by Lee's Army resulting from lack of supplies of basics, such as shoes, rations, and ammunition, as a result of the South's inadequate logistical system. In "Maryland, Our Maryland", Brooks Simpson examines Confederate hopes that the Maryland campaign would bring the Bay State into the Confederacy. It examines the strong efforts President Lincoln made to hold Maryland for the Union. Simpson concludes that the Confederate failure to rally Maryland to its cause worked as a defining moment for Southern identity in the conflict.

Two essays take a close look at the Union side of the line. Brooks Simpson's "General McClellan's Bodyguard" challenges the view held by many students of the battle that McClellan was at fault for not pressing the attack on September 18. Simpson maintains that McClellan did about as well as could have been expected under the circumstances. Scott Hartwig's essay, "Who would not be a Soldier" compliments Simpson's in that Hartwig looks closely at the composition of the Union Army that McClellan led to meet Lee. Much of this Army consisted of raw recruits who had not had basic training, learned to march, or even to fire a weapon. These troops swelled the size of McClellan's Army but proved a liability in the heat of battle.

The final essay in the volume, "From Antietam to Argonne" by Carol Reardon takes a close look at Antietam from the standpoint of the United States War College and its studies of the battle prior to WW I. Students were given detailed summaries of the actions in the Antietam campaign and, in addition, toured the battlefield. They were asked to comment on the command decisions of Lee and McClellan, as well as subordinate officers, and on the performance of the troops on both sides. The results, as Reardon explains them, were fascinating and provide a searching look at the campaign and its leaders. For me, Reardon's essay was the highlight of an excellent volume.

This collection illuminates greatly the Antietam Campaign and shows how much can be gained by careful scholarship and the willingness to rethink received opinions. Readers coming to this book will benefit by a strong prior background in the Civil War and by a basic familiarity with the Battle of Antietam, as can be gained in works by James McPherson, Steven Sears, or James Murfin.

Robin Friedman

Just like previous reviewers, I agree that this book is a fine addition to the on-going series about the Military Campaigns of the Civil War. This installment about the Battle of Antietam is particularly strong because of the quality of scholarship included and the distinguished group of historians that Gallagher gathered for this edition.

Each author includes an interesting essay that details a specific aspect of the battle. Some examples of topics that are covered include: the supply challenge the Confederacy faced, how new Union recruits reacted to the carnage of Antietam, the role Confederate artillery played, and why McClellan failed to pursue Lee after the battle. I found that every essay presented a compelling argument and really offer the reader a detailed analysis that you will not find in other books about the battle.

As always, this type of book is not aimed at telling the history of what happened at Antietam. If you are looking for a general narrative of the battle - this is not the right book. On the other hand, it is designed for those who are somewhat familiar with the battle and are looking for the most current research from a find group of historians. I highly recommend the book for people who fall into this category. It will greatly enhance your understanding of key aspects that affected the battle which has been the bloodiest day in US military history.

Similar to past works of Gallagher's, this book contains invididual chapters written by popular Civil War historians keying in on battle concerns, myths, strategies and political concepts during the campaign. I really enjoyed reading William Blair's chapter on how Marylanders caught in the middle of political unrest viewed the campaign and Lee's invasion. Brooks Simpson's chapter on how the Army of the Potomac was McClellan's bodyguard according to Lincoln really made me understand the political frustrations the Lincoln party had in regards to McClellan's slow moving and cautious approach to battle. Keith Bohannon's view on Confederate logistical problems was very informative and really brought forth information as to Lee's reasons for invading the north and also his retreat.

These chapters are just some of the great amount of information brought together in a very fine book. I would recommend this book to someone who has already read a book on the battle itself before reading this one. This book contains some fighting information but isn't one for coverage on the entire battle. It is one for understanding political unrest, commander motivations, strategies and little unknown and sometimes unclear myths that surround the entire campaign in September 1862. 5 STARS!!!

Once again, Gary W. Gallagher has compiled a wonderful collection of essays in this latest volume of the Military Campaigns of the Civil War Series. Each chapter or essay focuses on a different aspect of the campaign and is written by a different author. This allows for a new perspective on the campaign with each chapter. Among the topics covered by the various essayists are Confederate perception of Antietam as a victory or defeat, Confederate logistics, Confederate artillery, the use of the Antietam battlefield as a classroom for military leaders in the 20th century, the impact of new recruits on the Army of Potomac's effectiveness, and the experiences of individual units.

All of the essays are well-written and contain wonderful insights into their selected aspects of the campaign. Due to the focus of the series on military events, other important issues related to Antietam are only briefly mentioned. Most notably, issues related to emancipation and foreign intervention are mentioned in passing. This, however, is a result of the decision by the editor and the press (University of North Carolina Press) to focus on military aspects. Despite this weakness, I would highly recommend this and all other books in the Military Campaigns of the Civil War series to anyone with an interest in the Civil War.