From Library Journal
Unlike previous conflicts, when periodicals used artist sketches, the Civil War was the first major armed conflict to be illustrated with photographs. At the outset of the war in July 1861, Mathew Brady (1823-96), who was operating a photography studio in New York, set out to photograph the Battle of Bull Run in Manassas, VA. Brady went on to become the leading war photographer, amassing, with his assistants, some 6000 photographs. Lecturer and historian Garrison (The Amazing Civil War) has selected more than 300 of these images to be reproduced as vivid, large-size images for his book. The subject matter is diverse: portraits of political leaders and military commanders; and scenes of soldiers and carnage on the battlefield, care of the sick and wounded, and behind-the-lines home life. The emphasis is almost wholly on the Union side. This book will appeal to Civil War buffs. Recommended for academic libraries.DHarry Frumerman, formerly with Hunter Coll., New York
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Booklist
When Matthew Brady accompanied the Union army to Bull Run in July 1861, that first major Civil War battle also launched the remarkable career of Brady, who took the relatively new medium of photography to a higher level of terrible artistry during the next four years of slaughter. Garrison, a former college president and a Civil War scholar, has compiled more than 300 of the photographs taken by Brady and his assistants. Many of them, particularly the portraits of icons such as Lincoln and Grant, will be familiar even to laypeople. Others, including some stunning battlefield shots, have rarely been seen, and their impact can be shattering. The supporting text is informative and also captures both the irony and the sadness of Brady's personal life. This compilation should become an essential element in a Civil War collection. Jay Freeman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
