The Blue & Gray Almanac: The Civil War in Facts & Figures, Recipes & Slang

There is no dearth of books about the Civil War. In fact, there have been in excess of 70,000 books written about that terrible conflict. So is it possible to have a fresh take on this dark period in our nation’s history? Author Albert Nofi, a military historian, has found a way to take another look at the war that is different. An almanac is defined as a handbook containing information of general interest about a sport or pastime. Certainly the war was neither of these, but this book does contain a lot of random facts, lists, tables, recipes, photographs, songs, and other items that help readers to examine this period in history with a more cultural perspective than other books have. There is, of course, a whole lot of historical perspective as well, but it is all in manageable chunks made up of short essays and anecdotes. Nofi has clearly done a great deal of good, solid research to put together this compendium of information. His writing is clear, concise, and crisp. This attractive and fascinating book will be a welcome addition to the libraries of Civil War aficionados everywhere.