This review will overall encompass the Echoes of Glory Civil War series as a whole, which besides this work also includes "Arms and Equipment of the Confederacy" and "Arms and Equipment of the Union" (ISBNs 0809488507 and 080948854x respectively).
Overall, the work does what it states it is on the cover: it's an illustrated atlas of the Civil War, covering the Eastern and Western Theatres, as well as naval engagements and skirmishes fought in the Western Territories. It's a really class work for someone with an interest in the Civil War to have in their collection. As always, however, if one seeks to want to research a specific campaign or battle, this book's too broad to find what you're looking for. Nevertheless, this work alongside the two other aforementioned ones, is a wonderful thing to have. Do recommend it if one's interested in the Civil War :)
This was a pretty good book that gives the reader a good overview of the Civil War battles. There are detailed maps that the reader can follow along with the write-ups to get a deeper understanding of how the battles played out. There are also pictures, painting, and sketches that fill out the pages.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about American History, and specifically the Civil War. I think novices, such as myself, along with Civil War buffs can get something out of its pages.
Very, very brief history of the war. Over half of the book covers only the Eastern Theater, and less than a third covers the Western Theater. The coverage of coastal areas and the Trans-Mississippi was minimal and scatter-shot. Most pages were 30%-60% map, with a brief paragraph describing what was happening.
The focus of the book seems to be more on the illustrations than the maps. There are a few small erros scattered throughout the book (Joe Johnston's rank in the Atlanta campaign was lieutenant general, A.J. Smith's commanded two corps at Pleasant Hill).