A Biography of William T. Sherman. John Wiley and Sons, 1997. Maps, appendix, notes, bibliography, and index. The Man, the Soldier, the Legend. Illustrations, maps, notes, bibliography, and index.
Academics periodically berate themselves for their failure to reach the nonspecialist.
Some of these mea culpas are misplaced, for a number of the best academics do in fact gain a wide readership. But even less of the self-criticism is seriously meant. The primary allegiance of scholars is to analysis, whereas the taste of general readers runs more toward vigorous narrative. Although it is possible to weave the two together, success in such a venture requires a rare literary sensibility melded with the right subject matter. In only a few fields of American history does the chance exist for more or less ordinary historians to connect with a large body of general readers.