The American Pageant: A History of the Republic, 12th Edition

Rating:
Summary: American History at its Finest
Review: The American Pageant is absolutely the most engrossing and readable history textbook. This textbook presents all important facets of American History lucidly and concisely, combining essential facts with intelligent commentary, and more often than not, it features downright funny anecdotes and/or quips, which we soon dubbed "Pageantisms" in our AP class. I still remember how the book described the general public opinion of President Chester A. Arthur when he took office after President James Garfield was shot: he was considered nothing more than a "foppish dandy." What exactly a foppish dandy is, I'm not entirely sure, but the fact that my history book contained the words "foppish dandy" was enough to elicit a chuckle from myself, and to compel me to continue reading about this lesser-known president. For all critics out there who would say that such information in a history textbook of an AP course is silly, unneeded, and takes away from the must-know information at hand, I say you are wrong; it's entertaining asides such as this that make a history student such as myself have a desire to learn. A boring textbook that vomits facts at you can't provoke such desire. This is why the American Pageant shines; this is why the American Pageant is the best textbook for AP United States History out there. And if you're still skeptical, the American Pageant is largely responsible (my AP U.S. teacher also, but he's not for sale on Amazon) for my earning a 5 on the AP Exam. Take that, critics.

Rating:
Summary: The best textbook I ever read
Review: I'm 32 now and this was my AP US History book in high school. I'm thinking about buying it and reading it again, as a refresher and a pleasure. The satirical quips made it a joy the first time around, and I still remember charming phrases like "Nebrascals" and Martin van Buren being a "veritable steam engine in breeches." I remember about nothing from the rest of my high school and college textbooks. The authors find their subject grand, tragic and humorous, and that's the way they present it. Even if you think the style is inappropriate, you remember what is said. Perhaps it's even gotten under your skin enough for you to spout about it online for fifteen minutes instead of cracking open a bag of Doritos and firing up the Playstation. I'd say that's a colossal achievement when it comes to high school textbooks. And in case you're concerned that the relevent facts are missing, I got a 5 on my AP test.