tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19295676.post5299652384400511846..comments2023-11-02T23:06:45.962-07:00Comments on of Battlefields and Bibliophiles: Not your father's Civil War. . .dwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748726942956990159noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19295676.post-22388592940251714982007-08-10T06:32:00.000-07:002007-08-10T06:32:00.000-07:00Hi David,I just had to reply to your comments. "So...Hi David,<BR/><BR/>I just had to reply to your comments. "Son of the Morning Star" was a great book and it taught me so much about the West and the Indian Wars. A real eye-opener. Few books can match that sort of grandeur and it truly is a remarkable book. One author of fiction that did his historical homework was James Mitchner, although his books tended to be a little long. And I agree with you that Shelby Foote is still the master of Civil War history, in some cases better than Catton. Now if we can only get a writer as good as Foote or Catton writing about the naval aspect of the Civil War we'd be in business!<BR/><BR/>Best Wishes,<BR/><BR/>RemoRemohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16921828427430842399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19295676.post-8624613209270316102007-08-08T17:35:00.000-07:002007-08-08T17:35:00.000-07:00Jim,Thanks for the note. I really _wanted_ to like...Jim,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the note. I really _wanted_ to like Jeff Shaara's writing, but these things can't be forced. <BR/><BR/>Your message gave me an idea for another blog entry on this subject. Maybe I'll try to whip that out tonight. <BR/><BR/>Daviddwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01748726942956990159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19295676.post-50614789372311005782007-08-08T17:30:00.000-07:002007-08-08T17:30:00.000-07:00Hi Remo,Thanks for the kind words. It is one of li...Hi Remo,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the kind words. It is one of life's great pleasures to read a well-written, non-fiction history. I think this is why Shelby Foote's trilogy is so well liked -- he was a novelist. Likewise, people hold up Catton's books as masterpieces of story-telling. Not every historian can pull it off, that much is certain. I like the work of the historians you mentioned.<BR/><BR/>That said, some historical novels are so brilliantly crafted, they are "remembered" as history by the reader (not necessarily a good thing if you make it on to Jeopardy). I felt that way about Allan Eckert's "The Frontiersman," which caused me to seek out some of the locales in the book. Another one that stuck with me was Evan Connell's, "Son of the Morning Star," which I loved so much, I wrote to the author.<BR/><BR/>I need to re-read both of those, now that I think about it. It's been about 20 years since I've seen either book.<BR/><BR/>Daviddwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01748726942956990159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19295676.post-75237383202384016692007-08-07T07:02:00.000-07:002007-08-07T07:02:00.000-07:00Remo - Just wanted to second your thoughts on nonf...Remo - Just wanted to second your thoughts on nonfiction vs. fiction. For my part, there are so many stories in the Civil War that are interesting in their own right that they require no embellishments that fiction writers have license to create. The truth is indeed stranger (and more interesting) than fiction.<BR/><BR/>Best Regards,<BR/><BR/>Jim Schmidt<BR/>http://civilwarmed.blogspot.comJim Schmidthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03635615531025513644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19295676.post-22922526690105033032007-08-07T06:58:00.000-07:002007-08-07T06:58:00.000-07:00Thanks for the post. I have to say I'm in agreeme...Thanks for the post. I have to say I'm in agreement with you on Jeff Shaara. I was always amazed that the publisher ever gave him a pencil and paper to write the prequels/sequels. From what I can tell from his biography, he's strongest credential as a writer is that he is a professional coin collector.<BR/><BR/>For all it's faults, *Gettysburg** - as a film - remains one of my favorites because it's a good movie based on an excellent book. **Gods and Generals** is a bad mvie based on an even worse book...and we have Jeff Shaara to blame for that.<BR/><BR/>Just my opinion.<BR/><BR/>Keep up the good work,<BR/><BR/>Jim SchmidtJim Schmidthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03635615531025513644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19295676.post-43361476867905854762007-08-05T07:56:00.000-07:002007-08-05T07:56:00.000-07:00Good points about "The Killer Angels," but, well, ...Good points about "The Killer Angels," but, well, I don't know, I've always liked nonfiction rather than fiction. The true gems in life are history books that read like fiction, but are all true. A few writers can pull this off, like Barbara Tuchman, William Manchester, John Toland, and my personal favorites, David McCullough and James McPherson. I guess I've always believed if you're going to read about a real event, read a nonfiction book about that event. Now there are plenty of nonfiction history books out there that are just plain dull, but I guess the same can be said for a lot of works of fiction. So I guess I'm a fan of the "theater of the real," as opposed to fiction. As always, David, you have a great blog here. Keep up the good work! <BR/><BR/>RemoRemohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16921828427430842399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19295676.post-41550107429918918622007-08-02T12:27:00.000-07:002007-08-02T12:27:00.000-07:00Thanks for the note Mark. "Killer Angels" seems to...Thanks for the note Mark. "Killer Angels" seems to have created a new generation of Chamberlain fans, bolstered even more by the movie. <BR/><BR/>Daviddwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01748726942956990159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19295676.post-8584825570559503302007-08-01T17:49:00.000-07:002007-08-01T17:49:00.000-07:00I have a friend who is a retired Lt. Colonel. He c...I have a friend who is a retired Lt. Colonel. He claims that "The Killer Angels" has turned military people on to the Civil War than any other book.<BR/>I know it led me to read a lot more about Longstreet and Chamberlain than I probably would have without it.Mark Bledsoehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03550950755304443407noreply@blogger.com