HERO OF THE HIGH SEAS: JOHN PAUL JONES AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
John Paul Jones' body lies in a marble crypt at the U.S. Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis, Maryland. In death, as in life, this American hero commands the deepest affection of his fellow countrymen. Veteran children's writer Michael Cooper takes a fresh look at one of the most colorful characters of the Revolutionary War period. The war is viewed from Jones's perspective and the reader lives out all the uncertainties, the risks, and the dangers faced by Jones with each dramatic battle at sea. A Scots immigrant, John Paul Jones arrived in America on the eve of the War for Independence, and went on to serve in the Continental Navy. The arc of his exciting life's narrative would lead him to deliver the sting of war to the British people. We follow Jones's seaborne odyssey until his fate is forged in the biggest naval battle of the American Revolution. Jones and his crew aboard the Bonhomme Richard engage the Royal Navy's Serapis and vanquish the world's greatest sea power. The name of John Paul Jones is thereafter etched into the imagination of generations of American schoolboys. Now, Hero of the High Seas gives our generation an original, accurate, and objective historical reference point for one of our country's earliest naval heroes. In Jones we meet a determined, commanding man who demanded perfection and constantly strove for improvement. Although he remained a well-respected inspirational figure to his men, Jones's fiery temper also led him into several clashes with authority. Michael Cooper tells the story of this hero of the high seas with an invigorating realism and eye for detail. This historical biography is generously illustrated with period artwork, and photographs of historical artifacts. Fine National Geographic cartography traces the voyages and ports of call of this American hero. 128 pages. Hardcover. 6 1/2'' x 8 1/2''. © 2006 
In 1607, when the 144 men and boys who had sailed 7,450 miles from England stepped onto the beach and breathed in the cool, sweet air of the country they called Virginia, it seemed like Paradise. They made the long journey hoping to discover gold and conquer a new land. But they were unprepared for the disease, starvation, brutal winters, and the fierce resistance from the many Indians who lived along the coast. The colony barely managed to survive that first winter. But, under the capable leadership of John Smith, it did survive, becoming the first permanent English colony in the New World. It was here that the Europeans began pushing the Indians ever further westward, imported the first African slaves, and established the first representative assembly in the Americas. From Booklist Despite the single-year purview suggested by its title, this well-designed book presents a history of Jamestown from late 1606, when the Discovery, the Susan Constant, and the Godspeed set sail from London to Virginia, to 1609, when John Smith's injuries forced his return to England. Based largely on the writings of those present, notably Smith, the book offers a very readable, detailed account of the settlers' exploration, deprivation, starvation, illness, and political infighting as well as their relations with Native Americans, which encompassed cordiality and kindness as well as great brutality. Large black-and-white reproductions of period paintings, engravings, drawings, maps, and documents illustrate the book. Back matter includes a time line, source notes for quotes and some statistics, short lists of recommended books and Internet sites, and a lengthy discussion of sources, in which Cooper notes the lack of primary documents about the Native Americans from any but the European point of view. Vivid and informative. Carolyn Phelan Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved |
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