BOOK DEPARTMENT
Members of the Institute, both regular and associate, may save money by ordering books through its Book Department, which will supply any obtainable book. A discount of 10 per cent is allowed on books published by the Institute, and 5 per cent on books of other publishers (government and foreign publications excepted). Address Secretary-Treasurer, U. S. Naval Institute, Annapolis, Maryland.
CAPTAIN PAUL. By Commander Edward Ellsberg. New York: Dodd, Mead & Co. 607 pages. 1941. $2.75.
Reviewed by Captain Harry A. Baldrige, U. S. Navy (Retired)
Ellsberg, with his two previous books (On the Bottom and Hell on Ice), selections of The Book-of-the-Month-Club, has rung the bell again with this historical novel Captain Paul. The hero is none other than our naval hero of the Revolutionary Continental Navy—Commodore John Paul Jones. The book has already become one of the “best sellers” of today.
Books about Jones continue to come off the press at a lively rate, two having appeared in recent months—biographical and in novel forms, Valentine Thomson’s Knight of the Seas and Clement Ripley’s Clear for Action, respectively. A third which headed the list of best sellers for months, Stars on the Sea, had much about John Paul Jones and the Continental Navy. Another biography is in manuscript form.
Our people seem to have been (and are so especially now) for the past few years particularly interested in the country’s early history and in that part running to the sea. That this is so is witnessed by the flood of such books, to mention a few, such as Delilah, Northwest Passage, Oliver Wiswell, Three Harbours, Clark’s John Barry, Footner’s Sailor of Fortune (Joshua Barney) and to which the reviewer is glad to add, the Forester Captain Hornblower series.
All the above by way of showing how timely is the book by Ellsberg and by adding that in this reviewer’s opinion Ellsberg has written as fascinating a book of the sea as are the Horatio Hornblower ones, and this is praise indeed. Those who love sea stories will not put Captain Paul down until the book is finished.
Although the book is frankly a romantic historical novel, the author at the end has added a historical note showing to what extent he has taken liberties with history to weave the story of John Paul Jones into this form.
In addition to having enjoyed a fine sea story, the reader will also have a very good history of the times, of the difficulties met with in the establishment of our infant navy, and the seemingly hopeless conditions and insurmountable obstacles Jones had to overcome to reach the pinnacle of success and fame—and then to lose the latter for nearly a century. One will then know what inspired his immortal “I have not yet begun to fight.” The author must have done a prodigious amount of reading before beginning to write, as the book shows. But the bibliography associated with Jones requires years to complete to say nothing of the amount of research required of the original manuscripts. There is nothing new brought to light about Jones, and certain of the legends and myths are retold, and it is noticed that names, such as Pierre Gerard and Red Cherry, are still retained. Nevertheless the book would be a fine gift to one’s friends who wish to know about “The Father of the Navy.”
WINGED WARFARE. By Major General H. H. Arnold and Colonel Ira C. Eaker. New York: Harper & Brothers. 1941. 265 pages. Illustrated. $3.00.
Reviewed by Commander William Sinton, U. S. Navy
Winged Warfare is an accounting to the people of the United States of the growth, development, and organization of the Army Air Corps. Its authors are among those best qualified to discuss the subject, Major General H. H. Arnold, Chief of the Army Air Corps, and Colonel Ira C. Eaker, a pilot of 25 years’ experience who commands one of the army’s fighter groups. The book is definitely written for the layman and contains little that is new to those who are experienced in aviation.
There is little mention of Naval Aviation in the volume, though the title suggests possibly a fuller treatment. The eternal question of a separate Air Force for the United States is presented with arguments for both sides. No conclusions are drawn and it is left for the reader to make his own decision. Many of us who are strongly opposed to any change in the status of Naval Aviation believe that a much stronger case can be made for the negative.
The book itself is exceedingly well organized. The major subdivisions are broken down into the three essentials for air power: winged weapons, winged warriors, and air bases—the eagle’s nest. The most interesting and instructive chapter is on aeronautical research, experimentation, and development. There is quoted in this book one of the finest appreciations of the mechanic behind the plane that I have yet seen—and no tribute could be more thoroughly earned.
To the layman who desires to get an insight into our Army Air Corps this book is recommended. It is hoped that a companion volume on Naval Aviation may soon be produced.
STOWAGE—HANDLING AND TRANSPORT OF SHIP CARGOES. By Captain Pierre Garoche. New York: Cornell Maritime Press, Inc. 1941. 437 pages. Charts and tables. $3.50.
Reviewed by Commander Robert R. Thompson, (S.C.), U. S. Navy
The practical manner in which the writer of this work has treated the problems of handling ship cargo, with its stowage and transport, is outstanding in completeness and detail. Originally published in French for use of the French School Ship in training merchant marine officers, the present edition is a translation with an adaptation of methods of American shippers, stevedores, and ship’s officers. The author, Captain Pierre Garoche, has ably demonstrated in this volume his practical knowledge of seamanship and the problems of caring for cargo.
The book has many illustrations showing the preparation of ship spaces for receiving cargo and loading and stowage methods. Loading plan charts and examples and tables of stowage factors with data on the handling and stowage of the principal commodities carried by ships are shown in detail. Methods of handling combustibles, inflammables, explosives, and other hazardous articles are discussed and excerpts are given from regulations governing the transport and storage of dangerous goods.
Pertinent and salient facts concerning marine traffic conditions and available equipment and facilities are presented for practically all of the ports of the world.
The author discusses recent developments in science and new operating practices in the control of temperatures of storage spaces for prevention of damage to cargo by condensation.
The number of pages in this book suggests a large volume. The subject itself is very broad. However, the book is handy in size. The text is well written and the plans and examples are clear and well presented.
The practical value of this work is not confined to the instruction of young officers. It contains information valuable for those who have to do with handling and storage of cargo, supplies, and provisions on board, and for all who have an interest in the movement of cargo in ships.
SIMPLIFIED THEORY OF FLIGHT. By Thomas C. Gillmer and Erich Nietsch. New York: D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc. 1941. 168 pages. $2.00.
Reviewed by Lieutenant Commander P. V. H. Weems, U. S. Navy (Retired)
This is another helpful book for beginners in the new but rapidly expanding field of aviation. Its text, numerous drawings, and charts set forth the fundamentals that every pilot should know, and that all others anxious to learn something about the whys and wherefores of flight could study with profit. Quite a few similar books have appeared in recent months, and we say the more the merrier. Because the world of tomorrow is the world of the air, and the more texts that get into circulation the more people will see them and become acquainted with their messages. We welcome each authoritative presentation of the fundamentals of flight.
The field of aerodynamics and flight theory has long been the exclusive domain of the engineers and designers. However, with the present surge of air-mindedness, mass pilot indoctrination, and skyrocketing plane performance, it becomes almost mandatory for the layman or pilot not grounded in the principles of engineering to look into the complexities of aerodynamics. Theory of flight is not only a present-day pilot’s educational requirement in both civil and military pilot training programs, but is one of those “musts” for anyone coming in contact with modern aviation—those who desire an interpretive knowledge of the science.
An able guide in this field is Simplified Theory of Flight. Designed as an introductory textbook, it should serve equally well as a handbook or reference book. It remains basic throughout, with no attempt to touch on types of planes, analyses, etc., but rather to follow the basic theory of flight through its normal course with logical discussions and explanations. The functions underlying physical law and reactions of each member are taken up both individually and in assembly. In addition to the text, the illustrations are clear and explanatory. Following the main portion of the book, there are four appendices, among which is one of rather unusual interest: the Effect of Flying on the Pilot. Giving an account of the bodily reactions of the pilot in various maneuvers and attitudes of flight, it should be of practical value, especially to military flyers.
An aerodynamic glossary, bringing the book to its close, provides a vocabulary for a more common ground of understanding, although few of the terms are used in the text.
In the increasing library of aeronautical literature, this book should take its place among those that serve the pilot and air- minded groundling as an authoritative introduction to a dignified science.