for michael smith only

CHOOSING A BOOK- THE BOOK I CHOOSE IS THE RISE AND FALL OF THE AMERICAN WHIG PARTY

\Choose a book from the Further Readings Section in the Appendix at the end of the textbook. The original edition of the book you choose must have been published since 1990, and it must be a monograph. What is a monograph? It is a book written on a specific subject by a single author. It is not a collection of essays edited by an author, not a memoir by someone who took part in the events, not a collection of documents (primary sources) edited by an author, and not a general history of America in any given period. Choose your book carefully, and clear it with the professor before you start reading it! The book you choose also must have numbered footnotes or endnotes and it must concern a subject in your American history course, either HY 1301 Before 1877 or HY 1302 After 1877.

Once you have tentatively chosen your book, you must locate one scholarly review of that book before you begin reading it. Your review must be complete, and it must be at least three paragraphs in length. Good sources for reviews of books are the American Historical Review, the Journal of American History, The New York Times Book Review and The New York Review of Books. Many book reviews are conveniently indexed in "America: History and Life" (available online or in paper form at most college libraries. Ask the librarian at the reference desk.) The reviews in CHOICE come out first but are too short (150 words) to be used for this assignment. If you find an abstract that looks interesting, order the entire book review on interlibrary loan!