A Sense of History: The Best Writing from the Pages of American Heritage

by Byron Dobell (Introduction)

For thirty years American Heritage magazine has been telling America's story and fresh and vivid articles that have come to represent the best of responsible popular history. Now, for the first time, the editors have combed through every issue to find the most entertaining in illuminating pieces. The result—by turns stirring, moving funny provocative horrifying—is an unusually revealing informal history of American civilization from the first settlement to the fall of Richard Nixon.

A Sense of History proves that's the best history is always the best reading. And the authors are numbered among the formal historians novels and public figures of recent years. Included in this rich compilation are:

• Barbara W. Tuchman on Teddy Roosevelt's Mideast crisis

• Alfred Kazin's study of why Americans have always feared the city

• Malcolm Cowley on Nathaniel Hawthorne in love

• Edward Hogland's haunting evocation of the real Johnny Appleseed

• Bruce Catton on the Civil War, of course, but also on baseball

• Louis Auchincloss on Henry Adams, unlikely soldier in the South Seas

• John Kenneth Galbreth dissecting the Great Depression

• William Manchester recall a hair-raising World War II hoax

• Robert Silverberg's inquiry into the mystery of the mound builders

• Steven B. Oates on the grim career of Nat Turner

• Wallace Stegner's luminous memoir of his Western boyhood

• Larry L. King on LBJ and Vietnam

• Francis Russell's meticulous reconstruction of the crime that sent Sacco and Vanzetti to the chair

• David McCullough's surprising profile of Harriet Beecher Stowe

• Hughes Rudd's perilous World War II sojourn as a spotter pilot.

Genres: History, American History, Anthologies, Literature

832 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1985

Reviews

[Lesle]

I purchased this book in my early 20's. Read a majority of it and really enjoyed all the different history topics from Johnny Appleseed to the Two Greatest Presidents.

[Pete Iseppi]

I'm a long time fan of American Heritage magazine. I read it cover to cover for many years. That's why I'm mostly disappointed in the selection of articles for this compilation. All in all, this is an 800+ page book of boredom. Sad.

[Marfy]

Definitely worth reading a second time.

[James S.]

A collection of dated and sentimental pieces on American history. Ho-hum at best.

[Tina]

I bought this book as a senior in high school as I enrolled in my first book club. I felt so grown-up! Alas, I carried it around all these years and never actually picked it up to read it until a couple of years ago.

Well worth the wait. It's long--very long--but the essays capture vignettes of US history (through the early 80s) and personalities I would have never thought to read. A few of the essays didn't interest me at all, but many were very good and some were indeed page-turners, in a very real, "this really happened?!?!" kind of way. If you appreciate what history can teach you, or you like a good story, I'd pick it up (exercise for your biceps if you do--motivation!).

[Sean Mcdonald]

A lot of interesting short history stories. A few not so interesting ones too. Overall nice relaxing history read

[Greg Judy]

Some of the articles can get very boring. But there are also some very good ones.