Book Description
Thrilling action, an intuitive feeling for animal life, a sense of justice that often works itself out through violence: these are the qualities that made Jack London phenomenally popular in his own day and continue to make him, at home and abroad, one of the most widely read of all American writers. "The Call of the Wild," perhaps the best novel ever written about animals, traces a dog's education for survival in the ways of the wolfpack. "White Fang," in which a wolf-dog becomes domesticated out of love for a man, is an unforgettable portrayal of a world of "hunting and being hunted, eating and being eaten, all in blindness and confusion." In "The Sea-Wolf," the primitive takes human form in the ruthless, indomitable Wolf Larsen, captain of a crew of outcasts on the lawless Alaskan seas. Set in the Klondike, California, Mexico, and the South Seas, the short stories collected here--many for the first time--show London as one of the great American storytellers.
Customer Reviews:
An American Master..........2007-06-07
You can't lump too many people into the same sphere with London...Twain, Poe, and Lovecraft are a few that spring to mind. He's an American Titan, and he gets the fawning treatment you'd expect from the Library of America in this exemplary, extraordinary, green-registered book.
Call of the Wild is a page-turning yarn about a dog that becomes a wolf. It's listed on the MLA 100, but any competent kid of ten could tackle it...and enjoy it.
White Fang is a canine bildungsroman that inverts the plot of Call of the Wild, with the wolf becoming a dog. Also a page-turner, also something a kid would read without having to be coerced, and possessed of a truly classic scene where White Fang fights a bulldog.
The Klondike Short Stories are all superb--some people think London's metier was the short story rather than the novel--with Batard being a personal favorite.
The Sea-Wolf is a work of genius...until it all comes crashing down with the introduction of Maud Brewster, and the escape to Endeavour Island. What had heretofore been a truly transcendent work of art transmogrifies into a clunky, melodramatic, and tedious chore, where London's love of sailing jargon threatens to overwhelm the reader.
The Selected Short Stories show that London wasn't just a Yukon guy...he had some other arrows in his quiver. A few stories demonstrate his--at the time--devout socialism, which lasted up until he himself got rich. The Apostate is the weakest of these, but The Strength of the Strong is a pretty good allegory for fin-de-siecle capitalism, with all its gory excesses. London also writes convincingly about such diverse topics as boxing, South Sea cannibals, and straight-up science fiction.
This book of books is excellent, and any American who fancies himself a lover of literature would be remiss in not reading it.
Amazing on multiple levels!.......2007-02-24
Novels and Stories was the first of a two volume set that I scored for cheap on ebay a few years ago. The second, Novels and Social writings concentrates on his political/social novels and essays while this one is comprised of his Alaskan and sea bearing adventure stories.
This book weighs in at over 1000 pages and includes three GREAT novels in Call of the Wild, The Sea Wolf and White Fang as well as multitudes of his short stories.
I can't say enough about how much I love Londons writings and how much admiration I have for him as a man as well. I've read Call of the Wild about every two years or so since the first time I read it as a child and I get more out of it every time I re-read it. His adventure stories on one level are just great red blooded adventure stories that anyone who has any heart or spirit would enjoy and there is a deeper level to London as well. His stories are highly spiritual if you are able to look at them on another level. Although thats something that you have to "feel" from within I suppose.
Call of the Wild.......2005-05-17
This book was really good, but I believe that White Fang was better. Many settings took place, but I will start with the main ones. The first setting in this book was Judge Millers Mansion. The second is the dog breakers place, in which Buck (the main character, a dog,) learns the "law of Club and Fang." The third place is where Buck learns the method of husky fighting, and because the other dog died, he lived a long and well-lived life. The first major event in this book is when a person steals Buck from Judge Miller, and he is starved and strangled and is thrown in a shed to wait for a train to the dog breaker. There, he is introduced to the primitive law of club and fang. After that, he, and a Newfoundland, are taken to Alaska. There, he is introduced to the method of Husky Fighting, and then is put into the harness, and is put to work on the mushing sled. The next major event is when Buck is taken of his first mushing trip in the wild. There he learns how to keep warm in the harsh winters by digging into the snow and having your body heat heat up the space. The next area is when Buck and Spitz finally fight to the death, and Buck takes the position of lead dog on the mushing track. Finally, the last major setting is when Buck finaly turns to the wild, and he attacks the YeeHats with a vengance, because they had killed his LOVED master. The conflict in this book is Buck is a spoilled rotten dog, until he reaches the North and finds that he has wild ancestors. They eventually take over Buck and he lives with the wild.
Reality or Fantasy... Which one is it?.......2003-05-18
After reading this book for school, (not that I was forced to) I gave it a 4/5 star rating. It was excellent when it came to the setting of the story. Even though it is a very short, it crams alot of suspensfull and interesting moments into 100 some odd pages. This book is quite good and page turning. I highly recommend it to readers who like a mix of reality and fantasy in one. Masterful piece of writing.
THE GREATES.......2002-09-17
Jack London was one of the greatest American writers. I love everything he wrote and I wish I could write as well as he did.
Customer Reviews:
Super Reader.......2007-08-30
An Omnibus edition that includes three books.
Elric of Melnibone
Elric is the emperor of a declining civilisation. It is threated from without, by the 'lesser' races of humanity.
He also has to deal with the power plays and ambitions of his relatives, and has his own illnesses to bear, as well.
However, he has a plan. He doesn't realise what and who it will cost him to carry it out, as he makes a deal with Chaos.
5 out of 5
The Sailor On the Seas of Fate
There are three parts to this book. Sailing to the Future includes the crossover where Elric meets, Erekose, Hawkmoon and Corum aboard the Dark Ship of the Captain.
Then there is Sailing to the Present, and Sailing to the Past. The latter is a reworked version of the Jade God's Eyes.
5 out of 5
and
The Weird of the White Wolf
The Weird of the White Wolf also is a book that contains several smaller pieces of work, namely :
The Dream of Earl Aubec
The Dreaming City
While the Gods Laugh
The Singing Citadel
The first is a quick Eternal Champion interlude.
In the Dreaming City Elric returns to the Dragon Isle to attack his cousin, who is holding his lover captive.
While the Gods Laugh show Elric journeying with Moonglum, his version of the Companion to Champions, to find the Dead Gods Book.
The Singing Citadel is a building with the properties of a siren, basically. Elric and Moonglum investigate.
4.5 out of 5
Sword and Sorcery with Art and Intelligence.......2007-01-30
Moorcock is an excellent writer. His most obvious talent, to me, is his ability to drive both his story and his character's development via the same dark and despairing prose. Even when he writes the brightest, most gorgeous days, in the Elric saga, they are undercut by a real feeling of weight, depression, despair, and fatalism. This contrast can be shocking, especially if you have not previously read anything else by Moorcock.
Moorcock's ability to build a character, and his methods, fall somwhere between Tolkien's action based and Gene Wolfe's sometimes explanatory styles. His prose is as dark as that of Mervyn Peake, though Moorcock is less poetic, and is much more focused on action. This collection of the first three books of the Elric portion of his even larger "Eternal Champion" multiverse, holds, in my opinion, some of the best fantasy available on the market. The story is less predictable an more engaging, more 'different' than I have been accustomed too by years of McCaffrey, Terry Brooks, Salvatore, etc. dominating the fantasy fields. Moorcock brings back the strangeness that, almost twenty years ago, enticed me into the genre of fantasy, via Tolkien's books.
I do not wish to equate Moorcock to Tolkien. Moorcock is a very, VERY different writer, with a style that is very, VERY much his own. It is a good, strong style. It is even a, dare I say it, UNIQUE style, in a literary genre that is consistently derided for the lack of new works with original writing styles. I highly recommend the purchase of both this collection and its sequel collection, 'The Elric Saga, Part II'. They offer an engaging and enjoyable reading experience.
A rare achievement.......2005-06-17
I'm truly sorry for having taken so long in discovering Michael Moorcock. The element of the supernatural in his stories is as uncanny and unearthly as in vintage Robert E. Howard and H.P. Lovecraft. Definately the most addictive fantasy I've picked up in some time: the prose runs on adrenaline, every chapter ending on a hook that makes the book nearly impossible to put down. But it is the Elric character that bestows upon this series its deserved immortality. An albino, a weak offspring who should've died and yet lived on to become the most powerful sorcerer of his age...Elric is the archetype of all visionaries throughout the ages - those who felt the burden of existence too intensely to bear it. Those whom the rest of humanity both requires and scorns.
Moorcock Delivers!.......2004-04-14
Next to Tolkein, The Elric Saga is likely the best fantasy ever produced. Moorcock's portrayal of his characters is both vivid and wonderfully done. The power of his prose is flawless, and the books simply grab the reader and hurl them into a land where Chaos and Order strive for the souls of men. Elric is one of the best fantasy characters of all time. If you love fantasy and long for something akin to Tolkein quality, this is the series for you. Moorcock is a master storyteller.
Average customer rating:
- An American Classic
- Fear and loathing on the high seas.
- Wolf Larsen is pure epical pirate to the core
- Cast Away
- The Sea-Wolf
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The Sea Wolf
Jack London
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Similar Items:
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White Fang (Scholastic Classics)
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The Call of the Wild (Whole Story)
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To Build a Fire and Other Stories (Bantam Classics)
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Best Short Stories of Jack London
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Martin Eden (Penguin American Library)
ASIN: 0553212257
Release Date: 1984-04-01 |
Book Description
The Sea Wolf is Jack London’s powerful and gripping saga of Humphrey Van Weyden, captured by a seal-hunting ship and now an unwilling sailor under its dreaded captain, Wolf Larsen. The men who sailed with Larsen were treacherous outcasts, but the captain himself was the legendary Sea Wolf–a violent brute of a man.
Jack London was a worshipper of the strong and virtuous hero, and a firm believer in the inevitable triumph of good. The master storyteller nowhere demonstrates this theme more vividly than in this classic American tale of peril and adventure, good and evil.
Download Description
A thrilling epic of a sea voyage and a complex novel of ideas, The Sea Wolf is a standard-bearer of its genre. The vivid story of a gentleman scholar's rescue and subsequent ordeal at the hands of a hunting schooner's brutal captain and devious crew, it remains one of Jack London's finest achievements.
Customer Reviews:
An American Classic.......2007-10-07
I was quite surprised by Jack London's novel, The Sea Wolf. In fact, I rather enjoyed reading this book about a man at sea, Humphrey Van Weyden, aboard the ship, The Ghost, appropriately titled and a good metaphor. Aboard the ship, Van Weyden narrates his life at sea and the battles aboard the ship amongst the other sailors and the Captain Wolf Larsen who is also known as the Sea Wolf. The arrival of Maud Brewster adds romance to lonely Humphrey's sailing career. They have quite a story to tell as they leave the ship for Endeavor Island where they learn to survive in the Alaskan landscape in the early 1900s with barely the clothes on their back and their limited knowledge. It's like survivor without television cameras and there is only two people, a man and a woman on a desert island. Remember that question about who you would like to be stuck with on a desert island? Well, this book must have inspired such a philosophical question or wish. Maud and Humphrey get their wish to be alone but it's a struggle against nature. Jack London's writing style comes across with such flair that I believe he is the one of the most under-rated of American writers. Granted, we read his books in middle or high school but the older reader would gradually benefit and understand the depth of the narrator's voice with this book. Jack London should be regarded as one of America's foremost authors even with his focus on nature that his books are still selling and classic story-telling.
Fear and loathing on the high seas........2007-08-15
Loaded with imagery. The wickedness of Captain Wolf Larsen and the affection between Humphrey Van Weyden and Maud Brewster seems exaggerated but the author is using these things for higher purposes.
Also, it's hard to believe that there could be another Wolf Larsen-type character in existence (the other being Wolf's brother, Death Larsen, captain of the ship Macedonia) but Jack London wants us to realize that animalism and death exist, are related, and ever present. Only love (the kind Hump and Maud develop) and work offer respite from this gloomy reality.
London adds emphasis through his choice of name for the ship -- The Ghost (the boat piloted by Wolf Larsen, signifying how body and animalism dominate the soul during earthly life). Traveling through the soul (or "ghost"/spirit) is the best way to combat life's travails that spring up like sudden storms upon the sea.
"The Sea Wolf" succeeds in a way that most great works of literature do -- a popular story that can be enjoyed by the masses but also containing deep parables for elevated hearts and minds. London's story falls into the great convoy of ocean adventures that include the biblical book of Jonah (check out the Vilna Gaon's superb commentary on Jonah -- Aderes Eliyahu) and Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" that teach timeless lessons.
Wolf Larsen proves the truth of F.A. Hayek's theory that the strict rationalist tends to become a barbarian. I found my pro-life convictions challenged by Wolf's superficially appealing utilitarian explanation of why people guard their lives. It's true but not the whole story. I dove deeper into pro-life principles to refute Larsen's materialism uber alles. To wit, why would life (human adults) fight to preserve other life (unborn children) that, in most cases, it doesn't even know. Wouldn't adult life be afraid of what incoming life could potentially take away? The answer there is yes and that helps sustain the pro-abortion impulse. But the fact that there are adults willing, at cost to themselves, to seek protection for lives of coming generations that they have no acquaintance with suggests to the reasonable mind that the soul exists and is at work in such rescuers.
This phenomenon doesn't exist in the animal world (animals only fight for their own kind). It shows that the soul makes humans qualitatively different from the rest of existence.
Wolf Larsen is pure epical pirate to the core.......2007-07-09
Jack London I only discovered over the past five years, which by all relative standards is very strange, since I studied creative writing in college, and was an avid reader of the classics as a youth. I despised the classics as a youth, :), but now appreciate most of them during my formative years of understanding literature and the novel.
'Call of the Wild' certainly ingnited my senses to the prose power of London, and it was by an odd encounter and chance that a distant friend handed it to me in passing, that I discovered the magic talent of London and his epic sea story of 'The Sea Wolf.'
Arguably, "Wolf Larsen" is one of the greatest characters in literature. He is vibrant, total, fitting for the role in which he is written; belivable, enigmatic and actually quite charming in that raw sense of hostility.
However even though Wolf slowly descends into the abyss of madness, he has the mental capacity to be childlike and endearing. In this passage in particular...
{"Wolf Larsen underwent another bad attack of headache which lasted two days. He must have suffered severely, for he called me in, and obeyed my commands like a sick child...at my suggestion, however, he gave up smoking and drinking; though why such a magnificent animal as he should have headaches at all puzzles me."}
...we see an almost patent adolescence in Wolf, and London paints the potrait of the ironclad rascle, as human, with emotions and tenderness that even in the rank hollowness of declamation and ruthlessness, we can see a yearning for sympathy.
That is magical.
This is one to give to grandkids, your own kids, or to share with others. It holds a special place in my heart this book, and on my shelf next to "Master and Commander."
Thank you.
Cast Away.......2007-05-31
Although the time frame of this book is set in the 1700's, the language used makes the book so masterful. It should not be read by people with a low reading skill, as it can be hard to understand in some parts, which is what makes it such a interesting book. After reading a page or two so much can be analyzed. For instance, in the end of the book it can be similar to the movie Cast Away. The same scene takes place and two of the main characters are fighting for their lives. The novel is full of adventure and action takes place constantly. It may be epic fighting scenes or terrific storms, but know matter what this novel will keep you reading on edge.
The Sea-Wolf.......2007-05-25
The Sea-Wolf was our study book this month. The main characters
are described fully together with actions to help us visualize
the description. Sea-Wolf is a merciless captain who torments his
underlings in dreadful ways. The man, Humphrey, who is rescued from a shipwreck is both admired by Wolf for his intellect and scorned for his lack of life skills. The woman who boards the ship is a writer; and she
is also criticized for her position in life. Her presence aids Humphrey in his discovery of physical skills and power. An exciting adventure!!
Amazon.com
Mystery writers often seek foreboding locales as the settings for their tales, and Bartholomew Gill has certainly found such a spot in a wind-swept, desolate island in the North Sea. You can almost see the fog rolling through the crusty seascape towns as investigators come from Dublin come to look into the disappearance of an old man. Gill mines Irish folklore to provide depth to the tale, which is equal parts mystery, adventure, description and history all combined to craft an intriguing book.
Book Description
In a remote community off the west coast of Ireland, residents inclined to gossip speculate why reclusive Clement Ford, the "Sea Wolf," has become such a generous benefactor to his neighbors. then one night, a mysterious figure from Ford's past arrives on the island, and by morning three people are murdered and Ford has disappeared. In the wake of the tragedy, Chief Superintendent Peter McGarr, and his intuitive wife, Noreen, along with his trusted staff from the Murder Squad, must piece together the deadly evening's events and answer the questions: Who really is the enigmatic Sea Wolf? And what does he have that is worth killing so many people for?
Customer Reviews:
Engrossing Mystery STORY.......2007-02-26
This is my first Peter McGarr Mystery. I found it in a desperate search for old-fashioned mysteries where the focus is on the story not the dysfunctional lives of the detectives. Now there are plenty of dysfunctional people in this book, but that's not the focus. The focus is on a great story of betrayal and redemption that kept me turning pages right to the last one.
Gill in top form.......2004-06-03
This 1996 Peter McGarr mystery takes place primarily on the remote island of Clare where a man named Clement Ford washed up on the beach 50 years before and has lived ever since.
As the book opens, Ford is alerted to the arrival of a strange boat in the harbor. After so many years, his pursuers have caught up with him, in search of revenge and the treasure Ford absconded with at the end of World War II. By morning, several people are dead, Ford is missing and Chief Superintendent McGarr's fishing holiday is over.
With the help of his familiar Murder Squad team, his feisty, scholarly wife, Noreen, and the efficient mainland computers, McGarr begins to put together the pieces. Of less help are the closed-mouth islanders, many of whom despise "foreigners," whether they be mainland police or longtime benefactors like Ford, known to be behind the anonymous Clare Trust.
McGarr soon realizes that the killers did not achieve their objective - the treasure - and will return, losing themselves in the annual reunion of several thousand of the world's O'Malleys.
Gill is at his best here; his literary wit in top form, his characters gregarious and sharp, and the suspense heightened by harsh, windswept terrain and sudden, violent spring storms.
A great Irish escape to Clare Island, County Mayo........2002-05-08
Though some of his settings feel a bit reminiscent of Agatha Christie, Gill writes for a totally different audience--readers who do not shy away from realistically depicted (and sometimes gratuitous) violence, who do not expect the police to be models of probity, and who want their mysteries to be more than simple whodunits. In this 1996 combination of modern mystery and World War II thriller, set off the coast of County Mayo, Gill tells the tale of Clement Ford, a mystery man with a hoard of hidden treasure. Ford has just been tracked down by his old enemy, Angus Rehm, and the result is three deaths, three disappearances, two missing boats, and the arrival of Chief Inspector Peter McGarr from the Garda Siochana and his detectives, each of whom is also dealing with personal problems--alcohol, illicit affairs, and the demands of family--while trying to solve the mystery.
Local beliefs and superstitions, ancient history and pagan monuments, the geological record, and family history are interwoven with the more modern attitudes toward religion, the British, and authority in general, as Gill creates a lively "personality" for Clare Island. The mystery develops a global scope as Clement Ford's true identity and his World War II connections to Angus Rehm emerge in the final pages.
One of a long series of engaging Peter McGarr mysteries with a cast of well-developed repeating characters, Gill focuses on some intriguing aspect of Irish history and culture in each (e.g. eel-fishing, secret religious societies, literary history). The novels written prior to the recent Death of an Irish Sinner can be read in any order, but events in the latter are so explosive that it is difficult to go back if you read Irish Sinner too soon. The series is a fascinating look at Ireland and its characters--great fun and great escape reading. Mary Whipple
Ireland through the mystery novel.......2000-12-15
I plan to use this book with my high school juniors. To find a modern and interest-grabbing book which will whet their appetites for British Lit is a difficult task. I believe this book will do it with its fast-moving, physical plot encompassed in solid prose, idiomatic phrasing and cultural enticement. Though I am not usually a fan of the mystery genre, this one grabbed me.
A Clever Tale of Greed, Betrayal, and Sacrifice.......2000-08-26
This intelligently written mystery takes place off the coast of Ireland on Clare Island. The story centers on Clement Ford, a well-liked 80 year old Sea Man. Clem and his wife Breege live a modest lifestyle in their cottage on the island. They are personable and well respected by the remote communities citizens, however, they hold a deep dark secret.
One night after a violent storm, three people on the island turn up murdered and Clem and Breege mysteriously disappear. Detective Peter McGarr and his colleagues are assigned to the case. Police are baffled as to why anyone would commit these murders and how they could be tied to the quiet elderly Ford's.
Bartholomew Gill's story is unique in that you know who the killers are right from the beginning. However, the mystery lies in why did they kill? What do they want? Will they strike again?
The prose in this book is wonderfully descriptive. You will smell the salty air, see the rolling green hills, and watch the colorful Irish sunsets. The characters are refreshing and believable, and Gill provides the reader with accurate historical facts about the land and its people. This was my first Bartholomew Gill book, but it certainly won't be my last. What a terrific discovery!
Customer Reviews:
The reason I'm no longer a North Light Book Club member.......2001-05-10
Very disappointing!!! Messy layout,...mostly mediocre artists who write just as poorly. What substance there is could have been covered in one of their two page magazine articles. And what's with all those pretentious triple barreled names?
Seascape painting techniques.......2000-07-12
Rachel R Wolf used a simple approach to deal with the painiting of the seascape. Not only the painiting of the sea is dealt with but the items that interact with the sea are also discussed. Items like boats, shorelines, people, animals, birds etc that compose the picture are discussed.
Mix media are also explored in the book. The autheor used different media like water colour, oil ink and pastel to illustrate how to bring out the mood for the various coposition. It also discuss how some of the tips to help overcome mistakes and mask its effects.
A wonderful reference book for landlubbers who love the sea.......1999-08-09
I go to Maine every year to paint the wonderful rocks and seas and boats. Seeing a sailboat from the safety of the shore (Iget seasick on a boat), doesn't give you nearly the perspective nor information that this book gives you. I have it, I've read it, I've used it, and now I'm sending it to a friend who loves to paint seascapes also.
Errata for the last review..........1998-09-29
Oops- I spoke to soon. Information for contacting the American Society of Marine Artists IS in the book after all. A little blue sidebar box... I just missed it, in the back of the book, just before the index.
A very friendly introduction to creating maritime art........1998-09-14
This book is very thoughtfully done. Filled with fresh new work. The layout is satisfying, reproduction is excellent. If contemporary sailboats and tugboats are your thing, you'll especially enjoy this work. It serves as a very good introduction to the techniques of painting marine art. The topics are useful, the demonstrations are interesting. This should be a real boost to ASMA (American Society of Marine Artists). The only thing I missed was information for contacting ASMA ...
Cam Martin Tehachapi, California
Book Description
The history of one of World War II's most successful submarines, U-124, is chronicled in GREY WOLF, GREY SEA, from its few defeats to a legion of victories. Kapitanleutnant Jochen Mohr commanded his German submarine and navigated it through the treacherous waters of one of the most destructive, savage wars the world has known.
Customer Reviews:
ABOARD THE GERMAN SUBMARINE U-124 IN WORLD WAR II.......2007-09-16
The book I have in my library is the .95 cent Ballantine War Book published June, 1970, having terrific cover art, with a foreward by Gross Admiral Karl Donitz, Commander German Submarine Operations in World War II. I have several of these old Ballantine War paperbacks from the 1960s & 70's and treasure each and every one.
This book not only describes life and combat aboard the U-124 but is also the story of "her celebrated commander, Kapitanleutnant Jochen Mohr". The U-124 had a short lived history but was able to sink 49 ships for a total tonnage of 226,949, as such is listed as the "third most successful of all the hundreds of Axis and Allied submarines" operating in World War II.
While most Ballantine War books have maps, this one does not, however, the book does have 8 pages of photographs. The book is additionally based on official German records in conjunction with first person "recollections" of men who served on board the U-124.
If you have any interest in WWII German U-Boats, this book will need to be on your shelf along side others such as IRON COFFINS, THE U-BOAT PERIL, and BATTLE BENEATH THE WAVES.
Recommended.
Semper Fi.
Major Goof by Publisher!.......2007-07-13
This is a reprint by a publisher by the name of "E-Reads". The paper quality is much better than the original edditional by "Balentine", and this is why I bought it. The binding quality of the original edition was very poor and the pages are now showing significant deteriation after 35 years on the shelf. However, although the new eddition is of better paper quality, the wonderful photographs of the original are now missing. What a pitty.
What is very disturbing is the new publisher's blurb on the copyright page. It states that:
"The book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locals or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental."
This is NONSENSE! These characters and events are real and flys in the face of what is stated in the following "Acknowledgements" pages by the author. I hope the author gets an appollogy from this publisher.
This is an excellent story, well researched, and I recommend it to anyone with an interest in World War II submarine history. (5 Stars in spite of the publisher's slanderous comment).
Grey Wolf, Grey Sea.......2002-10-23
Interesting book about attacks and day to day life of U-124.
Excellent political statement from military point of view.......1999-05-25
I found this book to be an excellent essay on humanity in warfare and gives the realization that all U-Boat captains were not crazed killers, but men doing a job.
A good Read from the German point of view.......1999-02-17
I found this little jewel at a used book store. I couldn't help but cheer for the Germans as they faced the periles of life & war on a U-boat. The book reads like the film 'Das Boot,' in fact as I understand it 'Das Boot' was based on the story of the U-124.
Average customer rating:
- A Brave Man Does What He Can for His Country
- Well-written account of a forgotten episode of the Civil War
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Sea Wolf of the Confederacy: The Daring Civil War Raids of Naval Lt. Charles W. Read
David W. Shaw
Manufacturer: Sheridan House
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ASIN: 1574092073 |
Book Description
In June1862, just days before the epic clash at Gettysburg, a small party of the Confederate Navy mounted a devastating series of raids on the New England coast. At the center of the conflict was the hotheaded young adventurer, Charles W. Read. Serving aboard the CSS FLORIDA off the coast of Brazil, Read hatched a daring plan to sail a captured brig directly into the Union's home waters and wreak havoc on their shipping lanes. Burning or capturing more than twenty merchant vessels in less than three weeks, Read's rampage caused widespread panic in Northern cities, and brought enormous pressure to "stop the rebel pirate." At one point there were nearly forty Union ships sent to hunt down Read in a cat-and-mouse chase that finally led to his dramatic capture off the coast of Maine. SEA WOLF of the Confederacy brings to light this fascinating yet little known episode of the war, combining Shaw's flair for powerful storytelling with extensive research. Taking readers to the heart of the action on the decks of the burning ships, Shaw offers a compelling portrait of the complex Read and an insightful new perspective on the divisions splitting North and South during this dark time in American history. “…[a] lively account…” —Booklist
Download Description
"In June 1863, just days before the epic clash at Gettysburg ended the last rebel land invasion of the North, a small party of the Confederate Navy mounted a devastating series of raids on the New England coast, culminating in a battle off Portland, Maine. Veteran author David W. Shaw brilliantly re-creates this almost forgotten chapter of the Civil War in rich narrative detail drawn from accounts of the participants. At the center of the conflict were two men: the hotheaded young adventurer Charles W. Read, who resigned his commission as a Union midshipman to become a lieutenant in the Confederate Navy; and Secretary of the United States Navy Gideon Welles, a well-connected politician who ably oversaw the explosive growth of the fleet -- including the revolutionary ironclads -- during the war despite his lack of maritime experience. Serving aboard CSS Florida off the coast of Brazil, Read hatched a daring plan to sail a captured brig directly into the Union's home waters and wreak havoc on their shipping lanes. Burning or capturing more than twenty merchant vessels in less than three weeks, and switching ships several times to elude capture, Read's rampage caused widespread panic in Northern cities, made headlines in the major daily newspapers, and brought enormous pressure on Welles to ""stop the rebel pirate."" At one point there were nearly forty Union ships sent to hunt down Read in a cat-and-mouse game that finally led to his dramatic capture off the coast of Maine. Sea Wolf of the Confederacy brings to light this fascinating yet little known episode of the war, combining Shaw's flair for powerful storytelling with extensive research culled from contemporary newspapers, journals, and official war records. Taking readers to the heart of the action on the decks of the burning ships, Shaw offers a compelling portrait of the complex Read and an insightful new perspective on the divisions splitting North and South during this dark time in American history. "
Customer Reviews:
A Brave Man Does What He Can for His Country.......2007-04-01
Charles W. Read was an inept student, he graduated last in his class at Annapolis in 1860 just before he re-signed his commission in the US Navy. What he showed (just like US Grant and a lot of other military minds) was that some people do best by doing, not studying. Having lost his steam ram in a battle on the Mississippi River near Vicksburg. He is called to work on a "Raider" out of Mobile Bay.
Once on the open ocean "Florida" sailed into the Caribbean where they attacked Union commerce and merchant marine. Taking a captured ship "Tacony" with one howitzer and some fake (Quaker) wood guns, Read proceeds to damage over twenty ships on his way up to Portland Maine where they are caught but only after they steal a US Revenue Cutter and blow it up. The story is a lot like that of the "Shenandoah" which had two books about it published in 2005; more interesting from an historical point of view but not that thrilling. (How exciting can it be to read about the capture and burning of fishing Schooners?)
Well-written account of a forgotten episode of the Civil War.......2005-06-28
Although a life-long Civil War buff I had never heard of this attempt by a young Confederate Naval officer to take the war to the seas off New England. Lt. Charles A. Read had previously served on the ironclad "Arkansas" and the commerce raider "Florida" and had seen a lot of hard fighting - which he seemed to relish. In February, of 1863, the "Florida" captured a Union merchant vessel and Read was given permission to take over and convert this captured ship into another commerce raider. Read promptly sailed to the North and with only one small cannon on board began to wreak havoc on the New England fishing industry. The Northern states then began beseeching Washington for more protection - threatening to divert resources from the bloackade of Southern ports. Shipping insurance rates started rising, too.
Shaw skillfully interweaves the two sides of the story - the motives and actions of the protagonist, Read, and his antagonist, Union Secretary of Navy Gideon Welles. The author may have a Northern bias but it does not ruin the story. There are many good accounts of Civil War naval actions - we can add this one to the list.
Average customer rating:
- Children's story with a serious message.
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The Wave of the Sea-Wolf
David Wisniewski
Manufacturer: Clarion Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0618569375 |
Book Description
Intricate cut-paper illustrations incorporating Pacific Northwest motifs accompany this original story of the Tlingit princess Kchokeen, who is rescued from drowning by a guardian spirit that later enables her to summon a great wave and save her people from hostile strangers.
Customer Reviews:
Children's story with a serious message........2001-04-18
The illustrations are all from cut out paper -- very intricate and visually interesting. The story includes danger (readers should be ready to deal with drowning, and attack on a village by cannons from a ship). Has a message about grieving the loss of a good, native, natural life to the influx of crass europeans. Beautiful imagery about a brave and wise young woman. Has a suggestion of hope and holding on through hard times for a better future for us all.
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