The second volume of this authoritative biography examines the last ten years of David Glasgow Farragut’s life; focusing on the Civil War. Farragut’s courage was tried as much as the Confederate Navy as by gross inefficiency and waste in the conduct of war; lukewarm support of the Federal government; lack of cooperation between the Army and Navy; and poor morale caused by war weariness and disease. In the face of these challenges Farragut proved to be a resourceful leader and fighter whose loyalty to the Navy and his country proved him worthy of being America’s first admiral.
#1660692 in Books 2011-12-06 2011-12-06Format: International EditionOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.25 x 5.00 x 1.00l; .83 #File Name: 1590206924416 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. good readBy lostintranslationexcellent history of russian vikings2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Very unprofessional; but readable.By Jason GacekFirst of all the book is not 416 pages as states; the last page of the book is page 334. Even with notes and bibliography its only 384 pages. After maps and diagrams the book has about 290 full pages of text. The book has the feel of an assignment where a child has to write a 1000 word essay but only comes up with 700; then he goes back through the essay and 'puffs up' each paragraph to get to 1000 words. An accurate; concise book about this man would probably have about 200 pages of text; if that. Volkoff is consistently verbose; fluffing up content without adding meaningfully to its impact on the quality of the book.Volkoff constantly refers to 19th century authors like Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky as if they were somehow experts on the subject? I am a huge fan of both these authors and I have every one of Tolstoy's major works in my collection; but beyond a passing reference emphasizing Vladimir's historical impact; this is out of place.The book lacks polish and professionalism. Its as if some guy is telling you about Vladimir while you are enjoying a pint at the pub with him. The author interjects personal opinions and suppositions that are poorly justified in the source material.That being said; much of the book is very readable. The story of his youth under the rule of his father Svyatoslav and his rise to power against his brothers was quite a page turner. Volkoff has a Ph.D. in Aesthetics. I don't know what that is; but its clearly NOT a Ph.D. in History. I like to read history books by authors that are local to the region they are writing about. I believe this 'vested interest' can provide a unique perspective. Authors like Dr. Kaveh Farrokh (Shadows in the Desert; Iran at War) are far more polished and effective at writing books on the history of their own people. Edvard Radzinsky's 'Alexander II'; and Alexis Troubetzkoy's 'The Crimean War' are more professional examples that are closer to home for him.I think the source material for an entire book on Prince Vladimir is very weak; so in spite of all my comments; I still applaud Vladimir Volkoff on his effort to write a book on this man and have it published in English for me to read.6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. My 2nd favorite history bookBy Someone ElseIt has been a few years since I was moved by a history book. I liked how this one opened my eyes up to early Russian history and the conversion to Byzantine Christianity. I have wanted to overcome the ethnocentrism that made it difficult to see beyond the Protestant Reformation; let alone the East-West Schism. I had thought of the "Barbarian Conversion" in terms of different peoples (Irish; Goth; Frank; Anglo-Saxon; Viking). The author warned me he would interject his interpretations. I normally don't like that but he was very clear when he parted from research and I found it slowly drew me deeper into the story. I guess I needed more than the facts to help me make an emotional connection with the history of Eastern Europe. It was not my normal non-fiction fare.
