Reviewed by Marcia
The poem Francis Scott Key wrote on the night of September 13-14, 1814 during the ferocious and crucial Battle of Baltimore made him a celebrity. Although he opposed the War of 1812, having witnessed the British attack upon Baltimore he was moved by patriotic fervor to write the words that became America’s national anthem. No one knows how the poem wound up at a Boston printer the following morning, or who was responsible to setting it to the music of an English drinking song. Key never mentioned it in his letters at the time and only once some 20 years later did he refer to it in a political speech. Yet, except for his authorship, it is unlikely that Key would be remembered today save for his intersections with some historically memorable men. Leepson’s book is the first biography of Francis Scott Key.
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Reviewed by Martin
Author, William Murchison’s clear and crisp writing style describes an under-appreciated, and indeed, often-misrepresented founding father, John Dickinson.
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Reviewed by Marcia
Although billed as the rise and fall of Kate Sprague Chase, this story is inseparable from that of her father, the brilliant, ambitious and ethically challenged Salmon Chase. The author brings into focus a master of political intrigue and a beautiful, ambitious and resourceful woman who was determined to live life on her own terms. Oller’s book evokes an era and the American Queen who, for a time, ruled it.
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Reviewed by Martin
While Washington’s role in this book is certainly at the forefront in parts, Markle has really documented the birth of American spying as his subtitle suggests. There was a lot more intelligence gathering going on during the Revolution than just what was being produced by the Culper spy ring around NY.
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Reviewed by Martin
Even if you’re not into zombies, the world war z abridged audio production of World War Z is worth a listen.
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Reviewed by Marcia
At least eight biographies of Grover Cleveland have been written, most far more extensive than this one. However, for the reader whose knowledge of Cleveland is limited, as was this reviewer’s, it is sufficient. Or it could promote a desire to know more.
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Reviewed by Marcia
David McCullough is an exacting historian and a skilled writer. His biographies and accounts of significant structures and events are always absorbing. This reviewer had heard of the Johnstown Flood but knew little of the circumstances or the people involved. Somehow McCullough injects suspense into an event that occurred 125 years ago.
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Reviewed by Marcia
Reviewed by Martin
Isaac's Storm is about the devastating Galveston hurricane of 1900, the nascent National Weather Service ... and their spectacular and criminal incompetence.
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Reviewed by Martin
Erik Larson's Thunderstruck reads like a novel, but it isn't. It's a non-fiction history of the invention of wireless telegraphy and a famous murder.
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