The Civil War: A Narrative, Volume I, Fort Sumter to Perryville

By: Shelby Foote

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 42 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 1 begins one of the most remarkable works of history ever fashioned. All the great battles are here, of course, from Bull Run through Shiloh, the Seven Days Battles, and Antietam, but so are the smaller ones: Ball's Bluff, Fort Donelson, Pea Ridge, Island Ten, New Orleans, and Monitor versus Merrimac.

The word “narrative” is the key to this extraordinary book’s incandescence and its truth. The story is told entirely from the point of view of the people involved in it. One learns not only what was happening on all fronts but also how the author discovered it during his years of exhaustive research.

This first volume in Shelby Foote’s comprehensive history is a must-listen for anyone interested in one of the bloodiest wars in America’s history.

©1986 Shelby Foote (P)2011 Blackstone Audio

The Civil War: A Narrative, Volume I (Unabridged

Not for the timid, this is a long detailed "narrative" on the Civil War. It is well done and mixes information from published history, historical letters and newspaper articles in a manner that gives the tone and mood of both the union and confederate sides of the War thoughout all three books. It ranks of one of the best non-fiction audible titles I have listened to and one of the few where I was "stuck in the driveway" waiting for things to happen many times.

Long But Mighty Fine

The three volumes (130 hours?) ran for about 4 1/2 months of daily gym workouts. I suggest buying a civil war map book or similar, since the main drawback to audio history is missing maps etc. The volumes were awesome hitting battles, generals. political leadership and economic and political bacground with an excellent, well woven flow. Not an easy task with so much information.

The best Civil War book ever!

Whether or not you're deeply into the Civil War, and no matter what facet of the war you're interested in, you will find something new and interesting in this book. Foote wonderfully crafts bios on major figures, military tactics, social pressures, and everyday life of the Civil War into one virtually seemless story that entertains as well as informs. Mr. Gardner has a very resonant voice that sounds both scholarly and like a voice from the 19th century, all at the same time. Highly recommended!

A greatly entertaining read

I enjoyed this book immensely. and could not wait for my commute drives to continue the story. It has stirred my interest in history further.

The best comprehensive Civil War book

If you're only going to read one book on the Civil War, this should be it. It's comprehensive, balanced, and readable. It's extremely long, but worth every minute of it.

Great book

Concise and to the point. Very entertaining read. Good performance by Grover Gardener, great story in general

The Civil War brought to life

Have you listened to any of Grover Gardner’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

All of Grover Gardner's performances are excellent.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes!

Any additional comments?

This is one of those histories that has you on the edge of your seat, biting your nails, hoping for an outcome that has long since passed. Even the familiar battles (Gettysburg, Fredericksburg) where everyone knows the outcome, I found myself eagerly listening for the next sentence to find out what would happen. Foote's insight into the terrain, commanders, technology, tactics, and events gives the reader an thorough, all-encompassing picture of the battles and the larger war.

Superior

I have read Foote's three volume Civil War Narrative twice and thought I would give the audio version a try. Excellent narration of Foote's fine work. Highly recommended and certainly one of best audiobooks around.

Great perspective of the beginnings of the Civil War

Great perspective of both sides of this great conflict. Book gives greater understanding two views on both sides.

This book is not entertainment.

The 37+ hours this book runs as an audio book become tedious. However in my opinion Every high school child in America should be made to read (or listen to) this book. If an attempt would be made to shorten this book, rhe result would be to render it a crippling blow. Everything contained herein is required to provide the reader a goodly understanding of the book as a whole. I would suggest the reader (you) do an Internet search of Civil War maps and have a good bookmark system to recall the maps. That way... one can visualize many of the references contained herein.