This is a 1000+ page volume which covers everything from the Origin of Man to John F. Kennedy so it contains a ton of information. It's not a book I would sit down and read but it's a great reference. ( )

Samuel Eliot Morison was a prolific writer specializing in military history and is to be commended for bringing forgotten or little-known parts of our history to our experience, if only by mentioning them in his books. Later editions of this book break the time periods down more, perhaps to shorten the length or maybe to add detail, but this 1000+ page volume covers everything from the Origin of Man in America to John F. Kennedy. Being so ambitious, it was bound to be superficial on some subjects. He does include over fifty songs and some wonderful illustrations, but my difficulty is more with the inaccuracies. Granted, more research and primary documents have come to light since the 1960s and even since his death in the 1970s. It may be the non-specific language or the floating back and forth from one period to another, for example, one sentence referring to 1626 and the next stating that the United Provinces of the Netherlands had "lately won their independence from Spain" (this would not happen for another 22 years). This book is interesting and informative about many things but should not be accepted as the last word on historical fact. Being a stickler for detail, I would treat this book more as an intersting overview and not really as non-fiction. ( )

For any book of this magnitude, to get all facts straight would be a major accomplishment. Since my interest is focused on the Stone-Campbell religious heritage, I noted an error on p. 532. Antioch College was not opened by the Disciples of Christ. Morison could have pointed out that the Disciples opened Hiram College -- initially named the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute in 1850. Or he could have mentioned Bethany (Virginia, now West Va.) College (1840).

Also on p. 735, Morison mistakenly states that President James A. Garfield was "governor of Ohio." Garfield never was a governor. He was a Representative in the US House for 17 years and elected Senator in 1880. ( )

2/20/23