Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy

by Ian W. Toll

Overview

"A fluent, intelligent history...give[s] the reader a feel for the human quirks and harsh demands of life at sea."—New York Times Book Review
Before the ink was dry on the U.S. Constitution, the establishment of a permanent military became the most divisive issue facing the new government. The founders—particularly Jefferson, Madison, and Adams—debated fiercely. Would a standing army be the thin end of dictatorship? Would a navy protect from pirates or drain the treasury and provoke hostility? Britain alone had hundreds of powerful warships.
From the decision to build six heavy frigates, through the cliff-hanger campaign against Tripoli, to the war that shook the world in 1812, Ian W. Toll tells this grand tale with the political insight of Founding Brothers and the narrative flair of Patrick O'Brian.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393330328
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	10/08/2007
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	592
Sales rank:	52,243
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.70(d)

About the Author

Ian W. Toll has been a Wall Street analyst, a Federal Reserve financial analyst, and a political aide and speechwriter. Six Frigates is his first audiobook. He lives with his wife and two-year-old son in San Francisco.

Stephen Lang 's Broadway credits include Wait Until Dark, A Few Good Men, The Speed of Darkness (Tony and Outer Critics noms), and Death of A Salesman (Drama Desk nom). Among his feature films are Last Exit to Brooklyn, Tombstone, Gettysburg, and Manhunter. His television work includes, The Fugitive, Crime Story, Babe Ruth, and Death of A Salesman.

Editorial Reviews

Vibrant and comprehensive, Toll makes an impressive debut.

Gilbert Taylor - Booklist

Toll has a light touch, much like noted historian David McCullough; well-researched facts are carefully balanced by smooth narrative flow.... The result is a thoroughly readable book that adds depth and significance to an important era of American history.

Bruce Linder - San Diego Tribune

Gripping... a masterful narrative... Toll captures the ambivalence of the government, and its reluctance to pay for even a tiny navy, very well.

Joe Mysak - Bloomberg News

[A] wonderfully atmospheric account, brilliantly researched, full of stirring action and rich with the scent of the sea.

Simon Winchester

Sweeping in scope, full of vivid descriptions... solidly grounded in the diplomatic landscape... a masterly work.

Chris Patsilelis - Houston Chronicle

Ian W. Toll writes with such an arresting energy. He evokes the world of Patrick O'Brian, the salt-stained ruthlessness of naval commanders, the carnage of the broadside and the surgeon's saw, but also conjures a lost American landscape.

Tim Gardam - The Guardian

[Ian Toll] succeeds splendidly. His factual story is as exciting as any of Patrick O'Brian's fictional seafaring tales.

The Economist

A superb, page-turning history of America's first truly difficult set of political military decisions.... A great, sprawling, and fascinating tale.
”

Admiral James Stavridis

"Wonderfully atmospheric...brilliantly researched, full of stirring action and rich with the scent of the sea."
— Simon Winchester, author of The Professor and the Madman

From the Publisher