Wanted: Some early military history book reccos

[sapper_astro]

If anyone can give me the names of some good, easy to read, yet fair in detail, english books on the overall history of these wars, please do so.

American Civil war.
Napoleonic wars.
100 years war.
30 years war.


I am looking for an overall history of these wars and the situations preceding them, etc, rather than one figure of the wars, or a single campaign, etc. If anyone knows any good ones please put them here.

[hueglin]

These books are excellent:
The Napoleonic Sourcebook; Haythornwaite, P, Arms & Armour Press 1990
The Civil War Sourcebook; Kartcher, P Arms & Armour Press 1992

There is also one in the series on the First World War.

I don`t know if they are still in print or easily available.

Happy hunting!

[sapper_astro]

Thanks Hueglin, getting peoples opinions helps sift through the chaff, much appreciated.

[Rooster]

Schiller's book on the 30 years war is in the public domain and freely available on the internet.  It's actually a good read - published as it was back in the 1800s. 
 
Search for it on the Project Gutenberg site.

[Adam Parker]

ORIGINAL: sapper_astro

If anyone can give me the names of some good, easy to read, yet fair in detail, english books on the overall history of these wars, please do so.

1. For the ACW I like Shelby Foote's 3 volume "Civil War". Very reasonably priced now and there's an unabridged iPod ready version of vol 1 on Amazon!

2. For Nap I like Robert Aspery's 2 volume "The Rise and Fall of Napoleon Bonaparte". Now also in soft cover.

3. For the Thrity Years War and Hundred Years War - Osprey has titles in its Essential Histories selection; #29 "The Thirty Years War" and #19 "The Hundred Years war". I've found most of my Ospreys though to be a blend of what I call "Overly-Scholistic Reader's Digestism" [:)]. That is, very well intended, heavy on characterisations but loose on story telling. And for an overall account, the story is paramount.

Hope that helps,
Adam.

[mgarnett]

For the Civil War, I also like Shelby Foote's series.  You might also want to check out Battle Cry of Freedom by McPherson, or for some more specific reading try Civil War Command & Strategy by Jones, The Bloody Crucible of Courage by Nosworthy, The Gettysburg Campaign: A Study in Command by Coddington or Attack and Die: Civil War Military Tactics and the Southern Heritage by McWhiney and Jamieson.
 
For the Napoleonic Era, The Capmaigns of Napoleon by Chandler, Swords Around A Throne by Elting, La Grande Armee by Blond, The Art of Warfare in the Age of Napoleon by Rothenberg, The Anatomy of Glory by Lachouque and Brown.
 
For The 30 years or 100 years wars try, The Hundred Years War by Seward, The Thirty Years War by Wedgwood, War Cruel and Sharp: English Strategy Under Edward Edward III 1327-1360 by Rogers, The Battle of Crecy, 1346 by Ayton and Preston, or The Road to Crecy: The English Invasion of France 1346 by Livingston and Witzel.
 
Some of these books are general hstories whilst other are more specific.  Happy to provide more suggestions if needed.
 
Hope thats helps
 
Mark

[sapper_astro]

Thanks guys. Amazon will thank me too no doubt...[;)]

[Procrustes]

Hi,

For the American Civil War, I would really recommend books by Bruce Catton.  His three volume set, "The Coming Fury", "Terrible Swift Sword", and "Never Call Retreat" are classics.  A couple others of his that I remember are "A Stillness at Appomattox" (won the Pulitzer) and "The Army of the Potomic", among several others. 

(Catton lived into his 90's - died ten years ago or more.  Quite the historian, though perhaps not the "storry teller" that Shelby Foote was.)

Best,

[wonkguy]

Here's a couple of suggestions:
 
American Civil War
Ordeal by Fire by James McPherson - an excellent resource and easy read used in many college courses
 
The Civil War by Geoffrey Ward, Ric Burns & Ken Burns - nothing gets you ready to take another run at 2nd Manassas like this book.
 
Napoleonic Wars
The Story of Civilization, vol 11: The Age of Napoleon by Will and Ariel Durant
 

[Gil R.]

There's a thread in the "Forge of Freedom" forum that has a bunch of recommendations for Civil War books. It might be buried a page or two down by now.