Drawing on decades of experience in the field, historians Cimbala (Fordham Univ.) and Miller (St. Joseph's Univ.) have put together a brief but comprehensive overview of the Northern home front during the Civil War, from the secession crisis to the transition to peace. The book is organized topically; each chapter is essentially a self-contained overview of its subject. Topics run the gamut from secession to conscription, pastimes to war production, and all are adequately if briefly covered. Brevity is, indeed, the only mark against the book. Each of these topics could be a volume in itself (and, of course, many are); Cimbala and Miller's previous editorial collaboration, Union Soldiers and the Northern Home Front (2002), also covered similar ground. Updated scholarship and an excellent bibliographic essay make the current volume worth the price (though an actual bibliography would help graduate students who are preparing for comprehensive exams). In all, a worthwhile purchase, handsomely produced and well written. Summing Up: Recommended. All academic levels/libraries. --Brian Edward Donovan, University of Iowa