Civil War Times Magazine Reviews "Lincoln's Labels"!

It's hard to put into words how gratifying (and humbling) it was to see that Civil War Times magazine - the "grand-daddy" of all Civil War enthusiast publications - published a review of my first book, Lincoln's Labels: America's Best Known Brands and the Civil War, in their October 2009 issue, which is in subscriber's hands now and should be on newsstands soon.

It's all the more gratifying because the review was written by Jason Emerson, an author/historian whose work I really admire. His books include The Madness of Mary Lincoln and Lincoln: The Inventor (which I reviewed several months ago in a blog post). Jason has several other works in progress, including a biography of Robert Lincoln. You can learn more about him at his website, here.

Excerpts:

"[The] business end of the war and its personal ramifications - previously overlooked in the vast literature - is now the subject of an utterly original and fascinating book, Lincoln's Labels: America's Best Known Brands and the Civil War, by James M. Schmidt...

"Schmidt's book is a combination of military and business history that examines the war from a refreshing perspective...As such it opens up history to readers and enthusiasts of topics beyond the battles and personalities of the war..."

Needless to say, I appreciate Jason Emerson's positive assessment of the book, and also appreciate the fact that Civil War Times saw fit to publish the review.

It makes the hard work - such as it is - worthwhile, and inspires me to work harder still, all the while enjoying reading, researching, writing, and speaking about the Civil War and understanding fully that it is a privilege to see my work in print.

Read more reviews of Lincoln's Labels here:

Brett Schulte - TOCWOC
James Durney (also at TOCWOC!)
Rea Andrew Redd - The Civil War Librarian
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Andrew Wagenhoffer - Civil War Books and Authors
Michael Aubrecht - Pinstripe Press
Reader TestimonialAdvance Praise/Blurbs