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Edward L. Ayers

Edward L. Ayers, a recipient of the National Humanities Medal, has won the Bancroft and Lincoln Prizes for his innovative histories of Civil War America. He is president emeritus of the University of Richmond, where he is executive director of New American History.

Edward L. Ayers

Awards

Winner — Bancroft Prize, 2004

Winner — Lincoln Prize, 2018

Shortlisted — Mark Lynton History Prize, 2018

Books by Edward L. Ayers

In the Presence of Mine Enemies: The Civil War in the Heart of America, 1859-1864
Edward L. Ayers
Paperback, 2004
Winner of the Bancroft Prize: Through a gripping narrative based on massive new research, a leading historian reshapes our understanding of the Civil War.
What Caused the Civil War?: Reflections on the South and Southern History
Edward L. Ayers
Paperback, 2006
“An extremely good writer, [Ayers] is well worth reading . . . on the South and Southern history.”—Stephen Sears, Boston Globe
The Thin Light of Freedom: The Civil War and Emancipation in the Heart of America
Edward L. Ayers
Hardback, 2017
Amid the devastation of war rise the first stirrings of freedom in this absorbing, ground-level narrative by an acclaimed historian.
The Thin Light of Freedom: The Civil War and Emancipation in the Heart of America
Edward L. Ayers
Paperback, 2018
Winner of the Lincoln Prize

A landmark Civil War history told from a fresh, deeply researched ground-level perspective.
In the Presence of Mine Enemies: The Civil War in the Heart of America, 1859-1864
Edward L. Ayers
E Book, 2014
Winner of the Bancroft Prize: Through a gripping narrative based on massive new research, a leading historian reshapes our understanding of the Civil War.
What Caused the Civil War?: Reflections on the South and Southern History
Edward L. Ayers
E Book, 2016
“An extremely good writer, [Ayers] is well worth reading . . . on the South and Southern history.”—Stephen Sears, Boston Globe
The Thin Light of Freedom: The Civil War and Emancipation in the Heart of America
Edward L. Ayers
E Book, 2017
Amid the devastation of war rise the first stirrings of freedom in this absorbing, ground-level narrative by an acclaimed historian.
American Visions: The United States, 1800-1860
Edward L. Ayers
Hardback, 2023
A leading historian’s absorbing narrative of America’s formative period, when voices of dissent and innovation challenged the nation
American Visions: The United States, 1800-1860
Edward L. Ayers
E Book
A leading historian’s absorbing narrative of America’s formative period, when voices of dissent and innovation challenged the nation
American Visions: The United States, 1800-1860
Edward L. Ayers
Paperback, 2024
A revealing history of the formative period when voices of dissent and innovation defied power and created visions of America still resonant today