The French and Indian War: Deciding the Fate of North America (P.S.)

This is a very well-written book, aimed at a general reader, as opposed to the historian. The book relies on previously published sources, so it covers no new ground, but it does cover the material in a very interesting, entertaining and highly readable manner. The book details not only the North American Aspects of the Seven Years War (the French and Indian War as it is known in North America), but also events in the Caribbean, plus a bit about the Fighting in India and Europe, but this latter material is only provided in the most sketchy manner.

I learned a lot about the war; why it was fought, how it was fought and its aftermath, but this is not an extremely detailed treatment. My main reservation is that I found the book deficient in some areas and, where I was familiar with the history, a bit misleading in other areas. For instance, many historians point to George Washington's fighting at Fort Defiance as marking the start of the war, yet this engagement is only mentioned and not discussed in any detail. Furthermore, the battle of Bunker (Breeds) hill is described as a British defeat; it was an American Moral Victory, a British Pyrrhic Victory, but definitely not a British Defeat. These, and other omissions and inaccuracies made me somewhat leery about the accuracy of the treatment, enough to down rate it to four-stars.

The book contains maps, which I always appreciate, but I would have liked to have had more, especially those that showed the relationship of the area being discussed to surrounding areas (which are mentioned in the text, but not shown) and still other maps that more clearly showed the fortifications and fighting in greater detail. The book also contains some black and white illustrations, but these are printed on the same rough paper as the text and are not clearly reproduced. In fact, some of the large paintings are reproduced so small that very little can be clearly seen, making their inclusion a largely waste of paper. On balance, the inclusion of maps and illustrations was a plus, but the way in which this was done, in my opinion, largely negated any benefit that they might have added to the book and did not alter my rating of the book.

My reservations not withstanding, I recommend this book as a basic treatment of the French and Indian war. A general reader will learn a lot. The writing is clear, not too academic (although there are footnotes and an index), and well-suited to a modern reader. The book also serves as a good introduction to the events that set the stage for the American War for Independence.