American Heritage History of the Civil War

I was initially skeptical of such a slender volume on such a large topic, but Catton and McPherson are both eminent civil war authors, so I started reading. The authors produce a compelling and thoughtful narrative that covers all aspects of the war: military, political, economic, and psychological. It will reward newcomers to the topic the most, but even aficionados will find value in it. Depth of detail is impossible, but the authors provide live links to a wealth of online information providing as much detail as most readers will desire, cleverly knit within a well-organized story line.