Reviews
"Perilous Fightshowcases Budiansky's rare talent for writing history that is simultaneously enlightening, insightful, and entertaining. Impeccably researched and artfully written, it is a thoroughly enjoyable and eye-opening account of how America's 'Big Stick' navy got its start." -Bill Sloan, author ofThe Darkest SummerandThe Ultimate Battle "The author's colorful narrative is full of gory sea battles, chivalrous flourishes, mutinous tars, and charismatic performances by Stephen Decatur, David Porter, and other American naval legends . . . Budiansky's well-researched and skillfully written account extracts a gripping true-life naval saga from an otherwise inglorious conflict." -Publishers Weekly, " Perilous Fight showcases Budiansky's rare talent for writing history that is simultaneously enlightening, insightful, and entertaining. Impeccably researched and artfully written, it is a thoroughly enjoyable and eye-opening account of how America's 'Big Stick' navy got its start." -Bill Sloan, author of The Darkest Summer and The Ultimate Battle "The author's colorful narrative is full of gory sea battles, chivalrous flourishes, mutinous tars, and charismatic performances by Stephen Decatur, David Porter, and other American naval legends . . . Budiansky's well-researched and skillfully written account extracts a gripping true-life naval saga from an otherwise inglorious conflict." - Publishers Weekly, “A joy to read for the interested reader of history, the amateur historian, and at the same time a worthy reference for scholars . . . With excellent narrative, battle diagrams and photos, this book is a keeper. It's timely, well-written, interesting and a recommended read.� -Vice Admiral Robert F. Dunn, The Washington Times “A rousing story . . . Budiansky writes with sure and vivid command.� -Evan Thomas, The Washington Post “Military historian Stephen Budiansky meticulously recreates three years of pitched and pyrrhic battles, while nicely folding in the collateral intricacies of rigging, reefing and tacking, the ambitions, caprices and cruelties of the captains and the exasperating policies of the politicians on both sides of the Atlantic . . . Budiansky is strictly on the beam, both with nautical and literary sensibilities.� -Jonathan Lazarus, The Newark Star-Ledger “The author’s colorful narrative is full of gory sea battles, chivalrous flourishes, mutinous tars, and charismatic performances by Stephen Decatur, David Porter, and other American naval legends . . . Budiansky’s well-researched and skillfully written account extracts a gripping true-life naval saga from an otherwise inglorious conflict.� - Publishers Weekly “Perilous Fight showcases Budiansky’s rare talent for writing history that is simultaneously enlightening, insightful, and entertaining. Impeccably researched and artfully written, it is a thoroughly enjoyable and eye-opening account of how America’s ‘Big Stick’ navy got its start.� -Bill Sloan, author of The Darkest Summer and The Ultimate Battle, "A joy to read for the interested reader of history, the amateur historian, and at the same time a worthy reference for scholars . . . With excellent narrative, battle diagrams and photos, this book is a keeper. It's timely, well-written, interesting and a recommended read." -Vice Admiral Robert F. Dunn, The Washington Times "A rousing story . . . Budiansky writes with sure and vivid command." -Evan Thomas, The Washington Post "Military historian Stephen Budiansky meticulously recreates three years of pitched and pyrrhic battles, while nicely folding in the collateral intricacies of rigging, reefing and tacking, the ambitions, caprices and cruelties of the captains and the exasperating policies of the politicians on both sides of the Atlantic . . . Budiansky is strictly on the beam, both with nautical and literary sensibilities." -Jonathan Lazarus, The Newark Star-Ledger "The author's colorful narrative is full of gory sea battles, chivalrous flourishes, mutinous tars, and charismatic performances by Stephen Decatur, David Porter, and other American naval legends . . . Budiansky's well-researched and skillfully written account extracts a gripping true-life naval saga from an otherwise inglorious conflict." - Publishers Weekly "Perilous Fight showcases Budiansky's rare talent for writing history that is simultaneously enlightening, insightful, and entertaining. Impeccably researched and artfully written, it is a thoroughly enjoyable and eye-opening account of how America's 'Big Stick' navy got its start." -Bill Sloan, author of The Darkest Summer and The Ultimate Battle, "A joy to read for the interested reader of history, the amateur historian, and at the same time a worthy reference for scholars . . . With excellent narrative, battle diagrams and photos, this book is a keeper. It's timely, well-written, interesting and a recommended read." -Vice Admiral Robert F. Dunn, The Washington Times "A rousing story . . . Budiansky writes with sure and vivid command." -Evan Thomas, The Washington Post "Military historian Stephen Budiansky meticulously recreates three years of pitched and pyrrhic battles, while nicely folding in the collateral intricacies of rigging, reefing and tacking, the ambitions, caprices and cruelties of the captains and the exasperating policies of the politicians on both sides of the Atlantic . . . Budiansky is strictly on the beam, both with nautical and literary sensibilities." -Jonathan Lazarus, The Newark Star-Ledger "The author's colorful narrative is full of gory sea battles, chivalrous flourishes, mutinous tars, and charismatic performances by Stephen Decatur, David Porter, and other American naval legends . . . Budiansky's well-researched and skillfully written account extracts a gripping true-life naval saga from an otherwise inglorious conflict." - Publishers Weekly "Perilous Fight showcases Budiansky's rare talent for writing history that is simultaneously enlightening, insightful, and entertaining. Impeccably researched and artfully written, it is a thoroughly enjoyable and eye-opening account of how America's 'Big Stick' navy got its start." -Bill Sloan, author of The Darkest Summer and The Ultimate Battle From the Hardcover edition., "A vivid, episodic pageant of westward-ho empire building . . . This is narrative history writ large and vigorously-with foreshadowings of tragedy." -Publishers Weekly "In this balanced political and military history, Woodworth tracks political tensions exacerbated by continental expansion . . . Woodworth dramatically presages the collapse of political parties in the 1850s by his accessible account of the 1840s." -Gilbert Taylor,Booklist
