James Kirby Martin is the author of several highly-regarded books, many of them focused on Revolutionary America. He has taught U. S. history at Rutgers University, the University of Houston, The Citadel, and the United States Mlitary Academy at West Point. Martin has served as an advisory editor on book series sponsored by New York University Press, Oxford Universisty Press, and Westholme Publishesrs. He writes occasional book reviews for the on line New York Journal of Books. He has appeared in television programs on the History Channel, the Fox News Network, the Amerian Heroes Network, and Fox Nation. His latest book, co-authored with Robert Burris, is titled Surviving Dresden: A Novel about Life, Death, and Redemption in World War II. Among his professional activities, he is on the Board of Trustees of the Fort Ticonderoga Association and serves as a historian consultant to the Oneida Indian Nation of New York.
This is a text book for a college level survey course in American history. While I wouldn't recommend it simply for casual reading, it is a good overview of our history from pre-colonial to reconstruction. The authors are even-handed in their analysis and reporting of history, exploring both the positive and negative aspects of our history as a nation. There were some aspects that I wish they had explored with more depth, but that is probably just my own bias showing through, and after all, it is just a survey course. Overall, a good history text.
Excellent history textbook. The chapters are well laid out and are a nice read. The online resources make this a great classroom book. Highly recommended