| John Paul Jones and the American Navy (The Library of American Lives and Times) |  | Authors: James C. Bradford, Alice A. Mcginty
Publisher: PowerPlus Books
Category: Book
List Price: $34.60
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Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 2827127
Media: Library Binding
Edition: 1st
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Pages: 112
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.6 x 6.9 x 0.5
ISBN: 0823957268
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.35092
EAN: 9780823957262
ASIN: 0823957268
Publication Date: July 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Good Intro to John Paul Jones and the Early American Navy October 14, 2008
Christopher A. Harris (NJ)
This slim volume is a fine introduction (or refresher) to the subject for middle-schoolers on up.
The chapter titles are as follows:
Prologue
1. Young John Paul
2. Merchant Sea Captain
3. The Providence and Alfred in American Waters
4. The Ranger in the Irish Sea
5. The Bonhomme Richard and Flamborough Head
6. Honors in Europe and America
7. Russian Admiral
8. A Place in History
The author begins with a brief but exciting tale of a mission undertaken by Jones and some of his crew in April 1778. He follows with the usual type of "Who was this man and why did he do the things he did?" kind of rhetorical questions that (hopefully) serve to pique the reader's interest enough to keep reading.
The first chapter introduces one to young John Paul's humble beginnings, his family, and mid-18th-century Scotland. Our hero soon develops an interest in the mariner's life and serves on several trade vessels. He quickly makes a name for himself as a talented young officer and in 1775 offers his services to the newly-formed American Continental Navy. Most of his exploits over the next few years are around Europe and the British Isles, intercepting British warships and traders alike. One reads about the British press' efforts to paint Jones as a dark and ruthless scourge of the seas, when in fact he was quite reasonable and merciful -- within the context of war, of course.
By chapter 7, the American Revolution is over and Jones has a new, diplomatic mission in Europe, which is barely more than mentioned. Yearning for the sea, he then accepts an admiralty in the Russian Navy. His service there is brief but adventurous, winning many victories and turning the tide against the Turks. Unfortunately, his great success, along with a lack of political skill, results in some jealous rivals effectively stalling Jones' career. The final chapter briefly mentions his retirement to Paris and subsequent death from illness in 1792. It finishes with Jones' remains eventually being transplanted to an elaborate sarcophagus under the U.S. Naval Academy Chapel, a fitting and honorable tribute to the Father of the American Navy.
While Bradford includes the occasional personal element about Jones in the narrative, there really isn't much of a sense of the man on a personal level. It is all about his career -- highlights only, of course -- and the contributions he made to the American Revolution, later to the Russian battles against the Turks, and to the American Navy in general, both in theory and practice. Now, perhaps this was exactly the aim of the author/publisher, but I would have liked to read a bit more on Jones' youth, personality, friendships, any romantic relationships?, etc. If a few maps/sketches/sidebars were removed, there would have been room for a few more personal details. (E.g., Why a full page on Louis XVI? Why a double-page spread of the painting 'Heirs to the Fame of John Paul Jones'?)
Bradford's writing flows easily and is well-suited to his primary audience. I noticed no instances of awkward phrasing or redundant text, as I have in a couple other volumes in the series, and typos are practically nonexistent. Unfortunately, characteristic of this series (as well as many other short and/or youth-oriented books), there are no end/footnotes. There is a 'Timeline' of Jones's life at the end of the book, as well as a helpful Glossary. There is also a short list of 'Additional Resources', a Bibliography, and a brief index.
There are several photos and reproductions of paintings, documents, etc. (many color, others B&W), which I really appreciated. But, as indicated above, and as has been the case with other volumes I've read in the series, there are a couple pictures or side-boxes here & there that are only marginally relevant or interesting and whose space could have been better filled with more text.
Overall, a more-than-satisfactory addition to the LALT series.
Content: 4
Style & Structure: 4
Average: 4
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