1. Black Soldiers in Blue: African-American Troops in the Civil War Era edited by John David Smith (The University of North Carolina Press). Only in recent years have scholars—including respected historian Smith—studied, documented and written extensively about the contributions of black soldiers fighting for the Union cause. Using military and social history, Black Soldiers in Blue presents 14 essays discussing African-Americans' service and the war's impact on their lives. Even if your black ancestors lived in the South, don't dismiss this book—one essay covers recruitment of blacks in the Mississippi Valley. The book also contains battle maps and illustrations. It's a well-researched and compelling read.

2. In Search of Confederate Ancestors: The Guide, 2nd edition, by J.H. Segars (Southern Lion Books). If you have Southern ancestors, odds are one of your relatives served the Confederacy. This book attempts to help you find his Civil War service records—but despite some solid suggestions and an easy-to-follow style, it's tainted by factual and genealogical inaccuracies. For example, Segars discusses how you can obtain Confederate information online. When the author refers readers to the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System <www.itd.nps.gov/cwss>, he fails to provide the URL and instead suggests you type search-engine keywords that don't work. He also mentions the 1890 veterans schedules, but leaves out two key facts: Only records from states alphabetically Kentucky to Wyoming survived. And though the schedules list some Confederates, they're supposed to be Union-only. Further, Segars' genealogy book recommendations—such as Wilbur Helmbold's Tracing Your Ancestry—are outdated and even the titles are erroneous.