Rhett: The Turbulent Life and Times of a Fire-Eater
Explanations for the American Civil War often focus on the  activities of Northern abolitionists and Southern fire-eaters,  who are often blamed for their inability to compromise. This  life of Robert Barnwell Rhett chronicles one of the earliest,  best known, and most extreme of the fire-eaters. Director of the  Virginia Center for Civil War Studies and author or editor of  over 50 books, including Rhett's memoirs, A Fire-Eater  Remembers, Davis draws on an impressive selection of primary and  secondary sources to produce this well-written biography of a  central figure in the development of secessionist thought.  Libraries desiring a comprehensive Civil War collection will  want this, but others may be content with more general volumes  such as Eric H. Walther's The Fire-Eaters (LJ 7/92). Recommended  for larger academic and public libraries with an interest in a  comprehensive Civil War collection. Theresa McDevitt, Indiana  Univ. of PennsylvaniaCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.