Muddled masterpiece is a description apropos of America's Money, America's Story.
The author places the progression of American money in close proximity to
our
country's historical development, and from the perspective of information
put into print, he largely succeeds. Good research and deconstruction
of complex issues. Pity the poor reader who attempts to assimilate the
book's substance, however. The subject matter meanders and is
difficult to locate. I paid $4.00 for a new copy through
Amazon, and I'm pleased to have it. Anytime I reach for America's Money, America's Story,
though, I know that I'm gonna have to work hard to find what my targeted topic, but
at least its probably there, somewhere.
"Experience the fascinating evolution and
compelling history of America's monetary system from one of the most
respected numismatic scholars in the world. For the advanced or
beginning numismatist, historian, or dealer, Richard Doty's exhaustively
researched book traces the path of American money from its pre-European days
of beaver pelts to today's world of credit cards. 244 pages,
softbound."
America's Money, America's Story covers the various forms of barter
mediums used in America, from the earliest wampum shells to today's credit
cards. Understandably, paper currency and coins dominate the
discussion.
The Prologue section sets the stage:
Monies of the Native Americans, the Spanish influence, and the English
settlement of North America.
Chapter 1 begins, logically, with the money
of colonial America. From there, coverage spans the War for
Independence and its Aftermath, 'Hard Money' and the Young Republic
1789-1830, The Era of the Private Bank Note 1789-1865, Gold!, Civil War
and Money's Change, The Gilded Age, Isolation, Depression, Intervention
1914-1945, and The Cold War and Beyond.
The author, Richard Doty, deserves our
admiration for the research behind the production of America's Money,
America's Story. Many of the events Doty describes can't be
found in the typical history book. Deeper digging is required to
unearth these facts.
Fortunately, quite a few of the money forms
are pictured. Seeing a wampum shell bead or a 1776 Continental
Congress note are much better than relying upon the imagination. A
substantial percentage of the monies photographed are from the National
Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institute. In 1998, at the
time of publication for America's Money, America's Story, Richard
Doty was (and perhaps still is) the Curator of Numismatics at the
Smithsonian. Now wonder he had such great access to these materials!
America's Money, America's Story is a wide-ranging assemblage of
numismatic historical facts, pivoting about bigger historical events and
eras. Read it, and you WILL acquire knowledge of America's past and
its money.
Wherever the book treads, we are fed delectable details, but by no means is it a fully
comprehensive treatment of the subject (how can more than five centuries
be condensed into 244 pages?). Yes, it is a sweeping work
of numismatic and national history, but Doty does a fine job of
highlighting the most important things.
Paper money is closely examined.
During a few long intervals in US history, coins did not circulate well
throughout the country. At these times of coin scarcity,
governmental and privately issued paper money assumed prominence in
daily financial affairs. Doty teaches us how the scenes depicted
on the notes were indicative of long ago American culture and society,
both real and imagined.
The Table of Contents consists of a one line summary per chapter.
Individual chapters embrace many sub categories. I would have
preferred to see some bullet point subheadings, or something, to help the
reader sort out the contents of the book.
The author "bobs and weaves" all over the
place. Related facts that really ought to appear side-by-side, can
show up at anytime and anywhere, flying at you out of the blue. For
instance, in Chapter 3, "'Hard Money' and the Young Republic, 1789-1830",
the star player, and rightfully so, is "Ye Olde Mint" (the first US
Philadelphia Mint). In a later chapter, entitled "Gold!", we are
removed from a Civil War topic, all the way back to 1816, where we finally
learn that a fire that year at "Ye Olde Mint" forced Mint
officials to replace horse
power with steam. From there, Doty rambles on, sort of, about
mechanization, the Industrial Revolution, and the second Philadelphia
Mint! This example, sadly, typifies how poorly structured America's Money, America's Story
is.
The Index at least tries to help the reader navigate through the book, but
with information scattered to the winds, this is a formidable task.
The book is filled with great content, but this reader had trouble finding
desired information. Literally, material on any given topic can pop
up at unexpectedly at any location, irrespective of chapter identity.
Without reading from cover to cover (which I guarantee, not many will do),
so much of what America's Money, America's Story has to offer
remains hidden, negating, to some degree, the book's worth.
There are more than 250 photos, nearly all of them of coins and paper
money. All are black and white, and collectively rate no better than
"OK". Disappointingly, even though this is a history book, there are
no images, other than of money, to stir the juices of history buffs.
Nothing personal, but I don't care for the author's manner of writing.
It's probably just me, but his phraseology and word choice are a
distraction. (Others say the same about me, I'm sure!)
You really have to love coins and history to stick with the text. It
all runs together, and will induce sleep to all but the hardiest of
numismatists.
At first, I was very excited to own a copy
of America's Money, America's Story. I still am. It is
one of the few references ever printed that places the evolution of
American money within the context of our nation's culture and history.
But as I became immersed in the book, I came to realize it fell short of
my hopes, principally because of its lackluster Style, incoherent
Presentation, and downright boring Readability. In short, its just a
real pain to use.
Quintessential coffee table book.
The content is somewhat incomplete, but with the incredible, stunningly beautiful
illustrations, who cares? Author Douglas Brinkley, whom the TV talking
heads revere as the most percipient oracle alive today, politically plays it straight down
the middle, sort of. Brinkley is branded by some critics as a liberal
revisionist historian, with some justification, but this work is relatively
void of liberal dogma. Brinkley admits American
Heritage History of the United States is not meant to be a
comprehensive recollection of America's past, but is written to tickle the
interest of the average reader. With so much print space consumed by
images and maps, no surprise many aspects of U.S. history receive
superficial treatment, if not omitted completely. NEW copies are
available on
Amazon for as low as $3.98. The MSRP at time of publication was
$50.00, so this is quite a bargain. Don't deprive yourself of a
fantastic pictorial tribute to America because of a little political
correctness.
"For more than four decades, American
Heritage's reputation for engaging, impeccably researched historical
journalism has made it one of the most respected names in American
story-telling. In that same tradition of quality comes the American
Heritage History of the United States, an entirely new work of history
which is a worthy successor to the American Heritage New History of the
Civil War and the American Heritage New History of World War II.
In this rich and inspiring book, acclaimed historian Douglas Brinkley takes
us on the incredible journey of the United States--a nation formed from a
vast wilderness of mountains and streams on whose fringes a few small
colonies made a bold cast at freedom, then burgeoned into an expanding
democracy, and ultimately flourished as a world power. From the first
primitive maps outlining a New World to the faded daguerreotypes of young
men in uniforms standing beside Confederate flags; to pictures of hopeful
immigrant families arriving at Ellis Island; to the stirring photographs of
Civil Rights marchers; to the terrible images of the Oklahoma City Federal
Building bombing--the history of America offers a stunning album of people
and events. 628 pages hardbound."
Decent overview of American history, but in my opinion, not even close to
being the best. I often find myself turning to other books to gain a
fuller understanding of certain historical events. Some say author
Douglas Brinkley had to make some cuts to the text in order to create
space for the voluminous illustrations.
Brinkley states in the Introduction that his
book does not pretend to be a comprehensive history of our nation's
origins and development. As he wrote, "the book is not aimed to
please academic scholars or specialists." Rather, he set out to
"pique the general reader's interest in U.S. history." I have to say
that on both accounts, Brinkley is correct.
As do most American history books, the text
leads off with pre-Columbian era. It ends with a strikingly detailed
description of modern day events and politics, taking us all the way to August 7,
1998. On that day, two American embassies in Africa were bombed.
Ominously, Brinkley observed international terrorism had replaced the
Soviet Union as America's greatest national security threat.
There are a few typos and factual errors.
On page 235, a photo caption proclaims "The U.S. Mint issued its first
[Civil War] paper bills, such as the dollar above, in August 1862."
According to my sources, the paper bills alluded to by Brinkley, were
printed by private firms, not the U.S. Mint, beginning in August 1861, not
1862. Wow, a two-fer! Hilariously, Brinkley then completes the
hat trick by picturing a Confederate $500 note in place of the U.S. bill!
Whenever the establishment TV news media
puts out a call for an historian, invariably, it is Douglas Brinkley's
face that shows up. He's quite the darling of the "intelligentsia
class", because, critics believe, of the left-leaning, politically correct views
he espouses. Since I don't rely upon the chattering television
nabobs for my news, I wasn't sure where Brinkley's sympathies lie, but I'm
automatically suspicious of anyone actively promoted by the liberal elite
press corps. As I approached the review for
American Heritage
History of the United States, this was the reflexive internal bias I
struggled to set aside.
At the time I began this review, I had acquainted myself only with the
first 250 or so pages. Up to that point, I did not detect an overtly left wing
revisionist anti-American screed, as I had originally suspected. My
biggest gripe, as I wrote above, was the necessity to supplement what I
was reading with information from other history books, to gain the deeper
perspective I was seeking.
Still not certain if the label "Left Winger" applied to Brinkley, I
carefully read the "The Reagan Reformation" chapter, Brinkley's version of
the Ronald Reagan presidency. Few liberals can resist the temptation
to unfairly skewer RR, so I believed this would be a good litmus test of
Brinkley's objectivity. On balance, I believe he did his best to
accurately relive the legacy of our 40th president. However, attesting to his
status as a cultural elite, Brinkley occasionally descends to typical
liberal-speak: Reagan's callous attitude toward America's poor and
disadvantaged, AIDS, festering racial divisions, yada, yada, yada.
Brinkley demonstrates his [willful?] ignorance of "Reaganomics", never
equating a robust economy with increased Treasury revenues.
Moreover, while recounting the Iran-Contra affair, Brinkley gushes in
ecstatic
jubilation, reminiscent of Peter, Dan, and Tom's nightly broadcasts of
1986-87. On the positive side, Brinkley writes in glowing terms of
the Reagan's personal charisma, leadership qualities, dedication to
principle, and his inspirational, patriotic zeal. Significantly,
Brinkley gets it right by giving credit to Reagan as the main impetus for
bringing the Cold War to a peaceful, victorious conclusion. As the Gipper himself might say, not bad, not bad at all.
We've all heard of "history books" that carry, for example, more
references to Harriet Tubman than Abraham Lincoln. Those publication
types are designed to indoctrinate students in the wonders of liberal
dogma, rather than educate them. Rest assured, American
Heritage History of the United States
is not a leftist indoctrination tool.
Apparently, the number of copies printed
of American Heritage History of the United States far outstripped the demand.
Go to
Amazon, and you'll find dozens of NEW copies available, some as low
as $4. Even with shipping, the total cost is still below $10.
If you can tolerate a pinch of liberal ideology here and there, and
don't mind a few fact gaps, there's not much to lose by placing an
order.
Profusely illustrated. Paintings, lithographs, photographs, are all
first class reproductions, accompanied by informative captions.
Stunning, vivid colors. Many of the pictures are enlarged. The
quantity and quality of illustrations bring history to life. I was
in awe as I thumbed through the pages, quickly forgetting about
any other shortcomings the book might have. American
Heritage History of the United States honors America through its
pictures.
Hardbound and heavy, weighing 5.4 pounds.
Those glossy coated pages do add up.
The attractive, supporting illustrations compel the reader to keep turning
the pages. Even casual observers will find the imagery fascinating.
The Table of Contents has one line per chapter, 22 chapters in all.
I always prefer subheadings to help identify voluminous content.
The Index is very good. The reader can actually use it to locate
desired content.
The book is well structured. Everything is where it ought to be.
The content flows easily and logically. Brinkley is an articulate,
skilled writer.
Eye-popping portrayal of the 500 year American
experience. Authors Allen Weinstein and David Rubel open every one of
twenty-six chapters in a story-telling mode, recounting in unusual detail
some specific event from our nation's past. As the gripping narrative
unfolds, broader, more familiar elements of American history are
interjected. Because much of the 688 pages is devoted to playing out
the selected events, many important people and occurrences are necessarily
omitted. Nevertheless, it was the thousands of colorful, high quality
images that convinced me to make a purchase. Perhaps the Story of
America should not be your primary "go to" history textbook, but as an
entertaining supplement to learning, it certainly is deserving of a
prominent spot on your bookshelf. Many slightly used copies available
on
Amazon.
"The Story of America presents the history of
the United States not as a parade of facts and dates but as a story with
twists and turns, heroes and villains, lovers, saints - and even some comic
relief. With the help of more than two dozen eminent colleagues, many of
them Pulitzer Prize-winners, Allen Weinstein and David Rubel give you
American history from Columbus to the present not as you've studied it
before, but as Americans lived it at the time. It's a fascinating way to
understand how America became a world power and the ways in which the
nation's past continue to impact its present. With hundreds of brilliant
images, and prose as captivating as that of any good novel, The Story of
America fills in the blanks in your education with tales and observations
that delight as they inform. 688 pages hardbound"
At first glance, I thought The Story of America was a typical
history textbook, one that comprehensively organized a wide range of bits
and pieces of America's 500 year existence into a rough chronological
sequence. I was wrong. This is not a textbook, and was not
meant to be. Authors Allen Weinstein and David Rubel explain up
front "We have structured The Story of America around twenty-six
significant episodes in American history. Each chapter describes a
particular noteworthy period in American history by focusing on a single
event... Concentrating on a single event has allowed us to describe
settings, characters, and routines of daily life during unfamiliar
previous ages."
Thus, each chapter begins with a narrative
on some specific event in American history. Eventually, larger
themes of the period are interjected as the story unfolds. The
story-telling concept serves as a lead-in to broader, more familiar
aspects of our national experience.
To illustrate how this concept works, let's
delve into Chapter 18: "The New Era - Lindbergh's Flight". The first
five pages of the chapter spins the saga of Lucky Lindy, building momentum
toward his epic flight of May 20, 1927. Without warning, all of a
sudden we swerve into the Wright Brothers and the beginning of aviation.
For the next 25 pages, we learn about Prohibition, the automobile, business,
politics, and the election of 1928, with a mix of Lindbergh interspersed
throughout at uneven intervals.
One advantage to this approach is that the
reader receives much more in depth treatment of the twenty-six episodes
that ordinarily receive only a paragraph or two in most history books.
Unfortunately, this extra coverage comes at the expense of people and
events also important in our national heritage. Thus, we don't hear
from John Paul Jones ("I have not yet begun to fight!"), no mention of
Samuel Slater's ingenuity, nor the incredible achievement of the
Transcontinental Railroad. Instead, we get stuff like a full page
bio of Lillian Hellman (who?) and 13 pages of coverage on the Watergate
Scandal.
Here are the twenty-six events Weinstein and
Rubel selected to help contextualize the whole of American history:
Ch. 1 Exploration and Conquest -
Cortes and Montezuma
Ch. 2 The Plantation Colonies -
The Founding of Jamestown
Ch. 3 Puritan New England - The
Witches of Salem
Ch. 4 The American Revolution -
The Boston Massacre
Ch. 5 The New Republic - The
Constitutional Convention
Ch. 6 Jeffersonian America - The
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Ch. 7 Jacksonian America - The
People's Inauguration
Ch. 8 Slavery in the Antebellum
South - Nat Turner's Revolt
Ch. 9 Social Reform in
Antebellum America - Seneca Falls Convention
Ch. 10 The Deepening Sectional
Conflict - The Compromise of 1850
Ch. 11 The Road to Civil War - John
Brown's Raid
Ch. 12 Civil War and Reconstruction -
Sherman's March to the Sea
Ch. 13 The American West - The Battle
of Little Bighorn
Ch. 14 The Gilded Age - The Pullman
Strike
Ch. 15 The Crises of the 1890s - The
1896 Election
Ch. 16 Becoming a World Power - The
Filipino Revolt
Ch. 17 The Progressive Era - The
Triangle Fire
Ch. 18 The New Era - Lindbergh's
Flight
Ch. 19 The New Deal - The Hundred Days
Ch. 20 World War II - The Attack on
Pearl Harbor
Ch. 21 The Cold War at Home - The
Hiss-Chambers Case
Ch. 22 Pax Americana - The Cuban
Missile Crisis
Ch. 23 The Sixties - The March on
Washington
Ch. 24 The Seventies - The Watergate
Crisis
Ch. 25 The End of the Cold War - The
Last Days of the Soviet Union
Ch. 26 A New Millennium - September
11, 2001
Thousands of highly pertinent photographs and other images effectively
capture the essence of the intended history lesson. Many seldom-seen
photos were unearthed from the depths of the
Library of Congress and
National Archives.
Excellent choices made by the research staff of The Story of America.
Here is an unusual attribute this book possess: There are close up
photos of museum exhibits, which help personalize the history makers
described within these pages. For instance, Andrew Jackson's pocket
watch, the raincoat worn by Stonewall Jackson the night he was fatally wounded
by his own troops, or Sitting Bull's tomahawk.
These days, too many history books attempt to politically indoctrinate
students toward the Left. Not so with The Story of America.
The text plays it straight down the middle, as fair as any I've seen.
No historical revisionism here.
Parents who home school their kids may
want to take a look at The Story of America, not as their primary
high school history text, but as a valuable supplement to every day
teaching. The images and detailed story-telling of those
twenty-six episodes bring a unique
perspective to the subject of American history.
I
discovered The Story of America when I made a special trip to a
large bookstore, seeking to find a top rate illustrated American history
book to add to my personal library. I thumbed through several dozen
such books, but none won my attention more than The Story of America.
What a beautiful array of eye-pleasing material!
Contemporary cartoons, maps, prints, photos, and more. Outstanding.
Educational too.
I
can't say enough good things about the quality of the illustrative
material. The selection of the materials, the colors, and high resolution of the
images, is what puts The Story of America far
above most of its competitors. Retailing at nearly $40 at bookstores, its a
little pricey. I got my like-new copy on Amazon for about half that
price. I consider this a great bargain and a proud addition to my
bookshelf.
Excellent layout: effective use of word wrap, captions, and
sidebars. The narrative is gripping. Once you open the book
and read a few pages, its ultra-easy to become deeply engrossed.
The Story of America is a real page turner, for sure.
Hardbound and heavy, measuring 7.25" x
9.50". Those 688 pages add up to a thickness of nearly 2.00".
Not exactly the type of book to casually toss around!
The Table of Contents introduces twenty-six periods in American history,
and the title to a specific story taking place within the era.
Nothing else, so the TOC is limited to basic use only.
The authors gush in the Introduction about how they have chosen to present
history from the perspective of certain events. This approach does
have some merit, but to me, the manner in which it is played out is
distracting. The chapter "Civil War and Reconstruction - Sherman's
March to the Sea", is typical. The chapter opens in November 1864
with General Sherman departing Atlanta to begin his rampage to the Georgia
coast. After several pages of moving narrative, the Sherman story is
suddenly dropped, and we're taken back to Fort Sumter in 1861, and the
first shots of the Civil War. The next 18 pages are dedicated to
that gruesome struggle between the North and South, augmented by maps, photos,
and other "stop and look" imagery, leading us full circle back to late 1864, with Sherman
in Atlanta. From there, we eventually get to Appomattox, Lincoln's
Assassination, the 14th Amendment, Reconstruction, etc.
Excellent, highly detailed index. This helps compensate for the
somewhat disconcerting structure of the text; if its there, and you want
to find it, you can find it by searching to the index.
The Story of
America would deserve a Five-Star rating for Style, Presentation and
Readability, if it weren't for the distracting flow. Some readers
probably prefer the skip-and-jump tenor employed by the authors, but not
me.
