The seemingly conflicting goals of Civil War battlefield preservation and economic growth can be compatible according to Georgie Boge and Margie Holder Boge, authors of Paving Over The Past: A History and Guide to Civil War Battle Field Preservation. Based on research that was used in Georgie Boge's 1990 testimony which helped Congress establish the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission, the authors not only compile a valuable history of battlefield preservation, a summary of existing policies, and analyses of useful case studies, but offer an assessment of the conflict that currently surrounds Civil War battlefields. Solutions accommodate the needs of both historic preservation and economic growth, including public- and private-sector partnerships, a national battlefield preservation policy, "cooperative management" coordinated by the National Park Service, and a national battle site database and are governed by the premise that Civil War battlefields are important to our national heritage.

The 220-page book is available in cloth or paper from Island Press at (202) 232-7933.