Time Life Series, Collector's Library of the Civil War

[rmassella]

A fellow co-worker just gave me a collection of Civil War books from the Time Life Series, Collector's Library of the Civil War. Some of the titles include:

Campaigning With Grant

Hard Tack And Coffee

A Rebel War Clerk's Diary, VOL. I & II

A Soldier's Recollection

Four Years in Rebel Capitals

There are at least 20 more books. Which book(s) out of the series did you enjoy most? I am studying the adjutant's role, so I think I will start with Campaigning With Grant, but A Rebel War Clerk's Diaryseems very interesting as well. Thanks for your input.

[DougCooper]

Re: Time Life Series, Collector's Library of the Civil War

They are all classics, and the sheets in the front are really informative about the authors and if you read between the lines you can discern which ones might be long on opinion and short on accuracy. For instance, Carlton McCarthy, author of Detailed Minutiae of Soldier Life in the Army of Northern Virginia 1861-1865 is the standard bearer for the myth of the ragged rebel - he joined the Richmond Howitzers in 1864 but his book would lead you to believe he did the whole deal. His apologies for the valiant ragged rebs overrun by the hordes from the north should be taken with a grain of salt. Do not use the water colors of the southern soldiers inside as gospel on what they wore.

Pay attention to the date of publication. The ones based on diaries and letters and written close to the war's end have a bit more credibilty with me.

They are outstanding books....read them one at a time and enjoy.

[Charles Heath]

Re: Time Life Series, Collector's Library of the Civil War

Excellent!

Your co-worker gave you a darn nice gift in terms of foundation reading and enjoyable re-reading. Congrats. To give you some idea as to the other titles, this website has a list of prices (on the high side) and titles for the 30 volumes, many of which are referenced on this forum and in articles time and time again.

http://www.researchonline.net/catalog/time2.htm

The Rebel War Clerk's Diary is a good read, and IIRC he tracked prices in Richmond during the periods of rampant inflation.

[Andrew Keehan]

Re: Time Life Series, Collector's Library of the Civil War

I'm currently reading The Story of A Common Soldier by Leander Stillwell from that series. Like many other such accounts (Hardtack and Coffee, Co. Aytch, &c.) it was written decades after the fact and comes over as an old man talking about his rememberances. It is still a worthwhile read. It's folksy, in the vein of Billings, but more chronological. It's a good read for Western Fed reenactors. What I like most about this series is that they are reproduced from original pressings. I've found several of the original typos so far, including a header reading "The Story Fo A Common Soldier." I've only read a few in the series, but have been impressed thus far.

[rmassella]

Re: Time Life Series, Collector's Library of the Civil War

It is a great gift. The lady who gave them to me is getting ready to retire at the end of this school year and she wanted to clean out some of her book collection. She had asked me if I wanted some Civil War books and I told her yes, not knowing what to expect. When she brought the books in and I saw the titles, it was quite a surprised. She gave me 25 of the 30 books from the series and a duplicate copy of Campaigning with Grant. She thinks she has the other 5 books on another bookshelf and will probably bring them in the next couple of day. Only 4 or 5 of the books have even been opened and I don't think any of them have been read completely.

She didn't bring in the books listed below:

Personal Recollections of a Cavalryman
Detailed Minutiae of Soldier Life
Daring and Suffering
Campaign of a Noncombatant
In and Out of Rebel Prisons,


These are the books has given to me:

Battlefields of the South, Army Memoirs, The Citizen Soldier, Memories, Hardtack and Coffee, Four Years in Rebel Capitals, Three Months in the Southern States, Reminiscences of the Civil War, Recollections of a Private, Confederate Operations in Canada and New York, Army Life in a Black Regiment, War From The Inside, A Rebel War Clerk's Diary Vol. 1 & 2, A Soldier's Recollections, Cannoneer Under Stonewall Jackson, Campaigning With Grant, Richmond During The War, Three Years in the Sixth Corps, Story of a Common Soldier, Destruction and Reconstruction, Life in the Confederate Army, The Narrative of a Blockade Runner, Mosby's Rangers, One of Jackson's Foot Cavalry

I'll definitely have lots of reading.

[Michael Comer]

Re: Time Life Series, Collector's Library of the Civil War

Wow! I'm green with envy. You are very fortunate indeed. I assume they have the leather embossed covers, marbled endpages, ribbon marker etc?That was a very nice series. I only have a few of them but they are lovely books.

[13thnhv]

Re: Time Life Series, Collector's Library of the Civil War

I have a MINT complete set I will be glad to part with for $1000, shipping included. I need the dough. Same as described above.........

[ContinentalMorganGuard]

Re: Time Life Series, Collector's Library of the Civil War

Today while out at a local Antique mall I found several of the titles above for $9.50 a piece. I wanted to get them all, but setteled on "One of Jackson's foot Cavalry" and found another title not from the series "Four Years on the firing line". I was wondering if the $9.50 wasn't a bad price but from the message above it's not too bad. I started reading it (One of Jackon's Foot Cavalry) as soon as I got home and haven't been able to put it down, other then to post here. Bob, I believe you are a blessed guy, seems your fortune is changing!