Reference Reviews

Doug’s Student Reference Room

Gale Library of Daily Life: American Civil War, edited by Steven E. Woodworth. 2 vols. 764 p. Detroit: Gale CENGAGE Learning, 2008. ISBN 13: 978-4144-3009-6; ISBN 10: 1-4144-3009-4. $211.00.

While the Civil War was a defining moment in American history, as with most wars, the impact this traumatic event had on people’s daily lives is often overlooked. This two-volume set provides a comprehensive, accessible examination of the consequences of the Civil War on daily life from several vantage points. More than 220 articles organized into nine chapters explore people’s lives on the battlefield and at home and include a soldier’s life, family and community, religion, popular culture, health and medicine, work and economy, politics, the effects of the war on slaves and freed slaves and reconciliation and remembrance. Each chapter begins with a page-long overview of the topic, followed by several articles by historians and Civil War experts. Daily life is unpacked through explanatory essays as well as primary source documents, including letters, diaries, journals, illustrations, newspaper articles, political cartoons and speeches. Black and white photos and illustrations appear on every few pages, and each chapter contains several sidebar articles highlighting a key person, event or idea related to the chapter. Each signed article ends with a bibliography and an annotated bibliography organized by broad topics is included at the end of the each volume. Also included in both volumes are a chronology of the war and an index to the set. The content from this encyclopedia could be used to extend lessons from history and literature classes, and the focus on personal lives will attract adolescent students. Highly recommended for high school, public and academic libraries.
—Doug Achterman