Want a good book on the Civil War? Try George Lunt’s Origin of the Late War – Boston, 1866. Intervening events have hardly clarified matters.

If you must, however, Charles Francis Adams Jr’s beautiful essay ‘Tis Sixty Years Since is about the latest primary source I can recommend. The scholarship of the early 20th century is good, also – Burgess, Dunning, Randall, Craven, Mary Scrugham. And Beveridge and Masters on Lincoln. I definitely would avoid anything published post ’45. If you have to ask why, you’ve been reading too much of it already!

For other more primary material, I previously mentioned Dabney’s Defence of Virginia. Full of theology, but if you have a taste for moral hairsplitting, still kind of fun. Also John S. Wise’s End of an Era. A great prewar piece that will really make your head hurt is Nehemiah Adams’ South-Side View of Slavery – Boston, 1854; Adams was a Congregationalist minister. For winter beach reading, however, you really can’t beat Admiral Semmes.

Still, a start must always be made and so thanks very much Timothy for this. I’m especially looking forward to ordering the Cohen-Odhiambo books for our library and getting my hands on them first!

I am, I confess, astonished at how relatively little American history is taught abroad. (Have I mentioned my astonishment on this blog before?) Given our prominence on the world scene, you’d think learning a bit about our past might recommend itself to the enlightened national self-interest of educational bureaucrats abroad.

On the brief introduction, I’d be curious as to what you think of the History of… and Culture and Customs of… series that Toyin Falola has been editing for Greenwood.

And what single, great book would these people who contact you themselves recommend to intending travelers to the USA which would describe coherently the history, geography, languages, politics and cultures of the country?