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The Boston Massacre First Edition

by Hiller B. Zobel (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 26 ratings
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  1. ISBN-10
    0393314839
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0393314830
  3. Edition
    First Edition
  4. Publisher
    W. W. Norton & Company
  5. Publication date
    April 17, 1996
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.8 x 8.3 inches
  8. Print length
    404 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"In hard, tight, and exact language, disciplined by close reasoning and close documentation, and seasoned with a sharp sense of character and drama, Hiller B. Zobel has written a definitive account. . . . Full of gripping detail, a good deal of myth-shattering, and some discriminating reappraisals." -Arthur B. Tourtellot, author of Lexington and Concord, in the New York Times Book Review

"Make[s] eighteenth-century courtroom scenes crackle with excitement."-Yale Review

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; First Edition (April 17, 1996)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 404 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0393314839
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393314830
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.13 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.3 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 26 ratings

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Hiller B. Zobel

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
26 global ratings
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1 Star
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Super disappointed that I ordered a new book and it came with a crease down the middle of the back of the book. If the product offered was said to be used than that’s one thing, but what I bought was new. Too bad
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Top reviews from the United States

Skip55
5.0 out of 5 stars Complete words of the Boston Massacre
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2016
Verified Purchase
Extremely well written. So many questions answered and so many questions answered I didn't know I had questions about. There are so many behind the details details in this book, the wonder is that so little of this is in the public awareness. What in I like most in this book is that he brought John Adams, the man, and the deeply caring person he was, out in clear light. Is there a man who stands so tall in history as John Adams?
One person found this helpful
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He-Man54
5.0 out of 5 stars The Boston Massacre by Hiller Zobel
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2012
Verified Purchase
This book by Zobel was a tremenduous read. The in-depth details about the Massacre was nothing like I had ever seen. I always assumed that there was nothing else to be said about the Boston Massacre when in fact there was more at play. You learn more about the proceedings for the trial of the British soldiers and much more...I recommend this over and over.
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Johnny Danger
4.0 out of 5 stars Go and get this book and you'll get the truth about the Massacre.
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2014
Verified Purchase
Zobel's book is an amazing accounting of all that led up to the Massacre, in addition to an excellent examination of the Massacre itself and the trials that followed. He doesn't try to paint the Sons of Liberty as heroes and the British soldiers and Crown loyalists as dogs. He simply presents them as they were by letting history tell itself. This is refreshing. The writing is complex due to the amount of information being given to the reader, so it'll take a little more time to read than one might be used to. However, it is very much worth it. Readability is the only thing holding this definitive work back from being 5-stars, and I will readily admit that I'm being nitpicky here. Highly recommended!
5 people found this helpful
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Peanut LaRue
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must read!
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2013
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A recommended companion to Archer's "As If An Enemy's Country", this volume offers an insightful perspective from an author who is a lawyer by practice. It introduces the differences between law as it was practiced then and now, but an in-depth look at the dynamics of the populace of Boston that supported the crown and those who were rising against being a colony.
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Mr. Mojangles
1.0 out of 5 stars Brand new book
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2024
Verified Purchase
Super disappointed that I ordered a new book and it came with a crease down the middle of the back of the book. If the product offered was said to be used than that’s one thing, but what I bought was new. Too bad
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Mr. Mojangles
1.0 out of 5 stars Brand new book
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2024
Super disappointed that I ordered a new book and it came with a crease down the middle of the back of the book. If the product offered was said to be used than that’s one thing, but what I bought was new. Too bad
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Henry R. Feldman
5.0 out of 5 stars History of the events leading up to th "Boston Massacre" and its aftermath.
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2013
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Great detail gives the reader an excellent understanding of the society in which the events take place. Well written and engaging throughout.
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Andrew Wyllie
5.0 out of 5 stars A Good History Of The Events Leading To The Boston Massacre With A Close Look At The Legal Issues
Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2017
This book was written by a lawyer (who later on became a judge) in the late 1960s and outlines the events leading up to the Boston Massacre and the trials that came after it. The author's focus is on the legal issues of the day and contrasts them with how they would be handled in modern day America. In spite of the legal focus, it still makes a good read and gives a view of all the major actors of the events and how each was involved in the coming of this tragic event.

While reading about the years leading up to the massacre, you can feel how the tension was building in Boston. First when several unpopular acts were passed by Parliament and then when troops were sent to enforce those acts and try to restore order to the city. As events unfold, you can feel how the local government is splintering into separate factions which may never be able to work together again smoothly. While the troops are there and greatly resented by the locals, they are unable to intervene as expected and become more and more of a liability to the government trying to hold onto control and restore order.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants the know the real events leading up to the massacre and who wants to see how the propaganda at the time and since have changed how it is viewed by people. It shows all sides of the conflict, the British governors and council members, the Sons of Liberty, and the military who is caught between them. As mentioned earlier, there is a lot of focus on the legal aspects involved and the used copy that I read had a lot of underlining of the legal parts of the book so it looks like that it what the previous owner of the book was using it for. The legal aspects are not overwhelming, but are decidedly there for consideration.
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Theo Logos
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating History Replacing Legend and Propaganda
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2004
With his book The Boston Massacre, Hiller B. Zobel presents a masterful piece of reasoned, historical research to dispel one of the great myths surrounding the beginnings of the American Revolution. Zobel writes, "The Boston Massacre, in short, is a part, not only of our national history, but of our national mythology. ...Not the least of the Massacre's attractions as an object of historic contemplation is the speed with which the men of 1770 (on both sides of the Atlantic and both sides of the political fence) recognized the mythological value of what happened in King Street." Layer by layer, Zoble peels away myth and propaganda surrounding that infamous event of March fifth, 1770, so that we can view it clearly, apart from any partisan spin. What remains is an incident with little resemblance to the legend most of us learned in school.
Zobel carefully and exhaustively explains the events that led up to the violence on King Street, and introduces us to all the principle players who influenced the drama. He details the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, and the Customs Duties, all of which stirred up anger and resentment in Boston, and he tells of the violence and the threat of violence that was used by Boston's radical elements to try to counter these acts. Most importantly, he explains why the British soldiers were in Boston in the first place. (The Massachusetts Colony had no provision for an armed civil police force, and when mob violence threatened the laws and the peace as they did during the protests of the Stamp Act and Custom Duties, the only legal recourse to counter it was a military presence.)
The picture of the Boston Massacre that emerges from Zobel's book is not the classic one of ruthless British soldiers callously firing on a peaceably gathered crowd of citizens as the legend has it. Rather, he paints a picture of frightened and confused troops, backed into a corner by an angry mob that already had a reputation for perpetuating violence, and firing in confusion rather than on order. The fact that the story came down to us in the form of the legend of righteous citizens attacked by evil soldiers owes much to the propaganda abilities of Samuel Adams, and little to facts as they happened.
Just as carefully as he explained the events leading up to the massacre, Zobel details its aftermath, most notably the trial of the soldiers who fired on the mob. As an Associate Professor of Law at Boston College Law School, Zobel is well qualified to understand and dissect this chapter of the drama, and he explains it clearly and concisely. He shows us why John Adams took on the defense of the British soldiers, and why he won his case. Through detailing the records of the trial, he leaves the popular legend of the massacre in shreds.
The Boston Massacre is an important book for understanding the events that ultimately brought the colonies to revolt. It is well researched, with a good bibliography. Zobel's writing is clear, and he has a knack for holding the reader's interest even through long and detailed passages. I would recommend this book to anyone with more than a passing interest in America's late colonial period and revolution - it will not disappoint them.

Theo Logos
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