Thomson Advantage Books: American Passages: History of the United States, Compact, Volume I: to 1877 - Softcover

Edward L. Ayers is the Hugh P. Kelly Professor of History and Dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Virginia. He was educated at the University of Tennessee and Yale University, where he received his Ph.D. in American Studies. Ayers was named National Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation and the Council for the Support of Education in 2003. His book, IN THE PRESENCE OF MINE ENEMIES: WAR IN THE HEART OF AMERICA, 1859-1863 (2003) won the Bancroft Prize for distinguished work on the history of the United States. THE PROMISE OF THE NEW SOUTH: LIFE AFTER RECONSTRUCTION (1992) won prizes for the best book on the history of American race relations and on the history of the American South. It was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. He is the coeditor of THE OXFORD BOOK OF THE AMERICAN SOUTH (1997) and ALL OVER THE MAP: RETHINKING AMERICAN REGIONS (1996). The World Wide Web version of "The Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the American Civil War," was recognized by the American Historical Association as the best aid to the teaching of history. His latest book is WHAT CAUSED THE CIVIL WAR? REFLECTIONS ON THE SOUTH AND SOUTHERN HISTORY (2005).

"'American Passages presents a more highly integrated message of themes and ideas. It is a text that builds on itself using multiple formats, while others'seem to only have disparate elements. One of its greatest strengths is its narrative and the degree of integration between the images, extra passages, and maps. This text, more so than the vast majority on the market, is integrated to a degree that is meaningful and productive; IT WILL FACILITATE LEARNING."

"The strong narrative style is exceptional, and does not bog the reader down with tedious detail. It is well written and flows easily from topic to topic, weaving the facts together. ' In addition to the obvious careful scholarship and research apparent in this text, I found it to be extremely readable, and often lively in its presentation. This is important for the student who comes reluctantly to the study of history, as well as those who come with a passion for it."

"The narrative cohesion of the various chapters is by far the greatest strength of American Passages. I would recommend this text to a colleague, and in so doing, I would emphasize the engaging nature of the text rendered so by the richness of its narrative. The document and photo features of each chapter are creative and stimulating and effectively compliment narrative content. The book's content organization and chapter layout more-or-less parallel other textbooks'. American Passages, though, links disparate content within and between chapters more lucidly than I have noticed in other texts."

"Quite frankly this is a wonderful text. I have used it in the past and I will definitely use it again. It is one of the best written texts on the market. Students find it easy to read and very understandable. ' It is amazing how the authors can cover such complex issues without making value judgments. It provides the student with a good look at what happened in America and allows the student to make up his or her own mind to whether or not it was a good or bad thing."

"I think [students] will be engaged by the clear narrative style. I think it is written perfectly for my students (who all too often hate to read and seem to look for chances to tune out if confused by the text). Though I didn't find it to be "dumbed down", I thought that my average students will find it much more clear than [another text]."