National Geographic Almanac of American History

by James Miller, John M. Thompson

Featuring stunning images, revealing maps, historic facts, and concise analysis, the National Geographic Almanac of American History is carefully balanced to provide readers with a deeper comprehension of United States history. The Almanac is unparalleled in its reader-friendly format: the book's four major sections are enhanced by a thorough table of contents, a detailed index, and bibliography, plus a feature on how to use the book. Section 1 explores America's geologic makeup and answers the question, "How was the land responsible for the way in which America developed?" Milestones comprise section 2: Twelve essays discuss how America evolved to become the global leader it is today. Section 3 covers the major eras in America's history, beginning with the earliest Native Americans. The final section of the book covers: Leaders, Wars, Religion and Beliefs, Presidents, and finally, Milestone Documents, including the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Gettysburg Address, and more. With an introduction by Hugh Ambrose, historian and a founding director of The National D-Day Museum, the National Geographic Almanac of American History is a timely and essential resource that every American should own.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Reference

384 pages, Hardcover

First published December 6, 2005

About the author

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Reviews

[James S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A serviceable overview of the subject, if rather forgettable and generically written. One thing I hadn't known about - the MS Saint Louis, a ship carrying Jews trying to leave Europe that was turned away from the US. Hundreds of people on board were murdered in the Holocaust later on.

[Jenny T · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is formatted as a collection of essays, each of which gives a good overview, but leaves some questions unanswered. I'm still not really sure what happened in World War I. I love the appendix replete with lists. Here I read about some things I'd heard about, but never studied in much depth, such as the sad Trail of Tears, the Israeli/Middle East conflict. I thought the tone was fairly unbiased, presentation was balanced, and no ideology was detected. There was a good integration of timelines, close-ups, and narrative. It's semi-outdated, as it ends with President Bush Jr, up to his first term, but I like the good summaries.

[April Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, though you need a dictionary for many adjectives and the occasional important word. I consider myself an average to above average reader and had a great deal of difficulty understanding some sections. Just glossing over most of the words you don’t know, you can still enjoy it as written. Those words may add shades of meaning, yet you lose other meanings and connections by taking the time to look their meaning up.