"History that reads like a historical novel." -New York Times Book Review. "Thoroughly delightful and informative." -Atlantic Monthly His Majesty's Frigate Macedonian was launched at Woolwich in 1810, at the height of the wars against Napoleon; its remains, refashioned as a seaside hotel, burned in the Bronx in 1922. It is barely remembered now, but in its time the Macedonian was recognized as the most important prize ever taken by the American navy--a distinction it holds to this day. The history of this one ship, recommissioned U.S.S. Macedonian after its capture from the British in the War of 1812, is an engrossing tale filled with battles, chases, near mutiny, and an engaging cast of commanders. The Macedonian played a prominent role in such major events as the liberation of Latin America, the war against the slave trade, the great Irish famine, and the American Civil War. Not just an entertaining narrative, however, the biography of this extraordinary ship is also a detailed portrait of gunboat diplomacy in the nineteenth century.

Chronicles of the Frigate Macedonian, 1809-1922

History

de Kay, James Tertius

Americas

W.W.Norton&Company

A Rage for Glory: The Life of Commodore Stephen Decatur, USN

Stephen Decatur was one of the most awe-inspiring officers of the entire Age of Fighting Sail. A real-life American naval hero in the early nineteenth century, he led an astonishing life, and his remarkable acts of courage in combat made him one of the most celebrated figures of his era.Decatur's dazzling exploits in the Barbary Wars propelled him to national prominence at the age of twenty-five. His dramatic capture of HMS Macedonian in the War of 1812, and his subsequent naval and diplomatic triumphs in the Mediterranean, secured his permanent place in the hearts of his countrymen. Handsome, dashing, and fearless, his crews worshipped him, presidents lionized him, and an adoring public heaped fresh honors on him with each new achievement.James Tertius de Kay is one of our foremost naval historians. In A Rage for Glory, the first new biography of Decatur in almost seventy years, he recounts Decatur's life in vivid colors. Drawing on material unavailable to previous biographers, he traces the origins of Decatur's fierce patriotism ("My country...right or wrong!"), chronicles Decatur's passionate love affair with Susan Wheeler, and provides new details of Decatur's tragic death in a senseless duel of honor, secretly instigated by the backroom machinations of jealous fellow officers determined to ruin him. His death left official Washington in such shock that his funeral became a state occasion, attended by friends who included former President James Madison, current President James Monroe, Chief Justice John Marshall, and ten thousand more. Decatur's short but crowded life was an astonishing epic of hubris, romance, and high achievement. Only a handful of Americans since his time have ever come close to matching his extraordinary glamour and brilliance.

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

Free Press

FDR as never seen before: His formative years as Woodrow Wilson’s Assistant Secretary of the Navy, evolving from political neophyte to visionary leader.
This is the story of a very different Franklin Delano Roosevelt from the one usually found in the history books. This is a much younger, untested FDR, a physically active, pre-polio FDR, as seen during his early years in Washington, learning the complexities of gaining and exercising power as Woodrow Wilson’s ambitious Assistant Secretary of the Navy. He arrives in Washington as a somewhat shallow, inexperienced political neophyte possessed of little more than a famous name, but by the time he leaves the Navy eight years later he will have transformed himself into a seasoned professional, wise to the ways of power, a visionary ready and eager to take his place on the world stage.
FDR’s early years in Washington also include the most tumultuous period in his personal life, when, caught in a difficult marriage, he is forced to choose between his own personal happiness and his towering political ambitions. He must deal at close quarters with Congress, with the Administration, with the military, with big business. Lastly, but crucially, he confronts himself, learning something about his potential, his limitations, and his ambition. Such self-knowledge is perhaps the most valuable single gift that a leader of a democracy can hope for.

Roosevelt's Navy

Leaders & Notable People

Pegasus Books

FDR as never seen before: His formative years as Woodrow Wilson’s Assistant Secretary of the Navy, evolving from political neophyte to visionary leader.
This is the story of a very different Franklin Delano Roosevelt from the one traditionally found in the history books. This is a much younger, untested, pre-polio FDR, learning the complexities of gaining and exercising power as Woodrow Wilson’s ambitious Assistant Secretary of the Navy. He arrives in Washington as an inexperienced political amateur possessed of little more than a famous name, but by the time he leaves the Navy eight years later he will have transformed himself into a seasoned professional, wise to the ways of power, a visionary ready and eager to take his place on the world stage.
FDR’s early years in Washington also include the most tumultuous period in his personal life, when, caught in a difficult marriage, he is forced to choose between his own personal happiness and his political ambitions. He must deal at close quarters with Congress, with the Administration, and with the military. Lastly, but crucially, he confronts himself, learning something about his potential, his limitations, and his growing ambition to become president of the United States.

Roosevelt's Navy: The Education of a Warrior President, 1882-1920

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by de Kay, James Tertius. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by de Kay, James Tertius

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by de Kay, James Tertius. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Chronicles of the Frigate Macedonian, 1809-1922

A Rage for Glory: The Life of Commodore Stephen Decatur, USN

Roosevelt's Navy

Roosevelt's Navy: The Education of a Warrior President, 1882-1920