邁剋爾•夏拉（1928-1988）

意裔美國作傢。大學畢業後曾在美國第82空降師服役，此後還做過拳擊手和警察。50年代開始創作小說，主要作品有《決戰葛底斯堡》《破碎之地》《諾亞陰謀》《對遊戲的愛》，其中《決戰葛底斯堡》獲1975年普利策小說奬。夏拉後來在佛羅裏達州立大學謀得教職，教授文學課程。1988年，因心髒病猝發而死。

After more than a quarter of a century and three million copies in print, Michael Shaara's Pulitzer Prize-winning Civil War classic, "The" "Killer Angels," remains as vivid and powerful as the day it was originally published. This handsome new hardcover edition introduces a whole new generation to Shaara's masterpiece-and offers readers everywhere a literary keepsake for years to come. July 1863. The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia is invading the North. General Robert E. Lee has made this daring and massive move with seventy thousand men in a determined effort to draw out the Union Army of the Potomac and mortally wound it. His right hand is General James Longstreet, a brooding man who is loyal to Lee but stubbornly argues against his plan. Opposing them is an unknown factor: General George Meade, who has taken command of the Army only two days before what will be perhaps the crucial battle of the Civil War. In the four most bloody and courageous days of our nation's history, two armies fight for two conflicting dreams. One dreams of freedom, the other of a way of life. More than rifles and bullets are carried into battle. The soldiers carry memories. Promises. Love. And more than men fall on those Pennsylvania fields. Bright futures, untested innocence, and pristine beauty are also the casualties of war. "The Killer Angels" is unique, sweeping, unforgettable-a dramatic re-creation of the battleground for America's destiny.