About The Book
IF BY SEA is the definitive history of the founding of the United States Navy. It charts forty tumultuous years of false starts, failures and triumphs, as the fledgling republic sought to establish its place in the world. From the Battle of Lexington and Concord in 1775 to Yorktown in 1781; from the Quasi-War with France and the War with Tripoli, and from the great naval battles of the War of 1812 to New Orleans, the need for and prospects of an American navy were very much in question. During the Federalist Era (1789-1801), in particular, even as other national institutions were moving from the words of the Constitution to the reality of a workable republican government, the founding fathers were embroiled in a vicious partisan fight over the navy's very existence. Indeed, the political bickering went on and on, well into the next century, ending only when the navy, through its undeniable record of achievement during the War of 1812, proved indispensable to the country's defense and to the peace that followed.
* WINNER OF THE 2008 SAMUEL ELIOT MORISON AWARD *
*THE FRAUNCES TAVERN MUSEUM BOOK AWARD: HONORABLE MENTION FOR 2009 *
* SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE BEST SELLER *
* MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM BEST SELLER *
I'll be traveling to New York to receive this award on Monday, Nov 3. For more information on this event click on the events link.
I'll be speaking at the Scarborough Library, Scarborough, Maine on Sunday, Oct 19 at 2PM. This will be the last event in Maine until January. (I'll be on the west coast for the months of November and December.) If you have the opportunity please stop in. See the events page for details.
My next event is in Portland, Maine at the Maine Historical Society, Tuesday Oct 7. Hope to see lots of history buffs there at noon. More information on the events page.
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