The War of 1812 and the Rise of the U.S. Navy

First impressions.I just received my copy in the mail today and I wanted to pass along some initial observations.I am a sucker for history books...especially those covering the U.S. Navy. Considering we are in the midst of the bicentennial of the War of 1812 and the emergence of the U.S. Navy as a protector of the global oceans (rather than coastal waters), this book is very timely. It is very well assembled and is constructed of good quality materials. Considering that I am interested in artifacts, this book holds my interest even more so.It came in the mail yesterday and I immediately scanned the pages from cover to cover. I circled back to read the preface which was written by Ray Maybus (SecNav). I was really bothered by the readily apparent lack of editing (Maybus is in LOVE with serial commas). Add to that, Mr. Maybus writes about the how the Continental Navy was drawn down following the Revolution in the 1780s and '90s "only to be reborn in the EIGHTEENTH century." How was that glaring error missed by editorial review?In the third paragraph of the preface, the SecNav makes an initial reference to "those first six frigates" which immediately caught me off-guard as there was no prior introduction to the ships (fortunately, I knew what he was writing about). I could barely finish reading his contribution. I kept wondering, "did the SecNav REALLY write this crap?" I get what Maybus was trying to say, but his message was fluffy, rah-rah stuff. Nothing about his message truly meshed with the book's subject. Had the preface been torn out and read independently, one could hardly tell what the point of his preface is.I look forward to diving into the work while attempting to avoid editing the text. I am hopeful that the rest of the content matches the stunning photography and collection of artifacts and artwork that grace the pages. Once I've completed the book, I will provide a follow-up review. I am rating this with three stars (so far). I am hopeful that I will be increasing that number upon completion.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I discovered lots of new information. Did you know for instance, that there actually was a mutiny on a US ship?On the other hand, the book is rather large and cumberson, making it a challenge to take on a trip.

This book exceeded expectations. The quality of the content and pictures make it a suitable coffee table book. It is so much more. This is a book that someone who enjoys history will pick up and read over and over. This was actually my second purchase of this book. I enjoyed mine so much that I am now giving it to a friend.

Good overview with solid academic notations, significant artifacts protrayed and artworthy graphic illustrations on an otherwise unheralded but pivotal era in U.S. history. Huzzah!

Bought this for my husband and he absolutely loves it. Worth the money just for the images it contains. A great way to learn about this little known war.

This book reads like a boring text book. I have to do a program on it and it is no way that I can make the War of 1812 interesting using this book.

Exactly the right book to see the clear picture of the U.s. Navy's importance then and now. Excellent!

Since this is an era my husband is very interested in, he was very pleased with the book. Will recommend to others.

An excellent book, and written from an American point of view presents a different picture to that of the Royal Navy being victorious in all its battles, as we are always told in the U.K.