Amateurs to Arms! John Elting.
For the Military side of the war. Takes an unabashedly American view, but is blunt about mistakes on both sides. One of the best for battles, strategy, and "the big picture".

1812 - The forgotten War Donald Hickey.
Presents the political side of things, concentrating on the US side.

The Invasion of Canada Flames Across the Border Pierre Berton.
A Canadian view of the war, but one that puts to bed the idea that the US deliberately burned York. (present day Toronto). Two volumes.

A sorrow in our Hearts Allen W. Eckert.
A bio of Tecumseh that covers (in part) actions of the war from an Indian point of view. It is a narrative, as is his Winning of America Series. See Gateway to Empire for the War of 1812 in Chicago. I can recommend the entire series, from the Frontiersman to Twilight of Empire, although the War of 1812 is only a small part of what is covered.

The Shawnee Prophet R. David Edmunds.
A book that takes an opposite view of most historians - that the Prophet was the brains behind the Indian resistance, not Tecumseh. It is an interesting book, I don't quite believe his theory (he never really explains how or why Tecumseh was able to hijack the Prophet's movement) but it is worth reading for an alternate point of view. What is really interesting is that he and Eckert use a lot of the same primary sources, but reach totally different conclusions!

The Potowattomies R. David Edmunds.
Covering the history of this tribe to 1840, it covers their actions (mostly hostile) during the War of 1812.

Tecumseh's Last Stand John Sugden
Covers the campaign of 1813 where William Henry Harrison pursued Proctor and Tecumseh into Canada, resulting in the defeat of the British and the death of Tecumseh. It seems to focus not only on Tecumseh, but to rehabilitate Proctor's reputation (to a point). Makes a decent case that Proctor, while an idiot, was at least not a coward. Interesting coverage of a campaign often overlooked.

Wau-Bun Juliette Kinzie.
Recently republished by the University of Illinois, it is a primary source for the Ft. Dearborn massacre. The daughter in law of people present at the massacre, it mostly covers her experiences among the Winnebagoes in Wisconsin in the 1830's.

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