Captivating History

"Prussia: A Captivating Guide to the History of Prussia and the Franco-Prussian War" is an overview of one of Europe's most influential and misunderstood states. The narrative can feel a bit rushed in parts, especially when addressing the later 19th century. Still, the book provides a succinct account of Prussia's rise, dominance, and eventual dissolution while examining the pivotal Franco-Prussian War and the ultimate creation of modern Germany. I was struck by how war reparations and the show more loss of Alsace–Lorraine after the Franco-Prussian war were echoed after World War One and led to World War Two, and I was reminded of a more recent conflict between Russia and Ukraine over the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine. show less

Very dry retelling of the Gilgamesh story, with all the literary and especially poetic quality ignored. I can’t otherwise label this guide as plainly ‘flat’ and 'uninspired'.

Until reading this book, I hadn’t realized how critical Vicksburg was to both sides of the civil war. In The Siege of Vicksburg, the author pointed to the essentiality of the Mississippi River to the supply chain of both armies. Vicksburg was located on a high bluff overlooking a narrow turn on the Mississippi River. From its vantage point, Vicksburg batteries could easily rain down cannon fire on navigating ships thus denying this supply corridor to the Federal army while its position show more positively facilitated the migration of confederate troop volunteers and supplies from the Mississippi River’s western bank states. Those much-needed Confederate resources were cut off after Vicksburg’s lost and moved the South’s war efforts from a peak resistance to an inevitable decline. Vicksburg’s loss was not the sole determinant in the war’s outcome, however. A concurrent loss in Gettysburg plus the loss of Jackson, Mississippi’s capital and railroad supply hub, deflated Southern zeal and contributed to the South’s imminent loss.

One surprise in this campaign is that the Federals paroled and released Confederate combatants after defeating them in Vicksburg and Jackson. Although the logic Ulises Grant gave for doing so was sound, the conditions of the parole were not well established resulting in many of these confederate soldiers going on to join the war effort in the eastern states. While enforcements made little difference in the final result, they did lead to more Northern soldier deaths in the Union’s following campaigns.

I read this history as an eBook but am convinced that my enjoyment and understanding of the troop movements by both sides would have been greatly enhanced by the printed maps and illustrations depicted in the printed book. Fortunately, at 66 pages, it was a quick read. I encourage others interested in The Siege of Vicksburg to read the book in print.

This eBook was provided to me as an advance review copy. show less

Looking for a short history of Argentina, I chose this 90-something page ebook. It’s very uneven. On the one hand he uses vague sentences to describe an event or place, so broad they could describe anywhere. On the other hand, he goes into such minute detail (ie, battles & troop movements) that you lose track of whatever it is he’s trying to explain. I would have liked something in between those extremes. This book didn’t deliver the goods.