Books in Brief: The Naval Academy Illustrated History of the United States Navy

The Naval Academy Illustrated History of the United States Navy, by E. B. Potter (Crowell, 299 pp., maps, Ulus., $15).

One must always be wary of official histories—they can be as unreliable as the memoirs of politicians, or the family chronicles of over-eager candidates for DAR membership. However, Professor Potter (Naval History, Annapolis) has given us solid, readable history of the U.S. Navy that traverses a lot of historical territory in comparatively few pages. The story of the American Navy is a spectacular one. Though the Potter style is cool, even antiseptic, there is a natural drama to the evolution of the scrubby assortment of wooden tubs built or borrowed during the Revolution to the matchless fleet of World War II days. It is unfortunate that the past few years have been anticlimactic for the Navy, and that Professor Potter’s history must end rather lamely with a summary of Korea and Vietnam—but these are circumstances beyond the author’s control. This book is ideal for a naval buff in your family or circle of friends. The illustrations and maps, all in black and white, are adequate though not particularly striking. In all, a good, grey history of a colorful subject. It leaks a little, but it keeps afloat.

AB

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Aram Bakshian Jr.

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The Naval Academy Illustrated History of the United States Navy, by E. B. Potter (Crowell, 299 pp., maps, Ulus., $15).

One must always be wary of official histories—they can be as unreliable as the memoirs of politicians, or the family chronicles of over-eager candidates for DAR membership. However, Professor Potter (Naval History, Annapolis) has given us solid, readable history of the U.S. Navy that traverses a lot of historical territory in comparatively few pages. The story of the American Navy is a spectacular one. Though the Potter style is cool, even antiseptic, there is a natural drama to the evolution of the scrubby assortment of wooden tubs built or borrowed during the Revolution to the matchless fleet of World War II days. It is unfortunate that the past few years have been anticlimactic for the Navy, and that Professor Potter’s history must end rather lamely with a summary of Korea and Vietnam—but these are circumstances beyond the author’s control. This book is ideal for a naval buff in your family or circle of friends. The illustrations and maps, all in black and white, are adequate though not particularly striking. In all, a good, grey history of a colorful subject. It leaks a little, but it keeps afloat.