Reviews (5)

A Fabulous Historical Page Turner!
I am having a hard time putting down Ian Toll's "Six Frigates" to write a female's point of view...this is truly a page turner, an enlightening and very refreshing review of our early naval history which reads like a novel, pulling one into the action and times on each page - even if you are not a naval/history buff.I await with great impatience Mr. Toll's next venture.

A Much-Needed History
Ever since reading Patrick O'Brian's depiction of the battle between the USS Constitution and the HMS Java in "The Fortune of War," I've wanted to learn more about the United States's own naval history from that period.Surprisingly, though, I was unable to find many published works on the subject.Finally, Toll's "Six Frigates" has arrived, and it's exactly the sort of book I was looking for.
Don't read this book at sea!
I read "Six Frigates" sailing south down the coast of Australia from Hamilton Island in the Whitsunday group.
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Subjects:  1. 18th century    2. 19th century    3. Frigates    4. History    5. History - General History    6. Military    7. Military - Naval    8. Military - United States    9. Naval operations    10. Tripolitan War, 1801-1805    11. United States    12. United States - General    13. History / Military / United States    14. Maritime history    15. Naval forces & warfare    16. USA   

Reviews (6)

Covers Much More than the Title indicates
I thoroughly agree with Mr. Dougherty's enthusiastic reader review. The authors have put together a virtual encyclopedia on modern sub design and construction with real insight into what the subs were intended to do, and how some politicians and bureaucrats sabotaged the projects. I found particularly illuminating how each side of the Soviet-US conflict used the records and existing prototypes of Nazi Germany's U-Boat experiments. Baker's line drawings and diagrams are quite helpful in visualizing the boats, as are the ample photos of the real subs and scale models. This is a book to which I will return again and again whenever there is some news item about
Amazing Material
This material is really good... An impressive source of information about de development process of US and Soviet submarine.This work left behind the traditional american military propaganda and let us know the very good machines the soviet had.I highly recommend it...

A lok behind the scene
This is an excellent book! Full of detailed references it is the first book on early to modern submarines that gives us a look behind the scene. It explains very well the important role the submarines played during the cold war. We learn how design decisions were made in the U.S. as well as the Soviet Union, how such decisions were implemented, and we learn that rather few personalities played a very decisive role on both sides of the iron curtain. Near the end of the cold war, both, the U.S. and the Soviet Union were struggling with the problem of having to design a new generation of submarines which however started to be excessively expensive to build. Only the very knowledgeable reader may be missing here and there a more detailed account concerning "the design and construction" issues. It is clear that the authors have collected more information on these questions than what they were able to put in a single volume of reasonable size. But then this was probably also not their main goal, and the title of the book is exactly right: this is information about the cold war, on the people who fought this war, their political views and the way these views influenced the construction of the submarines they built to fight this war. Truly interesting. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cold War    2. History    3. History - Military / War    4. History: World    5. Military - Naval    6. Military Science    7. Modern - 20th Century/Nuclear Age    8. Soviet Union    9. Submarines (Ships)    10. United States    11. Former Soviet Union, USSR (Europe)    12. History / Military / Naval    13. Military vehicles    14. Naval forces & warfare    15. USA   

Reviews (203)

BS
That's all I have to say.The ideas presented in this book are BS, pure and simple.While the Chinese explorations are worth learning about, the delusional fantasies and "facts" put forth by this book can only serve to make humanity far less intelligent than it already is.

Interesting and even credible...
... and the credibility is supported by Australian Broadcasting's radio program in july this yeas (2006) regarding the book, where all scientists supporting Menzies' theory were censored ^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H edited out (now, why would they do that?).
interesting science fiction; poor history; poorly written
The topic addressed is this book is extremelly interesting. It is inspiring, intriguing, and fascinating. However, speculation is presented as a fact everywhere. Potential possibilities are presented as proven facts. The conclusions are thus misleading. The text is poorly written. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - China    2. Chinese    3. Discoveries in geography    4. Discovery And Exploration (General)    5. Expeditions & Discoveries    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. Military - Naval    10. Voyages around the world    11. World - General    12. History / World   

Reviews (74)

The Navy's Finest Hour
This was a wonderful book, shedding much light on the much maligned and neglected Tin Can Navy, these men past and present do much, more with so much less and all are a tribute to the resourcefulness of the Sailor, period. So much useful history that would pass untold if it were not for this book and others like it. The story was recalled in a very fond, but firm and affable presentation. I really enjoyed this book, and as a retired Tin Can Sailor, I can relate to much in this book. Honorable men commiting honorable deeds, for self, for shipmate and for country. I thank each of these men that served for thier history and sacrifice.

A Story of Bravery for the Ages
This is undoubtedly one of the finest books I have ever read on warfare in my 45 years of reading books about war.
Very good, well done
This is a very good and compelling naval battle tale that really exposes the heroism of the men of the American Navy during WWII. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - Military / War    3. Leyte Gulf (Philippines), Batt    4. Leyte Gulf (Philippines), Battle of, 1944    5. Leyte Gulf, Battle of, Philipp    6. Leyte Gulf, Battle of, Philippines, 1944    7. Military    8. Military - Naval    9. Military - United States    10. Military - World War II    11. Military History - World War II    12. Naval Operations    13. Naval operations, American    14. World War, 1939-1945    15. History / Military / World War II   

Reviews (12)

A Must Companion to O'Brian
Currently deployed to Iraq....Having read three of his books without this companion, I can tell you that I was missing out on a great deal of the language and the history. Buy this with the Lexicon and O'Brian's series are impossible to put down!!
Great Reference
I bought a second one of these for my son, who recently started reading Patrick O'Brian's series.This is an excellent reference for anyone who wants to learn about the Royal Navy of the late 18 / early 19th century.Highly recommend.

good, but lacking in depth
I suppose I may have expected too much.I was a little disapointed in the lack of depth and detail.The various graphics, pictures, etc are great.An interesting coffee table book for O'Brian mavens and a good place to start in looking for more about the Napoleanic era of the Royal Navy. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - Military / War    3. Military    4. Military - Naval    5. English    6. Literary reference works    7. Maritime history    8. Novels, other prose & writers: from c 1900 -   

Reviews (6)

Arose by any other name
First, let me say that Nelson's work is an excellent, well written, fast paced, general history read...but its title: "Benedict Arnold's Navy" is (at least in my opinion) quite misleading.
Read more like a military biography of Arnold
I enjoyed reading Benedict Arnold's Navy which covered the early years of the American Revolution in the north. Here for the brief period in our nation's history, we owed the arch-traitor of American history, a true debt of graditude for his skilled leadership, force of character and his total determination to the American cause. This book explained skillfully how Arnold deserves such acclodes and why a man who could have become one of our nation's greatest paragon of heroes, became one of its greatest Judas goats.
A Definitive and Very Readable Piece of History
James Nelson is an author to be envied if the notion of putting pen to paper and telling a story, whether it be fact or fiction has ever occurred to you. In the fourteen books he has written he has done both fiction and non-fiction superbly.
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Subjects:  1. 1741-1801    2. Arnold, Benedict,    3. History    4. History - Military / War    5. Military    6. Military - Naval    7. Military - United States    8. Naval operations    9. Revolution, 1775-1783    10. United States    11. United States - Revolutionary War    12. Valcour Island, Battle of, N.Y., 1776    13. American history: c 1500 to c 1800    14. History / Military / Naval    15. Naval forces & warfare    16. USA    17. c 1700 to c 1800   

Reviews (226)

Gripping real-life adventure seeking, amateur history, and personal drama
Shadow Divers is a gripping tale that combines the best of real-life thrill-seeking adventure, undocumented war-time history, and friendships and interpersonal drama.Author Kurson brings the reader 223 feet underwater to the sunken remains of a German U-boat located just off the New Jersey coast.Officially, no U-boat ever got that close to the eastern seaboard, and there are no unaccounted-for U-boats which were hit in the area.Post-war record keepers cleaned everything up nicely, filling in the blanks in which data was unclear.
Hoax and Fabrication
This book is ambiguous at best. It should probably be listed as fiction rather than non-fiction since it is so misleading in the way it sensationalizes the two divers with no real truth to back up the claims.
Fantastic story
There is no fantasy in this story, so maybe I should have used another word in the title of this review.
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Subjects:  1. Europe - Germany    2. Excavations (Archaeology)    3. History    4. History - Military / War    5. Military    6. Military - Naval    7. Military - World War II    8. Naval operations    9. Naval operations, German    10. New Jersey    11. Shipwrecks    12. Submarine    13. Submarines    14. World War, 1939-1945    15. History / Military / World War II   

Reviews (19)

A gorgeous history of the craft's stormy history
An impressive selection for military specialty collections and aviation holdings is Grumman F-14 Tomcat: Bye-Bye, Baby!,compiled by Dave Parsons, George Hall and Bob Lawson. The dramatic oversized presentation charts a craft which had a terrible time being 'born', evolving during the era of McNamara's 'whiz kids' in the Pentagon who wanted a new fighter for both Air Force and Navy personnel the TFX. The underpowered failure eventually was halted by Tom Connolly and the Tomcat was born. Color images pack a gorgeous history of the craft's stormy history.

Most impressive TOMCAT read in a long time
Not too much to say, other then this is one of the most impressive collections of 200 pages ever.
Grumman Tomcat Images
Excellent pictures and commentary about the F-14 Tomcat from the pilots who flew them and the people who built, tested, and serviced them. Well done! I loved it! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - Military / War    3. Military    4. Military - Aviation    5. Military - Naval    6. Air forces & warfare    7. History / Military / Naval    8. Naval forces & warfare    9. USA   

Subjects:  1. African Americans    2. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - Histor    3. History    4. History - Military / War    5. Military    6. Military - Naval    7. Military - United States    8. Military - World War II    9. Navy    10. Officers    11. United States.    12. World history: Second World War   

Reviews (4)

Panama Cruising Guide by Eric Bauhaus
The zydler guide was ok in its time. But the new Panama Cruising Guide by Eric Bauhaus is very, very much better than the Zydler. ALL PAGES IN COLOR, beautyful photos and nearly 200 precise charts. Dont dream of cruising panama without it.

New Panama Cruising Guide by Eric Bauhaus is way better
We just finished (July 2006) cruising the Pacific side of Panama and through the canal and found the Zydler guide to not be as useful as the newer Bauhaus guide. The major difference is in the charts & chartlets - the Bauhaus guide is all color charts that look like real charts - the Zydler guide is all B&W hand drawn sketches that are extremely hard to read - virtually useless. The Zydler guide has more words but less useful information as it's quite a bit older and some information isway out of date - eg. the Western Panama Islands like Coiba.

the panama guide
excelent book Tom and Nancy,proffesional piece of art.Finally i found you Tom,im your old buddy from naval academy in Gdynia,contact me pls.Chris kowalski E-mail-kowal17@hotmail.com ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Panama    2. Pilot guides    3. Reference - General    4. Ships & Shipbuilding - Engineering    5. Transportation    6. Travel    7. Yachting   

Subjects:  1. History - Military / War    2. Military - Naval    3. Military Science    4. Reference    5. Ships & Shipbuilding - Pictorial    6. Yearbooks & Annuals    7. 21st century    8. Naval forces & warfare    9. Weapons & equipment    10. Yearbooks, annuals, almanacs   

Reviews (6)

Outstanding book!
Without question, probably the FINEST history of submarines.Well written and many, many photos all bound into a beautifull book.A worthwhile addition to any library.

A Masterpiece!!
The best book on submarines you will ever find!!Enough said!

A great reference. The one sub book to buy.
I spent 6 years on a ballistic missile submarine and I have a great interest in the history and current developments of the Silent Service. If you are a veteran submariner, you will like the way the book is put together. It has great photos and it is truly a beautifully made book that you can pass along to a son or grandson to share the pride us "bubbleheads" all share.Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - Military / War    3. History: American    4. Military - United States    5. Military Science    6. Submarines   

Reviews (1)

A bit dull but nonetheless very informative
There is a fashion among Nelson writers to pick a year or two in Nelson's life and then to write every known thing about him during that time. This is one of those books. Still, it reads well and contains a lot of information (even though it's detail-heavy). I recommend it, but not as strongly as the other new Nelson books out this year (Vincent, Hayward). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1758-1805    2. 18th century    3. Admirals    4. Biography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. British    8. Caribbean Area    9. Great Britain    10. History    11. Homes and haunts    12. Military    13. Military - General    14. Nelson, Horatio Nelson,    15. Viscount,    16. Biography: general    17. Nelson, Horatio Nelson    18. Warfare & Defence   

Reviews (1)

Superb book about a greatly misunderstood spy case
Some people like to call Jonathan Pollard "America's Dreyfus."Pollard's own supporters tried to get the Israeli government to accord him "prisoner of Zion" status (i.e. formal designation as someone suffering persecution for Zionist activities).
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Espionage, Israeli    5. General    6. History    7. Israel    8. Military - Naval    9. Political Freedom & Security - Intelligence    10. Political Science    11. Politics/International Relations    12. Spies    13. United States    14. United States - 20th Century    15. Espionage & secret services    16. Military intelligence    17. USA    18. c 1980 to c 1990   

Reviews (20)

SEALs are warriors
Dick Couch is a former SEAL. He loves the SEALs. This book is a good look(although limited)at modern-day SEALs. If you have never read a book about SEALs then this is an excellent place to start. This book is very informative. If you have read alot or know alot about the SEALs then skip the first 38 pages. The author really loves the SEALs. Did I mention that? On one page alone(small pages) the word SEAL is mentioned 16 times. Dick Couch is a good, not great, writer and is very detailed and I was really enjoying his book until I read his account, on page 183, of a close-quarters firefight in which he describes how good these particular SEALs could shoot because they had shot the bad guys weapon and his hands holding the weapon. This may have impressed Mr. Couch or maybe he is just trying to impress the reader, but that is not good shooting skill. This isn't an old TV western. That paragraph really made me wonder about the whole book. Fiction? Non-fiction?

Hit the Target!
A good companion volume to Couch's prior books, THE WARRIOR ELITE and THE FINISHING SCHOOL.A terific profile of the professionalism and heroism of special forces personnel who fight for our country and its interests.If you are interested in Navy SEALS and their operational deployment in the war on terrorism, you will enjoy DOWN RANGE.

Excellent read
A fascinating and great read about the work of SEALs in Afghanistan and Iraq. As one of the previous reviewers mentioned, the SEALs seemed to have their share of detractors in the war on terror. Therefore it was nice to see viewpoints from the SEALs themselves and a few of their missions. Compared to the other spec op units the SEALs' missions in Afghanistan and Iraq have not been as well published or publicized.
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Subjects:  1. Afghan War, 2001-    2. General    3. History - Military / War    4. Iraq War, 2003    5. Military - Naval    6. Military - United States    7. Military History - 1990-    8. Navy    9. Political Science    10. Politics/International Relations    11. SEALs    12. Special Forces    13. United States    14. Current Events / Military   

Editorial Review

Do yourself a favor: if you own a boat, you should also own theRead more

Reviews (27)

Indespensible boat manual
I'm not talking about yachting type books. I have owned and operated commercial fishing boats in Alaska, for over 30 years.And this book demystifies bonding, grounding, AC boat wiring, lightning protection, a whole chapter just on batteries, and that's just the electrical part of the book. If your unsure about some aspect of your boat's electrical system or machinery, and are walking the docks trying to find out something about them, GET THIS BOOK. Some of that BS one hears on the dock can sink you.

a very usefull manual
covers many important areas where problems usually arise. easily understood explanations and instructions to find and resolve problems. great resource to keep on the boat.

excellent book
i am a marine student in nz, i was doing a assigment of boat battery. i went to libarary for this book and i read through the first chapter of the book which gives me from basic to depth ideas about battery. it's worth to own a book like this if you are a real boatie. perticularly for trouble shooting. cheers, enjoy ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Boating - Boatbuilding    2. Boats and boating    3. Electric equipment    4. General    5. Handbooks, manuals, etc    6. Maintenance and repair    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Ship Maintenance And Repair    9. Ships & Shipbuilding - Engineering    10. Technology & Industrial Arts   

Reviews (9)

Correction to Homer Stiltskin
Actually, until the mid-1960's, Naval Reactors did perform the ORSE.During that time, the Fleet Commanders convinced Naval Reactors (probably with little prodding since the FBM fleet with two crews each was growing so rapidly) to delegate the inspection to them.I was in one of the first Atlantic Fleet boats to have a non-Naval Reactors ORSE and it was savage to say the least.I remember particularly that the boat was taken to task for simultaneously having gear in the engineering spaces not stowed in lockers and for having added storage lockers that were not on BuShips approved plans.

Very Accurate Day to Day Accounts of Submariner's Life
I gave this book as a gift to my husband who works as a submariner and reads a great deal while they are underway. He says that Karam's book is a very accurate account of day to day life of a submariner and that it would be a wonderful read for anyone interested in submarines and attack boats. For someone wishing to learn more about what their husband, brother, father, boyfriend, or friend goes through on a sub, this would be an excellent place to begin. As a current submariner, he felt that "Rig Ship For Ultra Quiet" did not hold his attention. Rather there was a "been-there, done-that" reaction to the first-hand accounts described in the book - nothing new for someone who is currently participating in the same life. It may, however, be a good trip down memory lane for those who have already retired from submarine service and wish to take a moment to reflect on days gone by.

Very accurate
As a fellow submariner, I read this book to see if it was as true to the lifestyle as I remembered. The good news is that it is very indicative of the submarine life, a life of mostly just punching holes in the ocean.The only down side is that the author spoke a bit to much about reactor chemistry. Even though that was his job, it is a bit more info than was necessary. That said, the book was true to the submarine reality. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction - General    2. General    3. History / Military / Naval    4. Cold War    5. History    6. Intelligence service    7. Military - Naval    8. Nuclear submarines    9. Submarines (Ships)   

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - Military / War    3. Java Sea, Battle of the, Indonesia, 1942    4. Military    5. Military - Naval    6. Military - United States    7. Military - World War II    8. Naval History - World War II    9. Naval operations, American    10. World War II - East Asia    11. World War, 1939-1945    12. History / General   

Reviews (1)

Great Source of Information of Countries and Ports of Entry
This is a well structured book that provides a one stop source of information on port of entry procedures among other thing. However with that said. I have just returned from the Leeward Islands and found the entry procedures have completely changed. No longer do you fly the Q flag and wait, but the skipper can proceed directly to customs and immigrations. This is no doubt due to the increased yacht traffic.So talk with other yachts going to or coming from your destination to get the latest information on entry and clearance information. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Boating - General    2. Boating And Sailing    3. Pilot guides    4. Sailing - Navigation    5. Sports    6. Sports & Recreation    7. Travel Guides    8. Motor / power boating & cruising   

Reviews (2)

Good
I used this book for a graduate course in marine hydrodynamics.
Very good
Extremely well-written, readable. Here, you can learn about airfoil (hydrofoil) theory in detail, all the way through induction effects (drag and change of angle of inflow). I read it to understand outboard racing propellers. There's is no tractable theory of the latter because of asymmetry, and because racing propellers are surfacing propellers. So you learn what you can from airfoil theory and the rest is engineering via the seat of the pants, try something and then test it to see how it works. I did that for 9 years and set 3 APBA OPC speed records along with winning 6 National Championships, so the method worked pretty well in practice for me but left the most interesting questions about what propellers are doing unanswered. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Engineering - Mechanical    2. Hydrodynamics    3. Science/Mathematics    4. Ships    5. Ships & Shipbuilding - Engineering    6. Technology    7. Transportation    8. Ship design & naval architecture    9. Technology / Engineering / Mechanical