Initially published between 1970 and 2012, the essays in
Approaching Civil War and Southern History span almost the entirety of William J. Cooper’s illustrious scholarly career and range widely across a broad spectrum of subjects in Civil War and southern history. Together, they illustrate the broad scope of Cooper’s work. While many essays deal with his well-known interests, such as Jefferson Davis or the secession crisis, others are on lesser-known subjects, such as Civil War artist Edwin Forbes and the writer Daniel R. Hundley. In the new introduction to each chapter, Cooper notes the essay’s origins and purpose, explaining how it fits into his overarching interest in the nineteenth-century political history of the South. Combined and reprinted here for the first time, the ten essays in
Approaching Civil War and Southern History reveal why Cooper is recognized today as one of the most influential historians of our time.
O autorze
William J. Cooper is the author of
Jefferson Davis, American, winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, as well as numerous other books, including
The Lost Founding Father: John Quincy Adams and the Transformation of American Politics. He is Boyd Professor of History Emeritus at Louisiana State University.