Critic's Corner — November 2017 — Stephen Davis

520 Folly Road, Suite P-379, Charleston, SC 29412

Jack W. Melton Jr. C. Peter & Kathryn J Publisher Founding Publishers Editor: Lawrence E. Babits, Ph.D. Advertising, Marketing & Assistant Editor: Peggy Melton Columnists: Craig Barry, Joseph Bilby, Matthew Borowick, Stephe Davis, Stephanie Hagiwara, Tim Prince, John Sexton, Michael K. Shaffer Editorial & Photography Staff: Greg Biggs, Joseph Bordonaro, Sa Goss, Gould B. Hagler Jr., Gordon L. Jones, Michael Kent, John Punola, Bob Ruegsegger, Gregory L. Wade, Joan Wenner, J.D. Book Review Editor: Stephen Davis, Ph.D., Cumming, Ga. Book Review Advisory Board: Gordon L. Jones, Ph.D., Senior Military Historian, Atlanta History Center; Theodore P. Savas

Steven E. Woodworth, Ph.D., Professor of History, Texas Christi University, Fort Worth, Texas.

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“I’ve seen small round tables. I’ve seen large round tables. But I’ve never seen a Gwen Fulc Young round table.” And so began my presentation to the Augusta Civil War Round Table. Augusta was part of a two round table trip through the Sout (Charlotte was the other) and, oh was it a memorable visit! I had been invited to speak about Second Manassas and the Fitz John Porter court martial. As with most of my round table visits, I learned more from my hosts than they learned from me. The Augusta CWRT meets the third Monday of each month at Goodwill’s Snelling Center. The name of the host building had me intrigued, as did the food servic that followed. I later discovered that the site is part of Goodwill Industries, which was founded in 1902 in Boston by Methodist minister Edgar J. Helms. According to the Goodwill web site, Dr. Helms collected used household goods and clothing in wealthier areas of the city, then traine and hired unemployed people to

mend and repair the used goods. The goods were then resold, and

proceeds paid the workers’ wages and were invested in the develop-

with dinner provided by Edgar’s Grille. Now I know where that name comes from! Food preparation and service is part of the

lected by Edgar’s go toward education programs; Helms’ College culinary students receive experiential learning opportunities through service at Edgar’s.

Letters To The Edi TO THE EDITOR: When the Civil War started, my

great-grandfather enlisted in the 22nd Iowa Volunteer Infantry and served in that Union unit for thr years. His musket, with bayonet, is hanging on my living room

wall. We were living in Norfolk, Neb., in 1937 when my father’s doctor told him he needed to move to a warmer climate if he wanted to continue living. So he found a job in Clearwater, Fla., and I grew up there. We wer surprised to find that they did n celebrate Lincoln’s birthday but did celebrate Robert E. Lee’s.

“We like holding our meetings at Goodwill,” says round table president Gwen Fulcher Youn “The facilities are excepti the food is very good and we are able to support a very worthy organization that is making a difference in the community we call home.” Gwen knows her community. A long time Augusta resident, Gwen is a real estate expert with a background in television media. Plus, her husband Bob is a former mayor of Augusta. The round table charges annual

addition to the dues. The round table has grown over the years and currently has over 300 members. Gwen reports they average about 175 at each meeting. That’s impressive enough, but the round table was down to only 8 (yes, 8) members four years ago when Gwen became president. “Our size and revenues enable us to attract a wide variety of speakers,” notes Gwen. “We have had many well-known speakers,

in addition to many less-wellknown presenters. All have truly

and then opening remarks from Gwen. But these weren’t your

run-of-the-mill standard business comments. Gwen’s effervescent

She covered round table business, happenings in the Civil War community, goings on in Augusta, a few musings on national and world events and an update on

Later I went to a boy’s boarding school, Castle Heights Military

Academy in Lebanon, Tenn. There was a statue of a Confederate soldier in the middle

of the town square. The young people from the North

and the South respected each other’s beliefs and opinions, and would not have considered removing a Confederate statue. My opinion is that the Confederat soldiers fought, and many died for, a cause they believed in and their monuments are part of our national history and should not b destroyed. If the vandals who are removing

It was a unique way to start the meeting. But I’ll tell you

one thing: the audience loved it. She had them laughing, crying, clapping, and smiling. It was clear to me this was usual and the members expect and enjoy it. I believe it helped promote a wonderful sense of camaraderie and community among the

members. During that time, my wife, daughter, and I were treate , ceptional hospitality throu Edgar’s buffet and some warm table companions—assigned specifically by Gwen to host us. Then, my turn came to present. Gwen had me ready: “40 minutes. That’s what the speaker gets,” sh instructed. “The members expect to get out at 8 p.m. and we hold our speakers to that.” I came in 38 minutes and 35 seconds. The members left, promptly, at 8 p.m. Gwen Fulcher Young runs a tight meeting. The doors and cash bar open at 5 p.m. Dinner is at 6 Gwen presents about 6:40. That leaves enough time for the speaker, some Q&A and an on-time exit for the guests. It was clear me that the members appreciate having a structured and entertain ing meeting, knowing when they will start and end the meeting. Gwen is rightfully proud of th good work being done by the Augusta CWRT. “We have come a long way in the past few years,” she notes. “Our membership has

grown. We bring in interesting speakers from throughout the na-

tion. Our members enjoy the socialization at dinner, knowing th

well-run organization that promotes the study and understand-

ing of the American Civil War. It’s also a model community lead-

otherwise might not have one. For more information about the Augusta CWRT, contact

statues of Civil War generals get away with it, then statues of lat military leaders will be next. My great, great, great, great grandfather served in the

Revolutionary War. My father served in WWI, and I served in Vietnam, twice. Veterans should refuse to give in to the destruction of military monuments. Thomas P. McKenna Stowe, Vt

. . . . . . . . . . . from page 1 unpublished material of the origi nal 1,200 page manuscript, thereby providing historians and Civil War readers with greater insight into many senior command decisions within the Army of Northern Virginia. In a similar vein, Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant, originally published in 1885 and still being re-published, is a wo derful read to gain insights into the actions and thoughts of this great Union general. At the other end of the reading spectrum, and therefore a poor selling opportunity, would be Autobiography and Personal Reminiscences of Major General Benjamin F. Butler, which has been aptly referre to as a large and ponderous “apologia” of Butler’s actions which, due to its defensive nature, reduces the book’s value to the reading public and probably accounts for its rather low selling price even when found as a leather-bound first edition in excelle condition.

A final memoir before we leave this area of book selections and (if we didn’t mention it) would cause one of these co-authors to have conniptions, is Sam R. Watkins, Co. AYTCH; Maury Grays First Tennessee Regiment or A Side Show of the Big Show, which is still in publication and an en joyable narrative (if somewhat exaggerated for its rare sense of humor), but it is still a very go seller. As with the category of Battles and Leaders, Memoirs tend to enjoy brisk sales when they are well written or edited, and when they address a broad area such as successful generals, individuals who made interesting observations that enhance understanding, or they contribute new insight into a particular operati or campaign. Biographies are another area that has a strong buying audience Unlike memoirs, these generally are written after the fact and tend to be a collection of massiv amounts of information gleaned from many different primary sources. A prime example for this

category and one that still sells well is the four volume Doug-

las Southall Freeman work, R.E. Lee, both because of the topic an the fact that the author was a su perb and compelling writer. Rod Andrew Jr.’s Wade Hampton; Confederate Warrior to Southern Redeemer, does an excellent job in covering the life and accomplishments of this fascinating South Carolinian, as does Jeffery D. Wert for General James Longstreet in his 1993 book by the same title, subtitled The Con federacy’s Most Controversial Soldier. On the Union side some really good biographies that continue to be popular are Edward Longacre’s General John Buford; A Military Biography, David Jordan’s Winfield Scott Hancock; A Soldier’s Life, Brooks Simpson’s Ulysses S. Grant: Triumph over

Hessler’s Sickles at Gettysburg. As with all the other categories, what makes these books valuable is that each author has done an excellent job researching and documenting their work and all have a writing style that makes the topic or subject come to life and most importantly for these humble booksellers, they still se very well. The last category that we pay close attention to is Unit Histories. This is an area that has a dency to actually not attract the general reading public but more those who focus on specific areas or regions. As mentioned in our June Gettysburg article, all have their strengths and weaknesses, and the reader needs to be aware of them. Early unit histories wri ten by veterans are somewhat limited in scope and operational perspective because they focused on what these individuals experienced. Later works sometimes expanded this frame of reference due to exposure to other books and articles that appeared and thereby provided some additional insight to the operational cam paigns being covered. Older unit histories also offer some unique insight; for example in Benjamin Jones’ 1909 unit remembrance titled Under the Stars and Bars: A History of the Surrey Light Artillery, where, at the surrender the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox, the members decided to go home before being formally paroled. Some arrived home within a week while others arrived as long as three months later. The late arrivals happened to have run into Federal forces and, without a formal parole, the ended up as prisoners for a short period which extended their journey home. Little nuggets such as these make older unit histories a joy to read because you never know when you will run across one of these little known anecdotes. More recent unit histories

generally based on one or more primary source documents, ben-

efit from the interjection of add tional information by the editor inserted to both explain what the primary sources are referring to and to place these observations i context with the larger activitie of which the unit was a part, how ever unaware of, at the time the original observers were writing. A second group interested in unit histories is those who had relatives who fought with a particular unit or units. This group is especially interested in unit histories that included a detaile roster of members; everyone loves to see G.G. Granddaddy’s name in print. Sometimes, however, this does become a doubled edged sword when the relative’s service record is less than stellar. We once located a regimental history for a family who had always believed that their ancestor had been a hero who rode with JEB Stuart. In the roster, h was listed as having deserted jus before First Manassas and never returned. Needless to say, they didn’t buy the book.

A third group very interested in regiments are individuals who have a specific state or region i which they are interested and wil be looking for anything published on that state. The H.E. Howard series of Virginia unit histories still has a strong following and the books sell well at our store and at any east coast show due to their strong ties to the Army of Northern Virginia. This can also be said for most well-crafted publications of both Northern and Southern unit histories, such as the Broadfoot series on South Carolina regiments. As with all the other categories previously discussed, the quality of the author’s writing, research, and sub ject matter are major factors in why some volumes are initially hot sellers and tend to remain so over time. So what is Not Hot? One area to consider is the niche markets of interest that can have strong followings and do sell books, but not nearly as well as the pre vious categories. Probably the strongest niche market is for

reference books, especially at some shows more focused on

artifacts and dug relics. For conferences, the knowledge of the topic covered and the prospective audience plays a major part in how many and which volumes should be included for the event. For example, books dealing with the women who experienced the war and their perspectives might be a theme. This area includes such great books as A Diary from Dixie by Mary Boykin Chesnut or A Diary with Reminiscences of the War and Refugee Life . . ., by Mrs. Cornella McDonald. For a more recent look at women impacted by the war you have Caroline Janney’s excellent Burying the Dead but not the Past: Ladies’ Memorial Associations, and Lisa Frank’s The Civilian War: Confederate Women and Union Soldiers during Sherman’s March. Other niche markets are books dealing with prisoners of war both North and South, naval activities, both formal and informal, from blockading and blockade running to privateers, and political figures. There are also limited markets for areas such as intelligence/spying, medical and nursing, logistics, railroads, bot from an operational and maintenance perspective, military tactics, historical fiction, etc. Wha all these have in common is that well written and well documented books have a following and will sell in modest quantities, bu those that aren’t so readable have a tendency to find themselves on discount tables in short order, often with few takers. What else is Not Hot? One guide we can offer is a reading of

lishers, especially the university presses. They are full of books on class, gender, race, oppression, exploitation, revisionism, etc. Who buys these books? Maybe students of the author-professors, but they are definitely not big se ers in the current Civil War book market, to say the least, and this from hard experience of trying. So where do we find the best-selling, or hottest books, in these various categories right now. Well no doubt about it, New Books are chalking up the best sales figures these days. We used to simply sell used and rare, along with a few new titles, but no longer; today, new books represent the lion’s share of sales i the Civil War book market. For our buying, and for the reader, being able to find a good, critical, and objective book review on new material is a great ally to have, especially in your particular area of interest. Pleas pay close attention to Steve Davis and his excellent Critic’s Corner in this newspaper, as well as othe reviews by authors and historians for new titles, good and perhaps

not so good, as valuable guides as to what’s hot, and maybe not so hot in the world of publishing at this time. Some of the best publishers for our interests these days are Savas Beatie, (an especial pleasure to deal with), which has about 125 active Civil War titles. They also have more than 50 books in development on various Civil War topics; about 5-10 of those are expected to release during the remaining months of this year. Mercer University Press has a good number of new and high quality Civil War books on very interesting subjects and personalities in print, as does Louisiana State University Press which has just come out with Volume Five of Gordon Rhea’s magnificent campaign study on the 1864 Overland Campaign, and we predict it will be the hottest book of the year. University of North Carolina Press, which publishes many excellent works by Earl J. Hess, continues to be a rich resource for new material, as does the University of Tennessee Press, and several others that still publish notable Civil War studies. The Emerging Civil War series, published by Savas Beatie and edited by Chris Mackowski, is also an especially hot and popular growing batch of books right now. Brand new, signed, first editions will always be among the hottest books available at any given time in the Civil War book market. So what else is Hot? high end, antiquarian, Confederate, and Union memoirs, biographies, and unit histories, in Fine Condition still sell very well, and, at the same time, paradoxically, cheap books. Whenever we have a sale table going, say ten bucks each, buy five and get one free, we usually ignite a fire and sell copious amounts of books in all kinds of condition. It seems that these days, more than ever before, people are shopping for bargain basement prices. In closing, what all of us book dealers at shows or conferences hope for is to go home with fewer books than when we arrived. We have said many times, at least half seriously, that if someone were to come along and buy our entire event inventory, we would throw in our truck for free, with at least a half a tank of gas. Thi would then allow us to do the thing that we love doing almost as much as selling books, and that is to buy many more books. So the hunt continues, for that rare and out of print volume in somebody’s library, just waiting to be found again and brought back into the light, or for a totally n book, often by a new author, on a new subject, that is just hoping t be found and enjoyed by a totally new reader. Cheer