The Civil War cover art

The Civil War

Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

The Civil War

By: Bruce Catton
Narrated by: Barrett Whitener
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £12.32

Buy Now for £12.32

Summary

For a person seeking a single volume to serve as a captivating introduction and a dependable guide through all the maze of battles and issues of the Civil War, this is an audiobook without parallel. Bruce Catton understood the Civil War - its participants and battles - and he unfolds it with skill and simplicity. Of all historians past and present, Bruce Catton ranks among the best.©1960 by American Heritage, Inc. (P)1991 by Blackstone Audiobooks Military Civil War War
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_c

Critic reviews

"[The Civil War] is everything we have come to expect from the practiced hand of Bruce Catton: scholarly, judicious, clear, and unfailingly interesting. It would be difficult to find a better introduction to the Civil War than this book.

All stars
Most relevant
A masterclass in writing and narration.. Cannot personally praise the book enough.. A subject as complex as this could easily tie the author, narrator and listener in knots.. This exceptional production managed to avoid all of these pitfalls.. Thanks to all.. Nikki

Captivating

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I enjoyed this book. It gave an excellent overall account of the causes and course of the war. It never got bogged down in the details of the battles but concentrated on the tactical and strategic significance. I was concerned at first that as the book was written 50 years ago that it may seem dated, but never had that feeling when listening to it.

Good short history of the civil war

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

In this superbly balanced and insightful account of the American Civil War, the author Bruce Catton does full justice to the complexities and ambiguities of the war in superb detail. Written and read in a warm and familiar, almost folksy tone, it covers the root causes of the war and its long-term consequences. The book conveys the often confused military situations and frequently flawed generals, contrasting the competence and determination of the two generals who would rise to the top and after a grim and fascinating struggle, conclude the matter in an amazingly civilised fashion, reflecting their shared wisdom. A great account of a great event, this account bears repeated reading.

Moving account of the heroism and folly of a unique war

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This is a fast paced book that covers all the main areas required to get a good understanding of the military working of the American Civil War. The reader of this book is excellent and it really helps. I listened to it all within a few days and found I retained most the information read to me (a rare treat for me!). If this is your thing, this is your book!

Excellently Read and Well Written

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I struggled to finish it because the narration wasn't well done. Tried to speed it up but that just him sound robotic. Give it a go if you're really interested in American history.

Good content. Not-so-good narrator.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews