Gettysburg Books

I echo Drew’s thanks to Brett Schulte for co-ordinating the multi-blog project on top-ten Gettysburg books.  It will be interesting to see all the selections laid out – something I believe Brett is working on (UPDATE: here’s Brett’s list).  It looks like four of my selections (Busey & Martin, Reardon, Imhof and Coco) made at least one of the other lists, which I admit is two more books than I expected.  The remaining six found no love from the others.  Happily (or disturbingly), with the exception of four I own all the titles mentioned.

I noticed that most of my fellows seemed to put more weight on the importance of the books in gaining an understanding of the battle – kind of a suggested reading list approach – than perhaps did I.  I recognize that Coddington wrote the Gettysburg bible, and was one third of the holy trinity of Bachelder/Coddington/Pfanz.  But I surely didn’t enjoy reading his book and doubt I will ever put myself through that again – especially all that flipping to his vitally important notes.  My list put more emphasis on favorite than on best.  Maybe that was the coward’s way out, but I can live with it.