Does anyone remember this book?

[BarryDusel]

During the Centennial there were 2 books on the War targeted at kids. 1 of course being the one recently reproduced(CA. 2004) as the Golden Book of the ACW. Which was derived from the American Heriatge picture history of the Civil War . This is the book with the maps that are akin to printed dioramas. I believe any of us who grew up during the Centennial had that book. However, this leads me to the next question. Does anyone remember or have the companion to that book dedicated solely to Gettysburg? This book was the same format with the same type of Maps/ printed dioramas. very few folks remember it and although I admit I'm nuts I know it existed. Anyone?

[FlatLandFed]

Re: Does anyone remember this book?

Sorta like this?

http://www.biblio.com/books/214948018.html

That's what I remember ... besides Johnny Shiloh, Johnny Yuma and How the West Was Won. Sometimes seems not so long ago.

Paul Hadley
Born When ACW Veterans Still Breathed Brigade

[BarryDusel]

Re: Does anyone remember this book?

No, that's not the book I'm thinking of. Although I do remember that one. BTW, yesterday I was in a comic book store. I picked up a minty comic. The Blue Phantom. They (Dell ) only ever did one issue. I always remembered the comic book I was 4 when it was issued. My sister bought it for me then out of her weekly allowance . The princely sum paid then was 15 cents. I paid $ 14.00 for my recently found treasure.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Does anyone remember this book?

Hallo!

I remember one, something along the lines of "The Civil War" or the "History of the Civil War" by Time-Life (IIRC), that came out for CW Centennial?

As a 12 year old, I would go to the public library and spend hours in that book, marveling at the aerial artwork paintings depictions of the battles (even though the scale and numbers of tiny soliders in the painitngs were on the small (pun intended) side.

As a 13 year old, I made my first diorama of "Devil's Den" using painted Airfix HO (1/72nd) scale CW soliders and model railroad accessories with papier mache boulders.

At any rate, it is hard to search Civil War books and Time-Life due to their later 29 volume series, and reprints of CW classics.

Curt

[tomarch]

Re: Does anyone remember this book?

The one I fondly remember was a pair of small comics put out by the Navy highlighting their role in the War.

[Ronnie Tucker]

Re: Does anyone remember this book?

i remember the book. it is still at my mothers house. i also remember when the last confederate veteran died. i think it was in 59 . ronnie tucker 7th tn cav

[J. Donaldson]

Re: Does anyone remember this book?

If I can find it, I have my father's copy of the Centennial era Time-Life History of the Civil War. I fell in love with it for the illustrations of uniforms, and it had some picture maps in it. I've recently moved, so if I can find it, I'll scan in a page or two to see if that's it.

[blackhattertuck]

Re: Does anyone remember this book?

I remember the Gettysburg book very fondly, as it was one of my first exposures to The War. My elementary school library had a copy that I checked out frequently. I remember looking at the drawn "diorama maps" and saying: "I would move these guys over here to fight these guys, etc." The maps, however, did fool me. When I was about 10 or 11, my parents asked me where I would like to go for summer vacation and I said "Gettysburg." I remembered looking at the diorama maps and said, as we were discussing the trip, that we could easily walk around the entire battlefield in a few hours. I did not realize that the maps were not drawn to scale. :tounge_sm I think I still have a copy of the Gettysburg book, but I know I have the American Heritage Civil War book. Still a good read, and has some wonderful images.

[Blair]

Re: Does anyone remember this book?

Barry,

The large book you are talking about is,
The American Heritage Picture History of "The Civil War", by Bruce Catton.
Last I checked this book was still in print. I also believe there was a special book done on this same format based on Gettysburg, I also believe it too was also by Bruce Catton.
Just an idea on a place to start looking.

[Milliron]

Re: Does anyone remember this book?

I remember this book very well. It was actually the first place I saw photographs from the war. I must have checked it out 10 times during 5th grade. There are paintings of various battles that look a lot like dioramas. It was also the first place I ever saw a reenactor of any kind, as there is photograph of a Yankee cooling his feet in a stream. That kind of got me thinking . . .

I've been at it for 27 years, in no small part due to that book.

[J. Donaldson]

Re: Does anyone remember this book?

I found the book this afternoon. I have "Great Battles of the Civil War by the Editors of Life Magazine". No diorama maps, but vignette paintings of several major battles by various artists, as well as a short history of the war and uniform studies every 5-10 pages. I'll try to scan it later.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Does anyone remember this book?

Hallo!

I am not sure it is the one initially asked about, but Herr Blair is right about the one some of us are recalling:

The American Heritage Picture History of the Civil War, by Bruce Catton.

First pubished in 1960, reprinted in 1982 (and still floating around).

Mine just floated off of a basement bookshelf I had forgotten about. (When I read, reread, and rereread it, and googled for hours and hours over the "diorama paintings," the library's 1960 edition had been rebound in blue vinyl and the only name on the spine was "The Civil War.")

Here is a "diorama" painting image from the book, eerily and hauntingly predictive of future reenactments:

;) :)



Curt

[Gallinipper]

Re: Does anyone remember this book?

OK I'll have to pitch in here too. That was my first book on the subject as well, a Christmas present circa 1968. I still have the book somewhere. The Greenspan diorama paintings were absolutely the best part.

I remember the photos of the Andersonville prisoner and the dead Reb at Spotsylvania (along with the "Copperheads" cartoon drawing) scaring my sister and me to death. I practically memorized where those pages were, and never turned to them if I could help it....

(Curt, regarding "future reenactments"- sometimes life really does imitate art?)

[J. Donaldson]

Re: Does anyone remember this book?

OK, those paintings. I have a 1980s reprint of Bruce Catton's Civil War that features those paintings. First book I ever owned about the Civil War.

[BarryDusel]

Re: Does anyone remember this book?

That guy with his feet in the stream. That was the late great George Gorman of Chadds Ford ,PA. I remember the photo. Georges unit was normally Confederate but for whatever that reason he had donned the Blue.