EYEWITNESS TO AMERICAN HISTORY

By James A. Crutchfield
202 pages, illustrated, softcover: $16.95

Reviewed by Bill Scurlock

    Jim Crutchfield has been writing the "Eyewitness to History" column in MUZZLELOADER since 1990, and I've been told by many readers that Jim's column is one of the first they turn to each issue. "Eyewitness to History," the column, was developed by Jim to highlight an historical event by letting the original chroniclers of the event describe it, rather than writing it all from his own modern viewpoint. Jim simply introduces an event, then steps back and allows the eyewitness to tell the story in his own words.
    Jim's new book, Eyewitness to American History, is a collection of 35 of these articles arranged in chronological order. Beginning in 1590 with "Roanoke Island's Lost Colony" and ending in 1859 with "Captain Marcy's Guidebook," these pieces describe pivota1 events in our nation's history or, more simply, shed light on some interesting aspect of life at the time they were written. All of the episodes share a common thread however. As Crutchfield states in his introduction, "They are all described by an eyewitness who had sources of information at hand that modern-day researchers can never hope to duplicate."
Those of you who are new subscribers will want this book so you can catch up on the columns you missed. Even longtime subscribers will enjoy having this collection at hand in book form. As editor, I had already read all of these at least twice the first time we printed them in MUZZLELOADER. Yet when the book came out, I thoroughly enjoyed reading each episode again.
    Please include $3.00 for shipping and handling. Tamarack Books, Inc., P.O. Box 190313, Boise, ID 83719-0313. Phone: 800-962-6657.