Synopses & Reviews
Now on audio -- excerpts from the mega-bestselling companion volume to Ken Burns' phenomenally successful nine-part PBS Series, "The Civil War."
The Civil War is a stunning evocation of one of the most crucial times in our history, one that has recaptured the American imagination. Here are the events of a war that tore our nation asunder, from the firing of the first shot at Fort Sumter, to the siege of Vicksburg, the battles of Shiloh and Gettysburg, to Sherman's march to the sea, to the fall of Richmond. Here, too, is the story of the familiar figures who battled at the frontlines and behind the scenes: President Lincoln, Southern statesman Jefferson Davis and the brilliant generals Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant. And here are glimpses into the lives of the soldiers, the slaves, the families who willingly fought against their own kin. This is an extraordinary and spectacular account of a moment in history that dramatically and forever changed America.
About the Author
Geoffrey C. Ward is the author of eleven books, including
A First-Class Temperament, which won the 1989 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 1990 Francis Parkman Prize of the Society of American Historians. He has written or co-written many documentary films, including
The Civil War,
Baseball,
The West,
Thomas Jefferson,
Not for Ourselves Alone, and
Jazz. He lives in New York City.
Ken Burns, founder of Florentine Films, is a director, producer, and writer who has been making documentaries for more than twenty years. His landmark film The Civil War was the highest-rated series in the history of American public television, and his work has won numerous prizes, including the Emmy and Peabody Awards. He lives in Walpole, New Hampshire.
From the Trade Paperback edition.