were to be relegated to harbor defense, shore duty, or military support operations. None were perm itted to serve on combat ships or even to enter the officers club. When one reads the numerous accounts of self-motivati on and control , teamwork, crisis management and personal achievement in the face of adversity, it becomes crystal clear why the Navy chose thi s excepti onal, ye t selfconfessed group of ordinary men to be their first cohort of Bl ack officers. Their natural demeanor made them consum mate officers and gentlemen. Their legacy is celebrated here. These men, now in their 70s, continue to encourage and inspire a generation of young people nearl y half a century their juniors, calling them to set high goals and never be intimidated in military or civili an life. A ll good investments yield di vidends, and the Golden Thirteen 's civic and military involvement yielded a rich legacy that transfonned a politi cal directive-tra ining Black enli sted men to be naval officersinto a profound milestone.
SEAFARING (Literary & Literal) The Oxford Book of the Sea Edited by Jonathan Raba n "Extraordinary .. .. Powerful and important .... For those drawn to fine writing , this book offers a new and satisfying voyage of rediscovery ." -San Diego Union- Tribune "A treasury of sea sources for readers and writers alike ."- Booklist This remarkable volume captures the work of poets , novelists , scientists , and explorers , including pieces by Samuel Eliot Morison , James Boswell , Charles Dickens , Herman Melville , Rachel Carson , Charles Darwin , Virginia Woolf , and John Barth , among many others. 544 pp., paper $ 12.95
Sacred Vessels The Cult of the Battleship and the Rise of the U.S. Navy Robert L. O'Co nn ell
STEVEN JONES
The Kid from Hoboken: An Autobi-
ography, by Bill Bail ey (B&B Prod uc-
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tions, PO Box 470098, Marina Station , San Francisco CA 99 147; $ 12.95 + $2.50s& h) Those of us who have known the author through the vivid brushstrokes of his short stories can now sit back and enjoy the whole lush canvas of a fascinating life, as told in his autobiography. Hi s saga flows free ly, the mosaic of hi s life refl ecting off the panorama of a bankrupt America, from the squalor of home and street life in Hoboken and New York 's Hell 's Kitchen to adolescent mi schief that led to j ail and reform schoo l. Bailey then recounts hi s struggle to survive as he crisscrossed the country, " boxcarring" from port to port, trying to ship out. The author has forgotten nothing, and he gives it to us strai ght. The hunger and the physical beatings contrast with hi s visions of a better world , which he tran slated into action after he joined the MWI U and the CP/USA, where he went to leadership school and fell in love wi th a beautiful comrade. There are reco ll ections of struggles won and lost, of ideologies ques ti oned, and belief s shattered- but Bill 's commitment to a more just society remain s intact. The stori es include rippin g the fl ag off the Bremen , becoming a first-cl ass bindl es tiff, organizi ng work ers from SEA HISTORY 66, SUMMER 1993
"Breezy, iconoclastic, and readable .... Diverting and instructive reading ."-The Observer Magazine "[A] cautionary policy study of the battleship and its role in the development of the U.S. Navy ... provides a disturbing view of weapons technology and the human element .... Highly recommended ."-Library Journal "Rich with insight .... Shows in graphic and often humorous accounts why the dreaded battleships of the 20th century had more bluster than bite. "-The Daily Progress (Charlottesville) 432 pp., 3 1 pho tos, paper $ 14.95
The European Discovery of America Volume 1: The Northern Voyages A.O. 500-1600 Volume 2: The Southern Voyages 1492-1616 The late Sam uel Eliot Morison "Irresistibly entertaining ."-Newsweek "Into these volumes is distilled a lifetime of experience-of sailing , of learning and of the sadly neglected art of historical narration. They are a joy and a treasure house." -The Economist Now available in paperback, these classic volumes ( The Northern Voyages won the prestigious Bancroft Prize for History) offer an unrivalled account of the age of exploration by one of our greatest historians. Vo lume I : 736 pp ., 244 illus., paper $ 19.95 Volume 2: 784 pp., 205 illus., paper $ 19.95
At better bookstores or directly from OXFORD PAPERBACKS Oxford University Press• 200 Madison Avenue• New York• New York• 10016
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