Readex Civil War database reviewed in current Library Journal
In the April 15 issue of Library Journal, Gail Golderman and Bruce Connolly review nine collections of primary-source materials related to the American Civil War. Among these resources is The Civil War: Antebellum Period to Reconstruction—a thematic Readex collection created from multiple Archive of Americana collections. Here’s a brief excerpt from their newest e-reviews column:
"Reduced to its bare essentials, The Civil War: Antebellum Period to Reconstruction—with 150 newspapers from across the country, roughly 50,000 documents culled from the U.S. Congressional Serial Set, and 4,000 rare broadsides and ephemeral items—is a singularly impressive primary-source collection....there is a lot more here than the numbers alone convey.
"The broad geographic sweep of these newspaper titles puts the regional perspectives and regional biases necessary to comprehend the meaning of this period of American history at the researcher's disposal....
"The huge U.S. Congressional Serial Set is one of the underappreciated gems among all the publications of the federal government....
"Lavishly illustrated selections from American Broadsides & Ephemera give the researcher a means of exploring popular culture and personal sentiments of the time via songs, nursery rhymes, juvenile literature, letters, poems, concert programs, envelopes, and other unique materials of this time period.
"The main search page for this database is understated and cleanly organized for effective searching....
"Verdict: This massive and fascinating collection will readily meet the needs of student researchers as well as those of scholars working on highly sophisticated projects. Given the range of years covered and the wealth and variety of primary-source materials it includes, The Civil War: Antebellum Period to Reconstruction is likely the single most useful resource available on this subject."
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