5 comments about John Paul Jones: A Sailor's Biography (Bluejacket Books).

1. As someone who had recently seen the "John Paul Jones" movie that was made in 1959 with Robert Stack, I was curious to learn more about the man who put the U.S. Navy on the map. Of course, most know him as the one who coined the immortal, defiant phrase "I have not yet begun to fight!" This book delves beyond that, as Morison shows Jones as he really was, a human being born in obscurity in Scotland who developed a love for the sea at an early age. He was simultaneously a shrewd combatant with a quick temper (in many ways the American equivalent of the great English admiral Nelson,) and a gentleman who enjoyed the company of numerous lovely ladies ashore. Morison leaves no stone unturned as he takes the reader on a detailed, captivating journey (from page one, the reader is hooked.) He sailed the waters that bore witness to Jones's battles and drew extensively upon the naval archives of the four primary countries that figured in Jones's life. To give you some idea, the engagement with H.M.S. Serapis is fleshed out in such marvelous detail that one can almost smell the gunpowder, but Morison goes beyond that, explaining what happened before, during, and after, most of which one would not learn in history class. In fact, I would make book that at least ninety percent of what one will read in this book would not be learned in history class. Morison has included pictures, charts, diagrams, excerpts from letters (some of which are in French with English translations), and has deftly blended them and the text into a perfect biography. For anyone who wants to learn more about Jones, this is required reading.



2. It has been said that most great men are bad men. Samuel Eliot Morison's superb biography of John Paul Jones supports, if not proves, that proposition. Jones's greatness is undeniable: Although he was the son of an obscure Scottish gardener, he virtually founded the United States Navy, he won one of the most important sea battles of the Revolutionary War when he was only 32, and he later commanded ships in the service of France and Russia. But Jones also was extremely temperamental, excessively vain (after receiving an honor from France, he liked to be addressed as "Chevalier Paul Jones"), and he had mistresses in practically every port. Morison, a longtime professor at Harvard and the author of the authoritative, Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Christopher Columbus, as well as a massive, multi-volume history of the U.S. Navy during World War II, reports all of this in a matter-of-fact fashion. Morison's Jones is a great sailor and a man of the world in every respect.

   According to Morison, Young Jones was highly ambitious and went to sea at age 13 "as a road to distinction." During the next 15 years, he learned well his trade and he also became an American patriot. At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, Morison writes that the American navy was "only a haphazard collection of converted merchant ships," and the Royal Navy was probably the most powerful in history. But General George Washington, according to Morison, "had a keen appreciation of the value and capabilities of sea power," and, in October 1775, Congress appointed a Naval Committee of Seven to manage the colonies' maritime affairs. In December 1775, seven months before the American colonies declared their independence from Great Britain, Jones accepted a commission as a lieutenant in the continental navy.

   Although Morison is primarily interested in Jones's activities during the Revolutionary War, he makes a number of more generally cogent observations. For instance, the United States government was in a state of nearly constant impecuniousness and was able to afford to build only one of the largest class of naval vessels, a ship of the line, during the conflict. In Morison's view, this was the status of the war at the time of the battle off Flamborough Head in September 1779, which secured Jones's fame: "The War of Independence had reached a strategic deadlock, a situation that recurred in both World Wars of the twentieth century. Each party, unable to reach a decision by fleet action or pitched land battles, resorts to raids and haphazard, desultory operations which have no military effect." That deadlock continued, according to Morison, until 1781. Morison also writes that Britain took the position "since the United States were not a recognized government but a group of rebellious provinces,...American armed ships were no better than pirates."

   Morison appears to be deeply impressed by Jones's technical competence: "One of Paul Jones's praiseworthy traits was his constant desire to improve his professional knowledge." That passion for self-improvement reached fruition September 1779 off the Yorkshire coast of east-central England when a squadron which Jones commanded from the Bonhomme Richard defeated the H.M.S. Serapis in a three and one-half hour battle during which those ships were locked in what Morison describes as a "deadly embrace." (Bonhomme Richard sank during the aftermath of the fierce fighting.) It was during this battle that Jones defiantly refused to surrender with the immortal phrase: "I have not yet begun to fight." According to Morison, "[c]asualties were heavy for an eighteenth-century naval battle. Jones estimated his loss at 150 killed and wounded out of a total of 322." Morison writes that Jones was at his "pinnacle of fame" in late 1779, and, when he visited France, which was allied with the U.S. during the Revolutionary War, in April 1780: He became the lion of Paris, honored by everyone from the King down." When Jones returned to the United States in 1781, however, he was unable to obtain what Morison describes as a "suitable command," and he never fought again under the American flag. In 1788 and 1789, as "Kontradmiral Pavel Ivanovich Jones" he swerved in the navy of Catherine II, "the Great," Empress of Russia. When he died in 1792, he was buried in France, but, in 1905, his body was returned to the United States and now rests in the chapel of the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

   Jones's nasty temper is frequently on display. Morison remarks on various occasions that his crews were "disobedient," "sullen," and "surly." Which was cause and which was effect is difficult to ascertain. Jones clearly was an overbearing commander, which may explain, though does not excuse, his crews' bad attitudes. On one occasion Jones had one of his officers "placed under arrest for insubordination [giving the officer] a chance to clear it up, and Jones was unwilling to admit his error." It is not prudent to compare events during war in the late 18th century to the peace and prosperity of our own time, but no reader of this book will be impressed by Jones's interpersonal skills.

   Morison makes numerous references to "prize money," the curious, but apparently then-universal, practice of rewarding captains and their crews in cash for capturing enemy ships. The fact that Jones pursued prize money with vigor may raise additional doubts about his character, but I would guess Morison believed that Jones simply followed a custom which probably motivated many successful naval captains of his time.

   Morison held the rank of admiral in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Although the degree of detail in his narrative is fascinating, I found some passages too technical, and I suspect some other lay readers may be baffled as well. (The book's charts and diagrams were, however, very helpful.) But that is a small price to pay for a wonderful biography of one of the most intriguing figures of the American Revolution.




3. A hero of my youth, this book appears to tell the full story. This is a scolarly work which reads easily. I only wish I would have read this book in my twenties. There are some wonderful life lessons in this biography. If you read it you will learn his flaws, his good and fine attributes, and some mysteries. This is first-rate biography and detective work by the author. I recommend it.



4. John Paul Jones is one of those figures on the fringes of the American pantheon. Most educated people have heard the name, but few know anything about the man beyond, perhaps, that he proclaimed, "I have not yet begun to fight!" Much to my surprise, after reading this classic biography (winner of the 1960 Pulitzer Prize for Biography) by Samuel Eliot Morison, the godfather of US Naval history, Jones' exploits are both relatively unknown and relatively modest. There is, however, nothing relative or modest about Morison's biography, which is an excellently structured and wonderfully written piece of history that is a pleasure to read.
   
   How did Jones attain immortality for his role in the American Revolution while other leading military figures of the period (most notably, in this reviewer's opinion, General Nathaniel Greene) have nearly vanished from history? Jones' attachment to the United States, both as a nation and a cause, were slight, even dubious. He was born and raised in Scotland and didn't arrive in America until roughly 1775 (on the run from a murder trial, no less, which also prompted him to add the alias "Jones" to his birth name of John Paul). He never owned a home or even maintained a permanent resistance in his adopted land, and instead lived with friends or at hotels at government expense. During his forty-five years of life, Jones only spent about three of them on American soil -- and that time was divided among four brief visits. His commitment to the principles of the American Revolution are a bit suspect, although he did frequently claim to be a citizen of the world engaged in the fight for liberty. Nevertheless, when Catherine II of Imperial Russia, the ruler of the most despotic of European monarchies, dangled a much coveted flag officer position before him in 1788 Jones quickly jettisoned his liberal pretensions and jumped at the offer.
   
   If Jones lacked the deep American roots of a John Adams or the strong ideological convictions of more recent immigrants like Thomas Paine, he was at least a military hero, right? Well, sort of. Jones' major military exploits during the war can be summarized as follows: a partially successful raid on his hometown port of Whitehaven, Scotland followed by a botched kidnapping attempt and then the capture of a modest-sized British warship while cruising the Irish Sea aboard "Ranger" in 1778, and then the famous defeat of the "Serapis" off Flamborough Head in September 1779 aboard the "Bonhomme Richard." Like Doolittle's Raid on Tokyo in 1942, the military value of these actions were minimal, but the psychological impact -- both at home and with the enemy -- was enormous. The British home islands had, afterall, been inviolable since a Dutch raid in 1667. Thus, Jones stands alone as the man who brought the American Revolution home to the British Isles, albeit in a way that caused little material damage.
   
   So, through a combination of moxie, luck and the general absence of anything else to cheer about, John Paul Jones -- one-time slave trader, murderer, Imperial Russian admiral, and alleged rapist of a 12-year-old (in his defense he swore, foreshadowing a future American scandal, that he "did not have sexual relations with that [girl]," although conceded that other amorous relations did occur) -- emerged as a bona fide hero of the American Revolution. Jones died alone, indigent and forgotten in Paris in 1792. But today his remains rest in an ornate tomb (modeled on Napoleon's) at the US Naval Academy and he is widely regarded as the father of the US Navy, which has become the global juggernaut he dreamed it would be.
   
   In closing, Morison does a remarkable job in capturing not only the essence of his subject-- Jones' native intelligence, egotism, insecurity and opportunism -- but also the pulse of life on the open ocean in an eighteenth century sailing vessel. The skill, experience, fortitude, and endurance it must have taken to guide these ships in battle and in treacherous seas with a motley collection of mutiny-inclined men as a crew is difficult to fathom. That Jones did so with such obvious success is, indeed, impressive. For readers with an interest in naval affairs or simply a love of sailing, this book would be a welcome addition to your library.



5. The book is very interesting, well written by an author clearly concerned with facts not myths as he differentiates between tales surrounding the subject and actual events.
   Too bad the book is missing pages 77 thru 92. (At least my copy is, anyone else come upon a similar print? If I keep it will it turn into a collectable?)

2 comments about Richard Henry Lee of Virginia: A Portrait of an American Revolutionary.

1. I really enjoyed J. Kent McGaughy's biography of Richard Henry Lee. It really made the political and economic times come to life. Dr. McGaughy's work is brilliant!!



2. If you're interested in reading about a gracious, gentleman aristocrat who has been historically under-credited with helping to guide not only the American Revolution, but also helped construct a new nation upon the principles of democratic stability, you will appreciate this book. The biography's weaknesses include a certain "textbook" (boring) quality in the beginning, which is to some extent necessary to establish the background and heritage of the Lee family in Virginia, but your patience will be rewarded when the narrative escalates as R.H. Lee became active in public political life. Other weaknesses include a certain "jumping back and forth" at certain points that can be confusing to the reader, and a lack of real insight into the actual personality, likes and dislikes of RH Lee. However, the "heart" of the book does accurately and plainly make clear Lee's position on colonial affairs, matters of economics including trade relations between the intercolonies and with Great Britain and other nations, as well as the on-going developing policy of land acquisition and relationships with Native Americans and other colonial developers such as France and Spain. Particularly fascinating, to me, were the very detailed undermining and political backstabbing that Lee was not the aggressor of, but rather the defendant to; Lee, as a prominent representative of his family and other Virginians, was continually thrust into the spotlight to defend his name, his family, and character of Virginian aristocrats' intentions and purposes. The sheer internecine squabbling and petty slander aimed at Lee were almost shocking even by modern standards, and in reading this book, one should develop a better appreciation of the fact that most of the men who authored or advised state and national charters were truly working from personal experience, as they tried to ensure a working democracy with guaranteed civil rights and redresses to give all people the opportunity at true equality and fair-play within the system. By the end of the book, one should also appreciate Lee for having the strength, courage, and character to having diligently served the public from a sense of duty and responsibility to both the family which produced distinguished gentlemen, and to the fellow citizens who benefited from such tireless and conscientious energy. The publication of this book is almost as much of a "public service" as that attributed to its subject, Richard Henry Lee.

2 comments about Claire Mccardell.

1. This is a well-written and beautifully produced book. It is a combination biography/retrospective on the work of Claire McCardell, a fashion designer popular in the 1940s and 1950s. She is virtually forgotten today, which is a shame--her work was unique and truly American. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in fashion design.



2. This is a WONDERFUL book. It is detailed, well-written, and the photographs are gorgeous. It is A MUST for anyone interested in the roots of American fashion.

1 comments about Personal Writings Of Eliza Roxcy Snow (Life Writings Frontier Women).

1. This book is a transcription of several of the dairies and journals of the Zion’s Poetess, Eliza R. Snow. She was a plural wife of Joseph Smith, and later headed up the Female Relief Society once Brigham Young and the Saints reached the Great Basin, in Utah. This transcription follow the pattern laid down by “Personal Writings of Joseph Smith,” “Papers of Joseph Smith,” and “Words of Joseph Smith.” Eliza had such a broad and eternal mind, so it is fitting that we have a book devoted to her writings.

   I found Eliza’s trail diary to be the best book. The trail diary covers Eliza’s 111-day pioneer journey across the plains. It records some of the experiences she had along the way, not only being a ministering angel to the sick sisters, but several profound spiritual experiences she had.

   This book is a must for anyone into the original documents. The only problem I have is the price. I thought that University Presses were supposed to provide cheap books! Sheesh!

   Eliza Roxcy Snow Smith was a Wonder Woman. She is one of the greatest women, no only in Momondom, but in American history, and even the world. He greatness is due to her unusual talents. She is an incredible poet, but an incredible woman to boot. She was, in a sense, the female prophet, much like ward-level Relief Society presidents are sometimes called the “Lady Bishops.”

3 comments about Manhunter: The Life and Times of Frank Hamer.

1. The places and range that Frank Hammer ranges are of great historical curiosity for anyone living in the area that he operated. I can appreciate not only the danger but also the carisma he must have possessed to align forces with the forces dela Mexico. In the East Texas escapades Frank operated in many well known towns whose citizens may not even be aware that he was operating in. It is almost unbelievable that a Texas Ranger with that many notches on his belt was not killed by the likes of the outlaws he chased. From his earliest thoughts about being a pastor to the 1st man that he shot down, his life was superrealistic in his cander of getting the job done, as well as his devotion to the love of his life



2. I rated this because of factual errors. I could barely get through the first chapter because of some factual mistakes. The author said that Frank had a sister named Estill when in fact that was his brother.



3. A buyer cannot find out from the book description here on Amazon that this book is a work of fiction, and might be led to believe they are buying something else. THIS BOOK IS A NOVEL. It is not a very good novel.
   
   If you really want to find out about Frank Hamer, look elsewhere.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

5 comments about Sons of Camelot: The Fate of an American Dynasty.

1. Mr. Leamer has done a wonderful job of introducing the new generation of Kennedy sons. I just completed the book; and felt I wanted to learn even more. There are apparently too many Kennedy sons to focus on in one book. I had the feeling they all merited their own individual biographies.

   While the author did offer up new information on the family; he sometimes held back in a very agonizing way. For example, he spends most of the book focusing on JFK, Jr. At the end of bk; as he describes John's last days -- he states that John had many complications in his life, espcially marriage, family and business. He briefly noted that John did not get along with Caroline Kennedy's husband, Mr. Schlossberg. He didn't give a hint of what was going on, yet many people are intrigued by Ms. Kennedy's mysterious Jewish husband. It left this reader wondering what was going on. The author knew, and he didn't care to share.

   Since he did include Ted Kennedy in this volume; it would have been interesting to hear about how he and his second wife got married -- and how she interacts with the family.

   The Lawford branch was given very short shift, and you can't tell me those kids don't have good stories to tell!

   This book was long, but it was only an introduction. The Kennedy fans will enjoy it, but they will close the book hungry for more!




2. This is a comprehensive, non sensationalized account of the lives of the younger Kennedys. The book manages to be interesting without becoming tabloidish in tone (as some of the other books have). The author appears to have made an effort to be thorough and fair in his reporting of events.



3. Here is the next generation of the Kennedys, warts and all. If you idolize the Kennedys, you won't be happy and if you hate the Kennedys, you won't be happy. But if you want a fairly well rounded account of the younger generation of Kennedys, Laurence Leamer's book does a good job. The sordid (the liberal use of drugs among the next generation, death of David Kennedy, the scandalous life of Michael Kennedy, etc.) and the positive (JFK Jr.'s loyalty to his friends, RFK Jr.'s rehabilitation into a leading environmentalist, Tim Shriver's teaching career helping disadvantaged children, etc.) are both discussed here. It deals in scandal, of course, but all in all is pretty even handed.
   
   However, Leamer does not discuss some of the outstanding female members of the next generation, including Kathleen Kennedy, Lt. Governor of Maryland, Caroline Kennedy and Maria Shriver. Joseph Kennedy promoted his sons in public life while virtually ignoring his daughters (even old Joe admitted that if daughter Eunice "had b*lls, she'd be president."), but several of the female members of the next generation have made their mark. It's too bad that Leamer brings his book down a notch by ignoring the Kennedy women -- they deserve some mention as well.



4. Spreading lies about JFK Jr. and his wife using anonymous sources.
   People that think that this was for selling better are in denial.
   The reason is much more sinister. For some reason the goal of the book is to cover-up the circumstances of his death.
   The other reason is to diffamate his memory. Does November 2, 2004 ring a bell ?



5. This book has handsome JFK, Jr. on the cover and opens with young John-John saluting his father's coffin, and capturing our hearts. However this book is not devoted to President Kennedy's namesake. He's included here, but so are his equally fascinating -- if not as glamorous -- male cousins. Here are doomed Michael and David, ambitious Joe and a pair of gifted Bobbys (Kennedy and Shriver). There's Tim Shriver, trying to find his way within a powerful family. Ted Kennedy's sons have led particularly poignant lives, dealing with the legacy of Chappaquidick and their mother's alcoholism as well as their uncles' assasinations. I came away from this book with a renewed respect for Jackie and Eunice for their mothering skills, for their sons of Camelot were guided with surer, more attentive and imaginative hands than many of their cousins. While it was an interesting and educational read, I wish it had been longer and gone into more detail. So many of these young men were previously unknown to me and I wanted to know more. Still, I recommend it.

2 comments about The Fighting McCooks - America's Famous Fighting Family.

1. The Whalens have done a remarkable job digging through what must have been significant research to bring the tale of the "Fighting McCooks" to the page.
   The book is filled with detailed accounts about the campaigns of each of the McCook sons going to war for the Union army. They capture the individual struggles and ambitions of the family members vividly and personalize the stories to not only better understand the McCooks, but the larger struggle of the war and all the associated players of the era.
   It's as lush as any well-written historical fiction novel and then amazing to know that the account is actually true. The details of the stories are fascinating and I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting a more intimate and personalized narrative of events of that great national conflict.



2. Three brothers with fourteen sons, all members of the upper middle-class, based in Ohio watch the American Civil War descend like a dark cloud. None of them questioned the need to "Save the Union". All of them activity participated in the saving, some as members of the military and some as civilian volunteers. In the process, they became famous as "The Fighting McCooks". Most readers of Civil War history are familiar with the name and know the outline of the story. However, many of us cannot tie the McCooks together or identify where they fought and died. Reading this book will be a revelation as you pull the stories together and build a full picture of their contributions.
   
   The family members start as Stephen Douglas Democrats, who not liking slavery are willing to accept it to avoid war. The families' politics is one of the strongest minor story lines in the book. They are very well connected and willing to use those connections if they feel it is necessary. By 1860, more than one McCook works for the Republican Party and one has become an Abolitionist. Lincoln's election, secession and war find one McCook drilling at the White House to protect Lincoln from an expected attack of Southerners. This is April 1861 and Washington is cut off from the United States as Maryland decides what to do. In 1865, four members of the family are dead, several have their health ruined and the Union is saved.
   
   The Whalen's produced a unique format by placing the McCooks into a history of the war. As the war unfolds, we meet a family member or renew a friendship with one. This keeps the reader firmly in step with the events of the war, while family participation and problems continually play out. We do a minimal amount of backtracking getting to see the families' story as the war progresses. This took some thought and effort but the result is very rewarding. One of the nicest items is a map of Civil War America at the end of most chapters. Each part of the story updates the map, showing where the McCook was during this phase of the war. The last of these map, on page 346, catalogues the contribution this family made in a very visual and easy to grasp manner.
   
   This is a rousing story of heroic deeds and the authors are able to do it right. The prose is very heroic, intelligent and readable without being awe struck. This is a "warts n all" book, making them all the braver for being human. The authors manage to convey the unique personalities of the seventeen men, while always presenting them as one family. That family was always ready to spring to the defense of a member, pull a string and accept an enemy of one as an enemy of all. Lincoln, Hays, Grant, Garfield, Stanton, Sherman and Vallandigham people this book. One or more of the McCooks was partners with, worked for, talked to, liked or disliked all of these men and a host of others. This was a partisan time and this is a partisan book. The authors accept the stories that favor or damn these men, depending on how the McCooks feel about them. This may cause a reviewer to question some of the book's history, which I feel is incorrect. While modern historians do not agree with many of the stories present as fact, the McCooks accepted them and believed them to be true. The authors remain true to their subject by accepting these stories as the family did.
   
   Physically this is a very good-looking book. Illustrations are in the right place and add to the story. I will mention the on-going map showing the movement of the McCooks again. This map seems to become part of the story an important visual reference all by itself. Another unique item is a bookmark. Each book contains a Red, White & Blue tasseled, laminated bookmark with portraits of the seventeen McCooks. This is just another indication of the thought and effort that went into this book.

No comments about The Life of Mary Jemison: The White Woman of the Genesee.

No comments about Lee in the Shadow of Washington.

1 comments about A Private in the Texas Rangers: A. T. Miller of Company B, Frontier Battalion (Canseco-Keck History Series, 3).

1. For those who have a keen interest in Texas history or the early istory of the Texas Rangers, this book is a must-read. For those with a general interest in American history, "A Private in the Texas Rangers" offers an intriguingly honest and informed focus on the life of a 1880s lawman, one that is only possible by a diarist of the past and a skilled historian of the present.

   Morris's second major work is a solidly based insider portrait of the Texas Rangers in their transition from the Old West (exploited by Hollywood) to the New West -- an industrial and agrarian society which reshaped Texas. Indeed, the transition has been so thorough that for many denizens the conflicts between plains indians, incursive Hispanics, and Anglos prior to the coming of the railroad are probably only known through cinematic references. The laconic entries -- by the only 19th century Texas Ranger who kept a diary -- provide Morris with the structure for a wide-ranging history.

   The book expands from the diarist to the fellow rangers of Company B, then to the surrounding land and communities. There are informative and broader references to government, both State and Federal, and to social movements such as labor disputes and historical forces. Most mportantly the laying of railroad track through the Texas Panhandle and Rolling Plains region sewed it into the fabric of the national community.

   The daily life of Private Miller, despite incidents of drama, is more convincingly focused on the drudgery of the effort required to impose order and the rule of law where it had been relatively rare. As one proceeds through the entries and the accompanying annotations, the slowly accumulating details of the life and times of the diarist begin to provide a richness of vicarious experience, a recovery of a "lost world," and one that is rarely achieved in historical writing.