The Book Prize Index

In the Presence of Mine Enemies: War in the Heart of America, 1859-1863

Edward L. Ayers

Edward Ayers gives us the American Civil War on an intimate scale, conveying - through those who sacrificed, fought and died - the coming of war to the borderlands of Pennsylvania and Virginia.

HistoryAmerican History · medium confidenceAmerican History81 signalsLlm Classifier: American History -> American HistoryGoogle Books: History -> HistoryAward Category: American Historical Association Book Prizes: Beveridge Family Prize in American History -> American HistoryAmerican Civil WarWar & Military StrategyRegional & Local History

Award History

2 wins · 2 total

AwardYearResultCategory / Notes
Bancroft PrizeMajor2004WinnerOfficial source
American Historical Association Book Prizes: Beveridge Family Prize in American History2004WinnerOfficial source
View all award history (2)
Experimental book profileGenerated by GPT-5.4 nano · may contain inaccuracies

This is an unverified interpretation of the catalog description, offered as an opt-in discovery experiment—not as bibliographic fact.

  1. 01 Central figures

    None extracted with sufficient confidence.

  2. 02 Central places

    None extracted with sufficient confidence.

    These suggestions did not meet the normal display threshold and are more likely to be wrong.

    • Pennsylvania55%
    • Virginia55%
    • America40%

  3. 03 Suggested argument

    The American Civil War is presented on an intimate scale by showing how war came to the borderlands of Pennsylvania and Virginia through those who fought, sacrificed, and died.

    Model confidence 62%

  4. 04 Reading orientation

    40 / 100 academic

    Serious trade

    An estimate of intended readership and scholarly apparatus—not quality or importance.

Confidence percentages are the model's own estimates. Profile confidence: 63%.