The Red Badge of Courage (Collector's Library)

The Red Badge of Courage (Collector's Library)

by Stephen Crane

Overview

The Red Badge of Courage is regarded by many as one of the finest of all American novels. It tells the story of one soldier's experience of a battle in the American Civil War, and presents warfare in a direct, impressionistic way that was startlingly innovative at the time, and continues to influence writers today. The hero of the tale is Henry Fleming, a youth who has enlisted in the Union army, seduced by dreams of military glory, but who discovers that real warfare is very different from what he has read about in books. From his nervousness before the battle, to the upheavals, terrors and thrills of conflict, we see events through Henry's eyes, thus giving a particularly vivid sense of what a soldier goes through. Long a favorite of school children, The Red Badge of Courage fully deservers its status as a classic work of American literature.

Stephen Crane was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1871, the youngest son of a Methodist minister. After failing to settle at a university, Crane moved to New York where he worked as a journalist and wrote his first novel Maggie: A Girl of the Streets in 1893. His second novel, The Red Badge of Courage, was far more successful, critically and commercially, and after its publication in 1895, he traveled as a newspaper correspondent to Mexico, to Cuba, and to Greece. In 1897 he settled in England, where he met Joseph Conrad and Henry James. He died in Germany in 1900, aged twenty-eight.

The handsome volumes in The Collectors Library present great works of world literature in a handy hardback format. Printed on high-quality paper and bound in real cloth, each complete and unabridged volume has a specially commissioned afterword, brief biography of the author and a further-reading list. This easily accessible series offers readers the perfect opportunity to discover, or rediscover, some of the world's most endearing literary works.

The volumes in The Collector's Library are sumptuously produced, enduring editions to own, to collect and to treasure.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780760750889
Publisher: Sterling Publishing
Publication date: 03/04/2004
Series: Barnes & Noble Collector's Library
Edition description: Pocket-Sized Unabridged Edition
Pages: 208
Product dimensions: 4.18(w) x 5.82(h) x 0.55(d)

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The Red Badge of Courage 3.5 out of 5 based on 0 ratings. 275 reviews.
mothman More than 1 year ago
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane is a classic. It is about Henry Fleming, a country boy, in 1863 that joined the Union side of the Civil War. This book is awesome. The author really knows how to write. This book makes you feel like you are in the war. The action is the best I have read. It is definitely an easy but fun read. It really summarizes the Civil War experience. The men in this have a lot of courage. It is like Stephen Crane was in the war. It is sad to read that Henry sees a lot of his friends die in the battle. You find out in that time war was very hard. There was a lot of difficulty getting around. It is amazing that these people could do this, but they did not give up. This book shows that we are the bravest of them all. The Battles take place in Chancellorsville, WV. War books are my favorite, and that is why I read this book. I suggest this book for young readers that like action and war. This amazing book should be in every library in the world because it is so good. This is one of the best books I ever read.
Michelle Winters More than 1 year ago
This book takes you on an adventure. The author clearly describes the battlefield and at one point i felt as if i was in the book. There was some old sayings and some different words but it really isnt hard to figure out. I strongly recommend this book to any civil war freak like me.
Nico16 More than 1 year ago
I thought this book was interesting. The writing in it was definitely different from any other book I have ever read. At sometimes it was difficult, other times it could be too descriptive, and other times it was just confusing to the point that you had to read it a second time. If you could understand it, there were parts that were actually very good. Personally, i thought the characters were very well created, and i liked the ways that they changed at the end of the book. I wouldn't recommend the book, but if you are up for a challenge, give it a shot.
wesleym More than 1 year ago
This amazing book that I read is called The Red Badge of Courage. This is a good historical fiction book by Stephen Crane. This book is interesting because of the battles that the main character goes through. Henry Fleming, the main character of this book, is a country boy. He is sensitive, and he is also confused about the war. There is another character in the story. In the story he is called tall soldier. The setting of this story is during the Civil War, it doesn't give a particular date, but I'm guessing it's around 1861 - 1865 or so. It is also set in a southern state. This book is about bravery and courage. It is this because Henry has to have bravery and courage while he's in the war, because of all the battles. Henry Flemings signed up for the army at the beginning of the story. He then was accepted to the army. He then went into many battles. At one of the battles he tried to run away because he got scared. After that he had to march for a really long time to go to another battle. Then most of his friends he got in the army were all being killed. Three of them were stabbed. I thought this book was pretty cool. I liked the book mostly because of the battles he goes into, it makes it exiting. The only thing I didn't like about the book was it was kind of boring in some parts.
Aidda More than 1 year ago
As far as classic literature goes this is one of the more engaging. The entirety of the book takes place on and between battlefields. Some people will claim the book has no plot but more experienced readers will find that the conflict lies within the narrator himself. The book combines elements of the struggle within our own minds to protect ourselves and do what we¿re suppose to with the physical struggles of war. This literature will probably not be as enjoyable to readers who don¿t wanting to dig any deeper than surface deep into the book, but for those that do the novel holds some very interesting things to muse on.

The real story is father down than skin deep if the reader is willing to look.
NotAustin More than 1 year ago
The Red Badge of Courage, a book written by Stephen Crane tells us about a young boy who decides to fight in the American Civil War. The story revolves around a farm boy named Henry Fleming. Dreaming of the glory of war, he recklessly enrolls to join the 304th Regiment and is confronted with the hardships of battle. At first Henry is doubting whether or not he will run from a confrontation with the opposing Confederates. Unfortunately, Henry runs away from his first battle after thinking it was the smart move to do. The soldiers who stayed behind ended up winning, underscoring the cowardice of Henry. He ends up running into a forest, and witnessed the death of a soldier in his regiment. With the dying thirst to prove himself, Henry has an internal conflict within himself. He fights with courage and valor the next battle and distinguishes himself as one of the best fighters in his regiment. His commanding lieutenant comments that if he had 10,000 wildcats like him, they could win the war in a week. I have mixed views about this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, themes, and symbols that are conveyed throughout the book. I dislike the sudden difficulty of vocabulary and understanding the concept of the book proved to be a challenging endeavor. One part of the plot I enjoyed was the time when Henry went all out during his second battle and took down many foes. His lieutenant even commended him on his awesome talent. One of the themes in the book is courage. Henry believes that he will be honored greatly for his courage if he joins the war efforts against the Confederate states. He joins the war blindly without second thought and greatly worries his mother. Last but not least, a symbol that is highlighted in this story is when Henry encounters the dead man in the forest. This symbolizes that even though the man died in battle, he is not even given any recognition for his actions. This proves that Henry's original reason to join the war is invalid.
yearningtoread More than 1 year ago
Henry Fleming, a young man who joined the army against his mother's wishes, wants to know the meaning of courage. He wants to be brave, to fight in the war and be honored for his love for his country. But then come the doubts, the rage, the fear. And Henry, the youth, must learn the hard way what it really means to wear the red badge of courage. It's a short novel, and beautifully crafted and written and built, but it's not an easy read, per se. (I want to read it again soon because I had a to read it a little fast for my liking in order to get my homework done.) Most of the characters have names, but Crane tends to use their character handles in reference to them. Henry is most often referred to as "the youth." There is the "tall soldier," "the loud soldier," etc. This is a very original and - I found - fascinating way to identify the characters, but for a reader who is not used to reading like that, it is more difficult and takes more time. Crane also uses many metaphors to describe the battefields and what "the youth" is feeling. He also uses a lot of color. And while this makes for a beautiful story with beautiful illustrations, it is a bit harder to follow. But don't let that stop you. By all means, read this book. What fasinated me most about it was the way I felt while reading it. I could picture everything perfectly. The battlescenes flowed from beginning to end, ever deathly and beautiful all in one. I almost felt like I was reading in slow motion. I could picture "the youth" scrambling in the field, avoiding every bullet and tumbling into the trees in fright. I was there, among the soldiers. I was fighting and killing and brandishing a weapon. I saw the battles in a three dimensional whirl-wind of color, with bullets singeing my face and debris cutting my skin.
Anonymous More than 1 year ago
This is one of the best books I have ever read. If you are like me and love military novels you will love this book. As soon as you pick up this book you will be lost in the journey and history of the civil war. In this book you fallow a young man that comes into the store a week little boy but at end he comes out a strong man. If you think you will never de strong you should read this book and you will soon change your mind. This book would be best for teens or adults.
RyanF More than 1 year ago
This novel puts a great emphasis on it's protagonists thoughts and feelings throughout the battles which makes it easily readable and a great choice for literary essays. The work is an essential American classic and I would recommend it to any adult or teen.
chevy3000 More than 1 year ago
The Red Badge Of Courage is a great book.I recommend this book to any 7th grader, it's easy to read and if you like books about wars this is the book for you
BilleBoi More than 1 year ago
I found this book to be a little hard to follow when the characters are talking, but overall, it was entertaining. There were some suspenseful moments, boring parts, and parts that just made no sense at all.
Anonymous More than 1 year ago
Best book ever i love it highly recommened
Anonymous More than 1 year ago
I+am+glad+I+took+the+time+to+read+this+book.I+felt+drawn+in+to+the+tale+of+a+young+soldier+on+a+battlefield.
vanishext on LibraryThing More than 1 year ago
It is a great classic if you like stories about courage in battle.
hemlokgang on LibraryThing More than 1 year ago
Rite of passage? Ideal v. reality? Historical fiction? This novella has all of those. Stephen Crane wrote this story in 1895 without ever having fought in battle. Somehow he still creates this vivid account of young Henry as he arrives to fight for the first time in the American Civil War. Powerful story.
yardchicken2 on LibraryThing More than 1 year ago
Painful to read. I know it's a classic. I know it is historically relevant. I still think it sucks.
Adelaide1 on LibraryThing More than 1 year ago
I love Crane's use for metaphors in this book, because they completely make sense with war and everything that's going on.
allen1993 on LibraryThing More than 1 year ago
About a young union soldier who ran from battle during the civil war. This book taught me the importance of forgiving yourself and others.
NovelBookworm on LibraryThing More than 1 year ago
Since I didn't remember reading this book as a kid, I thought I'd read it when my daughter had to read it for summer reading. The Red Badge was typical of the classics written in the 1800's. Florid, flowery language, certainly a book of great impact for the time it was written. That said though, as a reader, I mean....as a person who really loves the written word, and wants nothing more than to see kids grow up with that same love, it seems to me to be almost counter intuitive to teach a novel like this to a group of 13 year olds. Its a difficult book to read, archaic language, obscure phraseology, yet with themes that are pertinent today. I guess I feel that its important to appreciate classic literature, but on a very basic level it feels more important to me to foster a love of reading. I'm not sure that a book such as this will encourage kids to read. I don't know that a 13 year old can appreciate this book and will simply write it off as a boring dusty old book that a teacher crammed down his/her throat. Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating that Junior High kids should be reading only Teen People, Star, XMen and the like, but I think the books we direct them to should be more engaging.
matthew254 on LibraryThing More than 1 year ago
The Red Badge of Courage is an American Civil War story masterfully written by a guy who never had an war experience. I regrettably felt a lot of connection to the protagonist. I also noticed familiar themes of incompetence in military leadership. Unsettling to think that little has changed in common observations made by enlisted men of their officers. This, too, was an unabridged audiobook expertly read by one of the most gutturally pleasant voices I've ever had the pleasure of listening to.
fingerpost on LibraryThing More than 1 year ago
All theme, no story. A young soldier in the Union Army spends the entire book debating whether he is corageous or a coward.
corinneblackmer on LibraryThing More than 1 year ago
Henry Fleming finds that he, like so many others, becomes a coward when first faced with the gruesome rigors of the battlefield. He redeems himself--in reckless and hate-filled fashion--while Crane depicts to a point of historically accurate perfection, the confusions that led to Union defeat in the Battle of Chancellorsville.
brose72 on LibraryThing More than 1 year ago
Story of valor and fear experienced by civil war combatants. How the personal fortunes and perceptions of the participants change so quickly during the tumultuous conflicts into which the characters are thrown.
SeriousGrace on LibraryThing More than 1 year ago
To say that Red Badge of Courage is about a young man in combat during the Civil War sells the story short. Henry is a young man facing many things for the first time in his life and throughout battle he struggles with all of it. It's a historical snapshot of the psychology of war. It goes beyond whether Henry can be brave or not. Whether he is a true soldier or not.
cyderry on LibraryThing More than 1 year ago
The Red Badge of Courage is the tale of the initial cowardice and later courage of a Union soldier in the Civil War. The young soldier grows up and learns to deal with his feelings about the war.I had heard so much about this book but was terribly disappointed. I had a very difficult time getting through this "saga". Just a another CLASSIC that didn't grab me. Don't know what the fuss was all about.