Henry Steele Commager Book order (chronological)

Henry Steele Commager’s The Story of the Second World War, compiled in the war’s immediate aftermath, became an instant classic. Commager has presented a broad spectrum of contemporary writing about the war by such figures as Winston Churchill, John Steinbeck, Walter Lippman, John Hersey, and William Shirer. The book also contains stirring narratives by the soldiers and civilians who experienced the war on the frontlines or who endured it behind the lines. Readers will enjoy these remarkable firsthand accounts from all of the major theaters of the war and Commager’s expert commentary, which puts the war in perspective.

The foremost American historian of his generation delves into the nation's European origins, illuminating how the new country embodied the principles of the Enlightenment--ideals that Europe, trapped by tradition and privilege, could not itself realize. "...crystalline clarity of...writing [causes] explosions in the reader's mind...history to be pondered and cherished."--The New York Times. "Learning and reason are at the service of a mind whose understanding of democracy gains brilliance and power from a passion for...freedom."--Arthur Schlesinger Jr.

An authoritative survey of the history of English-speaking peoples throughout the world combines intriguing, closely observed biographical profiles—of Alfred the Great, Victoria, Joan of Arc, Lincoln, and other notables—with an account of the key events and issues of the era. The narrative commences fifty-five years before the birth of Christ, when Julius Caesar famously “turned his gaze upon Britain,” and concludes in the year 1900. The beginnings of Parliament, the Church, and the monarchy are all analyzed alongside this comprehensive abridgment.

A biography of the commander of the Confederate armies, describing his family life, his career, and his campaigns during the Civil War.

Upon its first publication in 1985, George Seldes The Great Thoughts instantly took its place as a classic. This treasure house of the seminal ideas that shaped the intellectual history of the world--from Abelard to Zola, ancient Greece to contemporary America--has been revised and updated to reflect the global upheaval of the past decade.

Contains 450 accounts drawn from letters, journals, diaries, memoirs, official records, state papers, and other sources describing all aspects of the war

Illustrated with over 300 photographs and paintings,this book is a marvellous insight into the reality of a legendary epoch.

The American Civil War was, and remains, one of the most significant events in the history of the modern world. It was the great point of crisis in the development of the United States, and its repercussions are still felt today. Yet to most people it is a confused collection of political, social and military events, with little pattern behind the differing elements. Leading scholars of American history here explain the whole background and course of the war, with special emphasis on the clash between two fraternal societies each with sincere but acutely opposed ambitions. From this basis, they demonstrate where all the various elements come into the story - how for instance, the ante-bellum South developed in such a distinctive manner, and why it identified itself with the continuation and expansion of slavery. The book is illustrated with over 300 pictures, many in colour. This is a compulsive re-appraisal of an historic event of tragic proportions which wove a hybrid collection of peoples into the greatest, most influential nation of the western world.

In a book written out of a passionate belief in the staying powers of the democratic principles, a noted historian has written a major work that may be described as an interpretation of American thought and character since the 1880s.“Impressive in its inclusive sweep.”―Joseph Wood Krutch, New York Times