Are the Somerville Papers research or recreational reading?

Do the Somerville Papers work better as a research tool than as recreational reading?

Mostly yes: they are especially valuable when a reader wants the original detail behind an operation or battle.

The volume functions primarily as a research tool. Its value lies in the original detail needed to reconstruct battles, negotiations, and command decisions. A reader seeking a smooth narrative may find the documentary form demanding. Someone investigating a particular operation can instead treat the density as the book's chief advantage. The answer distinguishes the purposes of an edited primary-source collection from those of a conventional popular history.