Letters To The Editor

Originally published April 2018 · p. 2

TO THE EDITOR: Needless to say, I very much enjoy Civil War News. I subscribe to a number of publications, many of which I put to the side upon their delivery. Not so with CWN. I read it the day of delivery. It’s a riveting publication. Merritt Roe Smith Cambridge, Mass. TO THE EDITOR: I very much enjoyed your March issue, which was full of varied and interesting articles— something for everyone. It was encouraging to read the article on the Dalton Civil War Show, which indicated that interest in the Civil War is on the upswing. I do wonder though whether that assessment includes the younger generation? Well done articles on the White House of the Confederacy and the Confederate Civil War Museum in Charleston. I have visited the former and will put the latter on my bucket list. Perhaps my monthly favorite, your book review section, contained some overlooked books and even surprises. The highly critical review of The Republic for Which It Stands by Richard White took me by surprise given the positive reviews it has enjoyed in national publications. Still, it is important that contrary views such as those expressed by your passionate reviewer be given a forum and then let readers of the book make their own assessment. Steve Davis’ fascinating essay on Richard Harwell’s In Tall

Cotton breathed life into an overlooked classic that might cause some to give it a second look rather than write it off as “outdated.” Finally, it is a bit rare to see a review of a book in its new paperback version 12 years after publication in hardback form. So, I applaud the insightful review of While in the Hands of the Enemy: Military Prisons of the Civil War by Charles Sanders. The review is helpful for newer Civil War students to discover this work and for older students such as myself who realize after 25 years of reading that we have missed out on reading books on certain aspects of the war that are worthy of our time. I promptly ordered a copy! Keep up the good work! John B. Sinclair Baltimore, Md. TO THE EDITOR: I wondered about some of your statements in the Dalton show article. I have been setting up at book shows for more than 25 years. I once again did Mike Kent’s 3 most recent Civil War shows. In fact, I am one of the few “regular” book dealers at shows. My sales were a bit better than the last couple of years, but were far from the more traditional levels of the past. My view: People no longer attend Civil War shows to buy books. Yes, online sales are up, but most of my sales come one at a time off my web site, Amazon or Abebooks. Few of the buyers are true collectors. I figure 85% of my sales are online and only about 5% come through shows any longer. I am also an author. My sales personally will soon have a new test when my latest book, An Aide to Custer, is published in a few weeks. The upcoming Mansfield show will be a great test for what will be my 15th book. FYI: I have been a journalist for nearly 50 years. I enjoy your publication, but is it more “newsoriented” or “PR-oriented?” From a news standpoint, I would view as less important the number of tables and dealers present or even the crowd size. Instead, how did the dealers do? Also, what was the actual attendance this year and in the past? The story needed concrete details. Sales for this one book dealer still weren’t as impressive as 10 to 15 years ago! How many people attended way back then? Sorry, that’s the journalist in me! Sandy Barnard Wake Forest, N.C.