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Product Identifiers

PublisherNorton & Company, Incorporated, w. w.

ISBN-100393058476

ISBN-139780393058475

eBay Product ID (ePID)127426123

Product Key Features

Book TitleSix Frigates : the Epic History of the Founding of the American Navy

Number of Pages592 Pages

LanguageEnglish

TopicMilitary / War of 1812, Military / General, Military / United States

Publication Year2006

IllustratorYes

GenreHistory

AuthorIan W. Toll

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height1.5 in

Item Weight35.8 Oz

Item Length9.5 in

Item Width6.5 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2006-020769

Dewey Edition22

ReviewsSweeping in scope, full of vivid descriptions... solidly grounded in the diplomatic landscape... a masterly work. -- Chris Patsilelis (Houston Chronicle) [A] wonderfully atmospheric account, brilliantly researched, full of stirring action and rich with the scent of the sea. -- Simon Winchester, author of The Professor and the Madman Gripping... a masterful narrative... Toll captures the ambivalence of the government, and its reluctance to pay for even a tiny navy, very well. -- Joe Mysak (Bloomberg News) Toll has a light touch, much like noted historian David McCullough; well-researched facts are carefully balanced by smooth narrative flow.... The result is a thoroughly readable book that adds depth and significance to an important era of American history. -- Bruce Linder (San Diego Tribune) Vibrant and comprehensive, Toll makes an impressive debut. -- Gilbert Taylor (Booklist)

Dewey Decimal359.00973/09033

Synopsis"A fluent, intelligent history...give[s] the reader a feel for the human quirks and harsh demands of life at sea."-- New York Times Book Review Before the ink was dry on the U.S. Constitution, the establishment of a permanent military became the most divisive issue facing the new government. The founders--particularly Jefferson, Madison, and Adams--debated fiercely. Would a standing army be the thin end of dictatorship? Would a navy protect from pirates or drain the treasury and provoke hostility? Britain alone had hundreds of powerful warships. From the decision to build six heavy frigates, through the cliff-hanger campaign against Tripoli, to the war that shook the world in 1812, Ian W. Toll tells this grand tale with the political insight of Founding Brothers and the narrative flair of Patrick O'Brian., How "a handful of bastards and outlaws fighting under a piece of striped bunting" humbled the omnipotent British Navy. Before the ink was dry on the U.S. Constitution, the establishment of a permanent military had become the most divisive issue facing the new government. Would a standing army be the thin end of dictatorship? Would a navy protect American commerce against the Mediterranean pirates, or drain the treasury and provoke hostilities with the great powers? The foundersparticularly Jefferson, Madison, and Adamsdebated these questions fiercely and switched sides more than once. How much of a navy would suffice? Britain alone had hundreds of powerful warships. From the decision to build six heavy frigates, through the cliffhanger campaign against Tripoli, to the war that shook the world in 1812, Ian W. Toll tells this grand tale with the political insight of Founding Brothers and a narrative flair worthy of Patrick O'Brian. According to Henry Adams, the 1812 encounter between USS Constitution and HMS Guerriere "raised the United States in one half hour to the rank of a first class power in the world." 16 pages of illustrations; 8 pages of color.

LC Classification NumberE182.T65 2006