Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy | 
 enlarge | Author: Ian W. Toll
Publisher: W. W. Norton
Category: Book
List Price: $16.95
Buy New: $6.78
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Avg. Customer Rating:  76 reviews
Sales Rank: 6727
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 592
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.2
ISBN: 039333032X
Dewey Decimal Number: 359.0097309033
EAN: 9780393330328
ASIN: 039333032X
Publication Date: March 3, 2008
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
"A fluent, intelligent history...give[s] the reader a feel for the human quirks and harsh demands of life at sea."—New York Times Book Review
Before the ink was dry on the U.S. Constitution, the establishment of a permanent military became the most divisive issue facing the new government. The founders—particularly Jefferson, Madison, and Adams—debated fiercely. Would a standing army be the thin end of dictatorship? Would a navy protect from pirates or drain the treasury and provoke hostility? Britain alone had hundreds of powerful warships.
From the decision to build six heavy frigates, through the cliff-hanger campaign against Tripoli, to the war that shook the world in 1812, Ian W. Toll tells this grand tale with the political insight of Founding Brothers and the narrative flair of Patrick O'Brian. 16 pages of illustrations.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 71 more reviews...
 Poor Revisionist History October 7, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Derivative and a revionist history in an area already well covered. Toll also has a distinctly "liberal" slant to much of his discussion of politics. Try Richard Zacks Pirate Coast and other non-fiction on the origins of the U.S. Navy.
 Great History lesson September 23, 2008
The author did considerable research. Not only do we get a great history lesson but we get a story that keeps us involved. Wonderful reading.
 Delightful Account September 15, 2008
I enjoy naval history and have read enough, including of this period, to recognize something delightfully different in Toll's approach to his subject. Actual naval engagements are well described and the creation of nautical forces is examined in most fascinating terms. It is amazing that we quite possibly may have never created any significant warships during this period. This state of affairs is well described both in terms of political differences and frugal allocation of resources to a shipbuilding industry creating major men of war for the first time
History comes alive August 17, 2008
I thoroughly enjoyed Ian Toll's history of the ships that quickly established the Navy's tradition for excellence. Toll has the gift of a great story teller. Wonderfully researched, beautifully written and told in prose dotted with the nautical expressions that have become staples of our language,this work is highly recommended to anyone who loves history, adventure and great prose. Well done.
Gripping Tale of the Early US Navy! August 15, 2008
This is one of those History Books that is a great read, like a well written novel with an epic storyline and cast of characters. At times, the battle actions read like a Patrick O'Brian novel and in addition to the Naval warfare, it is a great account of the early Republic, its leaders, and the world as it then existed.
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