The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 58, July 1954 - April, 1955 Page: 582
650 p. : ill., maps (some col.), ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
undertake to examine. It is thought-provoking as well as informa-
tive and might well serve as an epitaph for an age.
MERRILL RIPPY
Lamar State College of Technology
The American Revolution, 1775-1783. By John Richard Alden.
New York (Harper and Brothers), 1954. Pp. xviii+294.
$5.00.
The appearance of the first volume of the new "American
Nation Series" gives the reader of American history the oppor-
tunity to witness the results of the fifty years of historical scholar-
ship since the appearance of the old series. While the volumes are
not appearing in the same order as did the events they portray,
the first of them gives evidence of being a more than adequate
replacement; the present work corresponds to the older history
by C. H. Van Tyne.
The chief difficulty in writing-or reviewing-a work of a
general nature, or even one on as broad a subject as the American
Revolution, is that the many volumes on the same topic soon
give a standardized aspect to the whole procedure. There are
seldom any startling discoveries to report and the writer or re-
viewer may be accused of quibbling when he attempts to revise
previous judgments on small matters. Despite this, Professor
Alden writes refreshingly and very wisely attempts no startling
transformations or exaggerated interpretations, although the ever-
present temptation of the military historian to judge blandly
that a certain regiment should have gone a certain way at a certain
time is sometimes difficult to resist.
Several accounts of the American Revolution have appeared
in recent years, some in more detail than Professor Alden's
volume, but the present work will hold its own among them and
fulfill its purpose with distinction. It has several outstanding
characteristics. It is written in an extremely clear and readable
style with no trace of journalistic or novelistic affectation. It is
organized logically. Too, partisanship is ignored and interpreta-
tion is judicious and analytical. And especially useful and re-
assuring is the extensive bibliography covering the major manu-
script guides, public records, personal journals, and newspaper582
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 58, July 1954 - April, 1955, periodical, 1955; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101158/m1/675/?rotate=270: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.