Ships of the U.S. Navy
Greenwich, CT: Brompton, 1990. Third Printing. 192, glossary, index, some edge wear. More
Greenwich, CT: Brompton, 1990. Third Printing. 192, glossary, index, some edge wear. More
Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1921. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. 22 cm. xi, [1], 472 pages, frontis illustration. Index. Boards worn. Corners bumped. Pencil erasure on front endpaper. Foreword by Rear-Admiral Bradley A. Fiske. This book is a record of official testimony given to Congress by navy officers under oath. It shows that the principal naval lesson of the war is the menace to the national honor and safety that was involved in committing the management of its navy to unworthy hands. The United States is entering upon a period of history in which the soundness of its institutions and the strength of its people will be subjected to crucial tests. The "war that was to end war" has thrown the world into confusion. A New World is emerging with new tendencies, new forces, new problems, all of which indicate all too clearly that, in the future as in the past, war will be the ultimate test of a nation. Tracy Barrett Kittredge was born in 1891. From 1914-17 he was member and director, Educational Fund, Commission for Relief in Belgium. From 1917-19 he was on the staff of Admiral William S. Sims, United States Naval Headquarters in Europe. In 1919 he was on the staff, Supreme Economic Council, Paris Peace Conference. From 1920-31 he was on the staff, League of Red Cross Societies. From 1931-42 he was Assistant Director, Social Sciences Division, Rockefeller Foundation, European Office, Paris. From 1942-46 he was on the staff of Admiral Harold R. Stark, American Naval Headquarters, London. From 1946-54 he was the senior Naval member, Historical Section, Joint Chiefs of Staff. In 1946, he wrote U.S.-British Naval Cooperation. More
Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1919. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. [4], 297, [3] pages. Covers worn, soiled and stained. Rear board weak. Discolored endpapers. Inscribed on fep by Sir Graham Bower to H. C. Cocke [possibly Captain Herbert C. Cocke, USN] on July 22, 1920. Commander John Graham Bower, D.S.O. (6 February, 1886 – 15 October, 1940) was an officer in the Royal Navy. Bower's first appointment was to the second class protected cruiser Highflyer, then operating in the East Indies. He left the ship when she paid off on 24 November, 1903. On 9 December 1903, he received an appointment to join Berwick of the Cruiser Squadron. Bower was promoted to Lieutenant on 31 December, 1907. Bower was appointed in command of the submarine C 34 on 1 March, 1910. On 25 November, 1913, he was appointed to serve in the battleship Colossus. Bower served in Colossus until 1 July, 1915 when he was appointed to Thames, additional for command of the submarine C 6. Bower was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 31 December, 1915. Bower was captain of E 42 on 29 April, 1917 when she hit UB 23 with a torpedo that failed to explode. In March of 1919, Bower was sent to participate in the Allied Naval Armistice Commission. Bower was promoted to the rank of Commander on 30 June, 1919. On 25 August he was appointed in command of the second class protected cruiser Arrogant, and for duty with submarines. In late 1921/early 1922, Bower assisted the Naval Section to the British Empire Delegation at Washington and was thanked for his work by Chatfield. Bower was placed on the Retired List at his own request on 7 February, 1931. More
New York: Random House, 2004. First Edition. First Printing. 375, illus. (many in color), diagram, note on sources, index, front board slightly bowed, name whited out on front flyleaf. More
New York: Random House, 2004. Second Printing. Hardcover. 375 pages. Illus. (many in color), diagram, note on sources, index, slight wear to DJ edges. Signed by the author. More
New York: Random House, 2004. Fifth Printing. 375, illus. (many in color), diagram, note on sources, index, slight wear to DJ edges. Inscribed by the author. More
Paris: L'Illustration, 1925. 41 cm, 650, v.2 only, profusely illus. (some color), maps (1 fold-out), boards worn & weak, endpaper torn at hinge, oversized heavy item. More
London, England, United Kingdom: Navy Records Society, 1894. Presumed first edition/first printing. Hardcover. Volume I ONLY. Includes illustrations. lxxxiv, 365 pages. Foldout. No dust jacket. Cover worn. Tears at top and bottom of spine. Some page discoloration. Some binding weakness. Some pencil marks noted.Name of former owner present. Bookplate inside front cover. Sir John Knox Laughton (23 April 1830 14 September 1915) was a British naval historian and arguably the first to argue for the importance of the subject as an independent field of study. Beginning his working life as a mathematically trained civilian instructor for the Royal Navy, he later became Professor of Modern History at King's College London and a co-founder of the Navy Records Society. A prolific writer of lives, he penned the biographies of more than 900 naval personalities for the Dictionary of National Biography. The Navy Records Society was established in 1893 as a scholarly text publication society to publish historical documents relating to the history of the Royal Navy. Professor Sir John Knox Laughton and Admiral Sir Cyprian Bridge were the key leaders who organized the Society. The American naval historian, Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan, was one of the first overseas members to join the Navy Records Society. More
Georgetown, TX: Chengalera Press, 1990. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. The fornat is approximately 5.75 inches by 8.75 inches. [8], 186, [6] pages. Maps. Signed with sentiment on title page. Reads Best regards, Sam Lee (Pfiester). DJ has slight wear and soiling. Colorful DJ front and back. Sam L. Pfiester was born and raised in Fort Stockton, Texas. He graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in Plan II. In 1968 he joined the U.S. Navy, serving two tours in the Vietnam War. The second tour he was senior advisor to a river patrol group operating in the Ca Mau Peninsula along the Cambodian border, and was awarded a Bronze Star for his service. Later he wrote The Perfect War (by Sam Lee) about his experiences. In 1971 he was hired as a petroleum landman for Clayton W. Williams, Jr., an independent oil operator. He worked for Clayton Williams for ten years, eventually becoming exploration manager. Since 1982 he has operated his own exploration company, Pfiester Oil and Gas. More
Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2009. First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. xi, [1], 190, [6] pages. Illustrations. Author's Note. Appendix A: Comparative Squadron Strength, Manila Bay. Appendix B. Comparative Squadron Strength, Santiago de Cuba. Notes. Bibliography. Index. The U.S. Navy's first two-ocean war was the Spanish-American War of 1898: a war that was global in scope, with the decisive naval battles at Manila Bay and Santiago de Cuba separated by more than two thousand miles. During these battles in this quick, modern war, America's "New Steel Navy" came of age. While the American commanders sailed to war with a technologically advanced fleet, it was the lessons they had learned from Adm. David Farragut in the Civil War that prepared them for victory over the Spanish. The first major study of the Spanish-American war to be published in many years, this book takes a journalistic approach to the subject, making the conflict and the people involved relevant to today's readers. This work details a war in which victory was determined as much by leadership as by the technology of the American Steel Navy. Jim Leeke was born and grew up in the Midwest. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he attended journalism school at the Ohio State University on the GI Bill. Jim began his writing career in daily newspapers as a reporter, columnist and sportswriter. He now works in communications and advertising with clients across North America and worldwide. The author or editor of several books. More
New York, NY: The John Day Company, 1967. First American Edition [stated]. Presumed first printing. Hardcover. 152 pages. Some discoloration inside front and rear boards. DJ is price clipped. Includes Foreword, Details of Ships, Squadrons and Flotillas, and Sources. Topics covered include the fleets at Jutland, Background to the Battle, The Battle (from the evening of 30 May to the night of 31 May), and The Reckoning. Also includes details of ships, squadrons, and flotillas, and Sources. Stuart Legg, a professional film editor, has applied his experience with visual materials to produce a vivid and authentic literary narrative. The book is embellished with a large number of schematic maps showing the strategy an action of the British and German Fleets as they developed step by step. The battle of Jutland served Germany well by showing her that the surface "dreadnought" was soon to give way to the submarine; for the British, the battle was the first disturbing hint of the loss of vitality, the beginning of the national self-questioning that is even more pronounced today. Stuart Legg (31 August 1910 in London, England – 23 July 1988 in Wiltshire, England) was a documentary filmmaker who was a leading figure in both the United Kingdom and Canada as a pioneering director, writer and producer. During his long filmmaking career, Legg's work was largely unknown, although he had won an Academy Award during the Second World War. Legg replaced Paul Rotha as head of Strand Films in 1937, where he moved from director to producer. Legg's films include Churchill's Island (1941), which won the first Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject. More
Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc, 1973. Doubleday & Company Edition, Presumed first printing thus. Hardcover. 128 pages. Illustrations. Footnotes. Index. DJ has some wear and soiling. Format is 6 inches by 4.15 inches. In listing American submarines full details are provided of the large war programs, including boats that were subsequently canceled; and special attention is paid to post-war fates on which there had been little published information prior to the issuance of this publication. Henry Trevor Lenton (8 February 1924 – 7 May 2009) was an English naval historian, specializing in the area of 20th-century naval history and warship design. He served in the Merchant Navy and the Royal Navy during World War II before becoming a journalist and author. Lenton was a lieutenant aboard the light cruiser HMS Mauritius in 1944. That same year he volunteered for service in the Royal Indian Navy and was commanding the auxiliary patrol vessel Oostkapelle in 1945. He was a lieutenant commander when discharged in 1947. He returned to the Merchant Navy and eventually was rated as Master. More
Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc, 1973. Doubleday & Company Edition, Presumed first printing thus. Hardcover. 160 pages. Illustrations. Footnotes. Index. DJ has some wear and soiling. Format is 6 inches by 4.15 inches. In listing British Cruisers the author has paid his usual attention to detail, and his notes on design background are especially informative. War modifications are dealt with in some depth although there was little standardization within a class, but by the close of hostilities there was a move towards ore homogeneity in modification with the more modern classes. Henry Trevor Lenton (8 February 1924 – 7 May 2009) was an English naval historian, specializing in the area of 20th-century naval history and warship design. He served in the Merchant Navy and the Royal Navy during World War II before becoming a journalist and author. Lenton was a lieutenant aboard the light cruiser HMS Mauritius in 1944. That same year he volunteered for service in the Royal Indian Navy and was commanding the auxiliary patrol vessel Oostkapelle in 1945. More
Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc, 1970. Doubleday & Company Edition, Presumed first printing thus. Hardcover. 136 pages. Illustrations. Footnotes. Index. DJ has some wear and soiling. Format is 6 inches by 4.15 inches. This volume gives a complete description of the covered fleet and escort destroyers which served in the British and Dominion navies between 1939-45, including those that were canceled or only projected, together with the fifty old destroyers loaned from the United States Navy in 1940. Special attention is given to wartime alterations which, in British vessels, were extensive and from from uniform within a single class. Henry Trevor Lenton (8 February 1924 – 7 May 2009) was an English naval historian, specializing in the area of 20th-century naval history and warship design. He served in the Merchant Navy and the Royal Navy during World War II before becoming a journalist and author. Lenton was a lieutenant aboard the light cruiser HMS Mauritius in 1944. That same year he volunteered for service in the Royal Indian Navy and was commanding the auxiliary patrol vessel Oostkapelle in 1945. More
Fairfax, VA: The Fairfax Press, 1977. Reprint Edition. First printing thus [stated]. Hardcover. The format is approximately 11.5 inches by 15.25 inches. 312 pages. Illustrations. Illustrated DJ. This is a large and heavy item and if sent outside of the United States will require additional shipping charges. Introduction by Major-General Joseph B. Carr. Frank Leslie (March 29, 1821 – January 10, 1880) was an English-born American engraver, illustrator, and publisher of family periodicals. In 1848 he came to the United States. He discovered he could accelerate the engraving process significantly by dividing a drawing into many small blocks and distributing the work among many engravers. A job on a large-format wood engraving which might have taken a month for a single wood engraver to complete, could be completed in a day by 30 engravers. In 1853, he arrived in New York City to engrave woodcuts for P. T. Barnum's short-lived Illustrated News. After its failure, he began publishing the first of his many illustrated journalistic ventures, Frank Leslie's Ladies' Gazette of Fashion and Fancy Needlework, with good woodcuts by Leslie & Hooper, a partnership which dissolved in 1854. The New York Journal soon followed, with Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper (1855), and many others. Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, which included news as well as fiction, survived until 1922. Illustrations made by Leslie and his artists on the battlefield during the American Civil War are well regarded for their historical value. He was commissioner to the Paris Exhibition of 1867 and received a prize there for his artistic services. More
Evanston, IL [?]: Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity, 1928. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. xxiv, 929, [3] pages. Format is at times two columns per page. Color Frontis illustration. Foreword by James E. Chapman, Grand Treasurer. Illustrations (including fold-out). Index. Cover has some wear, spine tear and soiling. Overweight and 44 years old, Levere was unable to get a military post in 1917. He applied to the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) and, to his delight, was accepted. Billy Levere had found his niche with the YMCA. He operated a canteen in France and served the American “doughboys” in much the same way he provided care and comfort to collegiate fraternity members across the country. His involvement with the YMCA was so significant that Katherine Mayo dedicated an entire chapter to Levere in her 1920 book on the YMCA in World War I entitled That Damn Y. When the war ended in November of 1918, he threw himself into fraternity work. When he came home, he wanted a national headquarters building to also serve as a national memorial for SAEs, who died in the Great War. At SAE’s 1920 convention, it voted to centralize the government and offices of SAE, fund the construction of a “Central Office Building,” and create a fundraising program to cover the costs. The author, who died shortly before the history was published, gathered and compiled the service records of over 7000 members of the fraternity and set down a few of the notable deeds of S. A. E.'s in 'the titanic conflict'. During the war, an ongoing collection of information was preserved in the Fraternity's periodical The Record, which formed part of the foundation for this more comprehensive history. More
New York: Elsevier-Dutton, c1978. First Edition. First Printing. 24 cm, 184, illus., bibliography, index, spine cracked at pp. 154-155 and reglued, front DJ flap price clipped, usual library markings DJ taped. Well illustrated account of World War II in the Pacific. This was the introduction of a new kind of naval war, in which the battles were fought in the skies overhead rather than on the surface of the sea. More
New York: Richard Marsh, 1852. Later printing (copyright date is 1846). Hardcover. vi, 7-384 pages. Bookseller's stamp inside front cover. Cover worn, soiled and frayed. Some page foxing and soiling noted. Somewhat shaken. Frontis illustration and title page illustration. Includes 38 chapters, as well as an introduction and a conclusion. The Author was personally connected with many of the scenes that are described in this book, and therefore can answer for their veracity. The American Cruiser's Own Book. An early and rare bit of Americana. It was written by American naval captain George Little based on his own experiences aboard a privateer during the War of 1812. Captain Little also includes details of his eventual capture by the British and his time spent in Dartmoor Prison. A fascinating read. Much history here, with engravings by Billings embellishing an already colorful text. Chapter headings include: "Excitement in New-York in 1812," "The Two Seamen enter on Board the Privateer, for the Cruise," "Morning Duty, Preparations for Sea, Stations, etc.," "Descriptions of the Officers, the Force of the Cruiser, the Chase," "Chase Engagement, Capture of a British Brig," "Portuguese Brig, and Prisoners Released," "Disaffection of the Crew," "Capture of a British Brig in a Fog, with the Boats," "The Doom of the Cruiser," "Descriptions of Dartmoor Prison," "The Massacre, Boatswain's Leg Shot Off," et al. Little is know about this author/officer who may to have been born in 1791 and thus went to sea at a relatively early age. More
Annapolis, MD: U.S. Naval Institute, 1943. First Trade? Edition. First? Printing. 25 cm, 846, illus., maps, reference notes, index, some wear to boards, corners bumped. More
Philadelphia (Volume I), Hartford (Volumes II and III): George W. Childs (Volume I), T. Belknap (Volumes II and III), 1866 (Volume I), 1868 (Vols. II-III). Presumed First Edition, First printing thus. Hardcover. 3-volume set. Decorative cover. Volume I, 608 pages and 406 illustrations. Volume II, 640 pages and 445 illustration., and Volume III, 640 pages and 323 illustrations, including Index. Each volume has footnotes. Covers have some wear, soiling, and scuffing. Front and rear boards of Volume III had some weakness and was restrengthened with glue. This is from bibliographic research and information in the books to be a First Edition set, identically bound, with the first volume printed by Childs in Philadelphia in 1866 and the second two volumes printed in 1868 by Belknap in Hartford. All three spines state Childs as the publisher. The Preface to Volume II states "The peculiar circumstances under which this work has been prepared, caused a much longer interval between the appearance of the first and second volumes that was expected; but the delay has been an advantage to the book, because it has enabled the author to procure and use more authentic and valuable materials than could have been obtained earlier, especially for Confederate sources....The interval between the appearance if the second and third volumes will be much shorter." The preface also explains that the publisher moved from George W. Childs to Thomas Belknap. Previous owner's [Eaton Cromwell] bookplate inside the front cover of all three volumes. Covers have some wear and soiling. Some page foxing and discoloration noted. Gift inscription on the title page of volume I indicates the set was a Christmas present given in 1870. More
Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2006. First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. The format is approximately 7.25 inches by 10.25 inches. xxii, 558, [10] pages. Abbreviations, Acronyms and Special Terms. Photographs. Maps. Task Organizations. Notes. Bibliography. Index. DJ has some edgewear and soiling. Front flyleaf gone. Ink underling on DJ front flap and SUBSTANTIAL portions of the text. May be signed on the inside front cover. John B. Lundstrom is the author of several books on the Pacific War, including The First Team and The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign. He is the recipient of the Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Naval Literature, the Hook Contributor’s Award and the Admiral Arthur W. Radford Award by the National Aviation Museum. Frank Jack Fletcher (April 29, 1885 – April 25, 1973) was an admiral in the United States Navy during World War II. Fletcher commanded five different task forces through the war; he was the operational task force commander at the pivotal battles of the Coral Sea and Midway, which collectively resulted in the sinking of five Japanese fleet carriers. In 1914, then Lieutenant Fletcher was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the battle at Veracruz. September 1945, he proceeded to minato, Japan, with the North Pacific Force (consisting of about sixty vessels) for the emergency naval occupation of Northern Japan. He remained there until ordered to return to the United States, and on December 17, 1945, was appointed to the Navy's General Board. On May 1, 1946, as Senior Member of that Board he became Chairman, and continued to serve until his retirement on May 1, 1947, with the rank of full admiral. More
St. Martin's Paperbacks, 2004. First St. Martin's Paperback ed. [stated]. First ptg. [stated]. Mass-market paperback. [6], 488, [2] p. More
New York, N.Y. Excalibur Books, 1976. Presumed First Edition, First printing thus. Hardcover. vii, [1], 125, [3] pages. Oversized book, measuring 11/1-2 inches by 9 inches. Illustrated endpapers. DJ worn and torn. Foreword by Vice Admiral B. B. Schofield CB CBE. Special Illustrations by the County Studio, Leicester. Includes Foreword, Introduction, as well as chapters on Germany, Italy, Japan, Great Britain, France, and the United States. This book surveys the major vessels used in combat by the principal navies of the Second World War. The development, construction, and fighting role of over 50 of these warships--cruisers, battleships, aircraft carriers, destroyers and submarines--are individually described and placed within the context of their class. Each vessel is accompanied by a full technical specification with detailed color drawings and contemporary photographs of the ship in action. David Lyon spent his working life at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, where he looked after the huge ships plans collection before becoming Curator of Naval Ordnance, then Head of Enquiries and finally Chief of Research of the Maritime Information Centre. He served in the Royal Navy Reserve and having qualified as a diving officer, was instrumental in the development of underwater archaeology in Britain. He is a member of the Council of the Society for Nautical Research and of the Nautical Museums Trust. He has written and lectured extensively both in Britain and abroad an his many publications include The Sailing Navy List, The Denny List, Steam, Steel and Torpedoes, and Sea Battles in Close-up: The Nelson Era. The co-author is his brother which did his thesis on British Naval Shipbuilding. More
New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1999. First Edition. Seventh Printing. Hardcover. [10], 259, [3] pages. Small tear in rear DJ. Peter Maas (June 27, 1929 – August 23, 2001) was an American journalist and author. He was born in New York City and attended Duke University. Maas had Dutch and Irish heritage. He was the biographer of Frank Serpico, a New York City Police officer who testified against police corruption.[1] He is also the author of the number one New York Times bestseller, Underboss, about the life and times of Sammy "The Bull" Gravano. His other notable bestsellers include The Terrible Hours, The Valachi Papers, Manhunt, and In a Child's Name, recipient of the 1991 Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime book. The Valachi Papers, which told the story of Mafia turncoat Joseph Valachi, is widely considered to be a seminal work, as it spawned an entire genre of books written by or about former Mafiosi. More
London: Evens Brothers Limited, 1965. Presumed First Edition/First Printing. Hardcover. 174, [2] pages. Illustrations. Footnotes. DJ has some wear and soiling. The Pioneers; Ocean-going Submarines; Horton in the Baltic; Seawolf of the Atlantic; On the Enemy's Doorstep; Skagerrak and The Straits, Malta Flotilla; Cutting Rommel's Life-Line, More Mediterranean Exploits; Uncle Sam's Submariners; Medal of Honour; Success in Japanese Waters. When Submarines first became units of the fighting fleets of the world in the early years of this century they were unimpressive, unseaworthy craft equipped with unreliable, low performance weapons. Those who manned them were, like the early aviator, looked on as harmless cranks. Even at the outbreak of the First World War they had not entirely lived down that reputation but before it was over Britain, at that time the world's greatest naval power, had been brought to within sight of total defeat by the submarine in the hands of her enemies. Submariners had thus joined the front rank of fighting seamen and in doing so they had revolutionized naval warfare. In the Second World War they comprised one of the most effective arms of sea warfare. This is the story of the submarines and of the men who sailed in them from their invention until the end of the Second World War. This exciting volume, in Evans' "Fighting" series, is filled with stories of the greatest possible heroism in the lonely world of the submariner. More