In this H-net review, our book Tariffs, Blockades, and Inflation: The Economics of the Civil War, is both attacked (no surprising) and recommended (all to the good):
In short, Tariffs, Blockades, and Inflation lacks historical perspective. However, I do not believe this comment will offend the authors. They show repeated contempt for historians and the process of historical research, an unfortunate trend amongst economists who write about the past. Recently, Peter Coclanis lamented that the field of economic history had deteriorated because of the “internal sniping and skirmishing” between historians and economists.[8]
This book perpetuates this disagreeable trend. However, you may want to add it to your course list. Short books appeal to students, and the authors’ pugnacious tone will invigorate your seminar discussions. Thornton and Ekelund also provide a straightforward introduction to the Beard school of economic determinism. Few contemporary scholars present such a forthright Beard approach, so this gives instructors a great historiographical opportunity. Just be prepared to answer the questions your better students will ask.
