William J Phalen: 5 books

In 1846, political economist Karl Marx wrote that “without cotton, you have no modern industry.” Indeed, before the American Civil War, cotton brought wealth, power and prosperity to both America and Europe. Giant industries in the northern U.S., extensive shipping networks up and down the Atlantic...

Before the Civil War, Coney Island boasted a beach, a dozen small hotels with ramshackle bathhouses, some chowder stands and a few saloons. After the war, it was taken over by powerful individuals who made its 0.7 square miles a domain of the wealthy. By 1905, with the population of New York City...

By definition, a mercenary is a person who fights for personal gain or money instead of fighting for the ideological interests of a country. Since this individual also could serve in several foreign army’s, he could also be considered a professional soldier. Gustave Cluseret does not fit into this...

Friends sometimes have problems with one another, the reasons are myriad, because after all, they are human beings and therefore subject to all of humanities foibles, and since that is the case, if two people can have a disagreement, so can two nations. This book relates the situation between two...

Invented in the 1830’s, the telegraph soon became indispensable. By 1851 there were more than 50 companies providing telegraphic service in the United States alone. The telegraph played a pivotal role in warfare beginning with the American Civil War, featured prominently in the creation of the first...