<\/p>\n

We were over at a friend’s house for lunch this Shabbat.\u00a0 Knowing that 1) I have a lot of history books, and 2) I tend to read them, he was kind enough to ask me for some reading lists about the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and the Cold War.\u00a0 “I haven’t had much luck with fiction, so I’m trying to round out my history.”<\/p>\n

Here’s what I sent him.\u00a0 These aren’t intended to be college syllabuses, or comprehensive.\u00a0 They’re books that I have and leafed through, or that I’ve read.\u00a0 I’ve tried to vary them by author.\u00a0 I could have had the entire Revolutionary War list by Joseph Ellis, the whole Civil War list by Bruce Catton, but what’s the fun in that?\u00a0 My library, while large by 19th Century standards, is limited by the size of the house.\u00a0 Had I fewer books, I would paradoxically have more room for them.\u00a0 But it’s a good list, enough to cover some key points, get an overview, or just when your appetite for more.<\/p>\n

American Revolution<\/strong><\/p>\n

For a decent overview of the war as a whole, Liberty<\/u><\/a> by Thomas Fleming isn\u2019t bad.\u00a0 I think it was originally written as a companion book to a PBS series, but it\u2019s good in its own right.\u00a0 For a deeper examination of the issues around the Revolution and the war, and how the Founders handled them, American Creation<\/u><\/a> by Joseph Ellis is recommended.<\/p>\n

We all know of Washington Crossing the Delaware; David Hackett Fischer has written a great in-depth review of the events surrounding that crossing and subsequent battles, and how they set the stage for the rest of the war, in Washington\u2019s Crossing<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n

And for well-researched discussions of adoption of the two primary founding documents \u2013 the Declaration and the Constitution, Pauline Maier\u2019s American Scripture<\/u><\/a> and Ratification<\/u><\/a>\u00a0give surprising insights into what people were thinking at the time.<\/p>\n

The Founders lived on into the post-Revolutionary era, and had a second act right after the Constitution in \u00a01787, so some bios are in order.\u00a0 Richard Brookheiser\u2019s short Founding Father<\/u><\/a> is a fine thumbnail bio of Washington; for something longer Ron Chernow has bios of both Washington<\/a> and Hamilton<\/a>.\u00a0 And David McCullough\u2019s John Adams<\/u><\/a> is what the PBS series was based on.<\/p>\n

Having come this far, read about 700+ pages about the early Republic, when were getting ourselves established, with Gordon Wood\u2019s Empire of Liberty<\/u><\/a>. \u00a0I\u2019m reading it now, and pretty much every chapter has some surprise or another.<\/p>\n

Civil War<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the lead-up to the war, and how we got to the point of secession and war, William Freehling\u2019s long, two-volume<\/a> The Road to Disunion<\/u><\/a> is among the best.<\/p>\n

Much of the same material is covered in the first volume of Bruce Catton\u2019s very readable and shorter three-volume Centennial History of the Civil War<\/a>.\u00a0 These are The Coming Fury<\/u>, Terrible Swift Sword<\/u>, and Never Call Retreat<\/u>.\u00a0 I would recommend anything written by Catton on the Civil War.<\/p>\n

Also excellent is Battle Cry of Freedom<\/u><\/a> by James McPherson.\u00a0 As a guide to Lincoln\u2019s war, what the events looked like from DC, Doris Kearns Goodwin\u2019s Team of Rivals<\/u><\/a> is magnificent.<\/p>\n

Cold War<\/strong><\/p>\n

This one is tougher, because it covers decades, not mere years, so the politics, military, and technology changed substantially from 1948 to 1989.\u00a0 I\u2019ve picked out the books I have and have read that do a good job talking about the Cold War.\u00a0 My library is heavier on the spy stuff, but there was a lot of spy stuff.<\/p>\n

Witness<\/u><\/a> by Whittaker Chambers is indispensable.\u00a0 He starts out as a Communist, and then converts over to the good guys, and was a key player in one of the great Cold War controversies, the Alger Hiss case.\u00a0 Nixon\u2019s rise to prominence began with this case, and the left never forgave him for being right.<\/p>\n

The Great Terror<\/u><\/a>, is one of the best books about Stalin\u2019s Russia, by one of the best chroniclers of the 20^{th<\/sup> Century, Robert Conquest.<\/p>\n}

The Gulag Archipelago<\/u><\/a> by Solzhenitsyn is recognized as the best insider account of the Soviet punishment system.<\/p>\n

Berlin 1961<\/u><\/a> by Frederick Kempe covers the building of the Berlin Wall.<\/p>\n

Merchants of Treason<\/u><\/a> by my friend Norman Polmar and KGB: The Secret Work of Soviet Secret Agents<\/u><\/a>\u00a0are old now, but a good guide to how to the KGB operated in the day, and how the Russians still operate today.<\/p>\n

There’s also a vast literature of spy fiction, from Len Deighton’s devastating Game-Set-Match<\/a> trilogy to John LeCarre’s oeuvre (start with Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy<\/a>).<\/p>\n

That’s enough to keep you busy for a few years.\u00a0 So what are you still doing on this page?
\n