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Book Notes Hand Down Unharmed: Olmsted Files on Birmingham Parks, 1920–1925. Edited by Marjorie L. White and Katherine M. Tipton. Birmingham: Birmingham Historical Society, 2007. xxi, 426 pp. $30.00. ISBN 9780 -943994-32-1. From 1920 to 1925 the Olmsted Brothers Landscape Architects firm worked with officials from the city of Birmingham to establish a number of local public parks. The Olmsted Brothers was the most respected firm in the country at the time, having designed park systems for Boston, Chicago, Seattle, and other major cities. Much of the correspondence in this collection is between Olmsted Brothers and the Birmingham Park Board. According to the preface, the editors chose to focus on the early 1920s because this was the “period of the firm’s most active engagement in making park recommendations” (p. ix). Birmingham’s rapid growth during the first two decades of the twentieth century prompted city officials such as M. P. Phillips to purchase and preserve some of the city’s most scenic property in the form of public parks. This book is a tribute to that effort. The Life of Johnny Reb: The Common Soldier of the Confederacy. By Bell Irvin Wiley. Updated edition. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2008. 444 pp. $21.95. ISBN 978-0-8071-3325-5. Wiley’s classic study of the common soldier was originally published in 1943. At the time, the bulk of scholarly studies of the Civil War focused primarily on the generals and other high-ranking officers. Wiley’s study was the first to examine the daily life of the common Confederate soldier—camp life, victuals, entertainment, the experience of battle, disease, and many other areas of interest. Readers will find that Wiley’s soldiers were deeply religious with close family ties and constant thoughts of home. The common soldier was at first excited and eager to fight, but by the end of the conflict he was weary and despondent. Wiley also addresses the complex issue of desertion and the myriad reasons that soldiers abandoned their units. This book remains an excellent source for professional historians and general readers alike. The London Confederates: The Officials, Clergy, Businessmen, and Journalists Who Backed the American South during the Civil War. By John D. Bennett. Jefferson, N. C.: McFarland and Company, 2008. v, 206 pp. $55.00. ISBN 978-0-7864-3056-7. Despite the enormous amount of literature on the T H E A L A B A M A R E V I E W 160 Civil War, relatively few scholarly works have documented the history of Confederate foreign policy. John D. Bennett’s study of Confederate activities in London partially redresses this imbalance. The author not only covers the familiar topic of British diplomatic recognition of the Confederacy, but also addresses lesser-known themes like espionage, business associations, and British art and literature devoted to the Civil War. The book includes information on William Lowndes Yancey’s diplomatic tenure, Henry Hotze’s (former associate editor of the Mobile Register) Confederate propaganda war, and Caleb Huse’s efforts to secure supplies and munitions for the Confederate Army. The book includes numerous illustrations, appendices, a chronology, an informative gazetteer, and a bibliography. The Papers of Andrew Jackson: Volume VII, 1829. Edited by Daniel Feller, Harold D. Moser, Laura-Eve Moss, and Thomas Coens. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2007. xxix, 826 pp. $79.00. ISBN 978-157233 -593-6. The seventh volume of Andrew Jackson’s papers provides a glimpse into his first year as president of the United States. Jackson’s elation following his defeat of John Quincy Adams in the 1828 presidential election quickly turned to mourning upon the death of his wife Rachel in December, just weeks before his official inauguration. This volume includes primary sources pertaining to the Peggy Eaton affair, Indian removal , Martin Van Buren, the Bank of the United States, foreign affairs, and Jackson’s presidential cabinet. Readers interested in Alabama history will find this volume particularly informative on Jackson’s relations with the Creek and Cherokee Indians—correspondence between the various Indians nations, Jackson, and government agents regarding treaties and Indian removal policy is especially...

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