Overview
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.
Full Product Details
Author: Ian W. Toll
Publisher: WW Norton & Co
Imprint: WW Norton & Co
Dimensions:
Width: 15.50cm
, Height: 4.10cm
, Length: 23.40cm
Weight: 0.636kg
ISBN: 9780393330328
ISBN 10: 039333032
Pages: 592
Publication Date: 06 May 2008
Audience:
General/trade
,
Professional and scholarly
,
General
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
Sweeping in scope, full of vivid descriptions... solidly grounded in the diplomatic landscape... a masterly work. -- Chris Patsilelis [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 [Ian Toll] succeeds splendidly. His factual story is as exciting as any of Patrick O'Brian's fictional seafaring tales. 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 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 Ian W. Toll writes with such an arresting energy. He evokes the world of Patrick O'Brian, the salt-stained ruthlessness of naval commanders, the carnage of the broadside and the surgeon's saw, but also conjures a lost American landscape. -- Tim Gardam Vibrant and comprehensive, Toll makes an impressive debut. -- Gilbert Taylor
Vibrant and comprehensive, Toll makes an impressive debut. --Gilbert Taylor
Author Information
Ian W. Toll is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Conquering Tide, Pacific Crucible, and Six Frigates, winner of the Samuel Eliot Morison Award and the William E. Colby Award. He lives in New York.
