This is turning out to be a good year for books that I’ve always wished somebody would write. Back in March we got the first full-scale study of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, and it was everything I’d hoped it would be.
Today I ran across another new book that I’m frantic to read, Kevin T. Barksdale’s The Lost State of Franklin: America’s First Secession. This is a fascinating chapter of early American history that’s gone unexamined for far too long, and I’m glad somebody’s finally putting out a detailed piece of research on it.
This baby just shot to the top of my reading list. Unfortunately, I’m neck-deep in class preparation, so it’ll be a while before I can dive in. I’ll let you know what I think.
There’s a very brief review of this book in the Knoxville News Sentinel that may be of interest to your readers…
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/jun/14/book-notes/
Also, the Tennessee Historical Society has on its schedule a Spring 2010 Reading and Discussion Group featuring Dr. Barksdale (dates to be announced)…
http://www.tennesseehistory.org/programschedule.htm
Like you, I’m looking forward to reading this book.
Thanks for the tip!
–ML
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