Bud Hannings

Thw war of 1812 is a completely, thorough in all ways, recounting of all the events that made up the war. The chronology covers everything - including the run-up to the war, starting in 1803, and runs through 1816. It's a dense book, and I wouldn''t recommend trying to read it cover to cover, instead reading bits and pieces and enjoying it over a period of time. My only complaint is the triple column formatting which makes it a nuisance to read. All in all, a great resource covering a war that often gets neglected.… (meer)

Bud Hannings' The War of 1812, a comprehensive chronology of events from 1803 through 1816, is a handsome volume of solid and interesting factual details. I found the introduction which covers world events in the years leading up to this time period to be particularly interesting; and the line drawings make this an attractive and classy book. It's not one that I would ever attempt to read cover to cover, not least because of the tiny print, but I have enjoyed opening the book at random and reading about events of that day. A highly recommended reference for everyone.… (meer)

Hanning's The War of 1812 is a reference volume that provides a day by day account of newsworthy activity starting with preliminary events as far back as 1803 and ending with Indiana's 1816 admission to the union. Included are biographies of 63 generals and prominent colonels. Oddly missing are some pretty prominent admirals, however. Since intrusion of British sea power at the expense of American sovereignty was among the prime causes of this war, the omission is curious indeed.

Major engagements are illustrated by often hard to read maps. Text is encyclopaedic in nature, Hanning offers no commentary or opinion of his own. This book is a useful accompaniment to other books on the subject, and it would have been useful when I was doing research for wargames based on this conflict. Fortunately, this book arrived just as was reading another book on the War of 1812, and I enjoyed using it as a companion. By itself its a little dry, but if you need to dig deeper while reading a narrative history on the subject, this is a nice book to have.… (meer)