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the geographic locations of Long Island Sound's "Race" and George's Bank and the number of Code Duelle rules. In the discussion of Levy's cons ultion with his older cousin, Mordechai Noah, concerning his second court-martial (1 819), D ye failed to note that N oah was the fi rst Jew born in the United States to reach national prominence- a major omission on D ye's part. In 1813, Noah had been fi red from a brief but eventful tenure as American Consul to the Kingdom of Tunis; Secretary of State James Monroe noted Noah's religion was "an obstacle to the exercise of [his] Consular function." His removal from the consulate office caused outrage amon g Jews and embarrassment among non-Jews, obviously making Levy's family aware of an ti-Semitism among those in political power. Finally, while the handful of proofreading errors are somewhat trivial, they are unexpected in a universiry press publication as distinguished as the University of Florida Press. Still, this important biography of Uri ah Levy covers a neglected period in American naval history and focuses on a remarkable protagonist. Ir should be considered required reading fo r serious studen ts of social military history. Lours ARTHUR N ORTON West Simsbury, Connecticu t
New York Harbor: A Geographical and Historical Survey by Arthur D. Kellner (McFarland & Company, Inc., Jefferson, NC, 2006, 19 1pp, photos, maps, notes, biblio, index, I SBN 0-7864-2400-1; $45 hc) New York harbor is one of my favorite places, a world brimming with maritime activiry, endlessly fascinating and ceaselessly changing. Much h as changed since 1944 when LIFE magazine reminded its readers that New York had "by far the world's best and biggest natural harbor, and most of the world's major ports co uld easily be tucked into it. ... Today [1 944], it is doing half again as much ocean shipping as all the other US ports combined." For those trying to gain more of an understanding about the complex geography of the harbor and the equally complex port (or ports) it contains, there have been few resources published since Francis
Duffy and William Miller's 1986 The New York Harbor Book. N ow Arthur Kellner, who worked as a deckhand on harbor tugboats in the 1930s, offers New York Har-
bor: A Geographical and Historical Survey. Kellner first explores the physical geography of the harbor, identifying its major features. In the port itself, Kellner examines major players: the Port Authori ry ofNew York and New Jersey, the US Coast G uard and Army C orps of Engineers, the Waterfro nt C ommission, Sandy Hook Pilots Associations, NY Shipping Association, and the Maritime Association of the Port of NY and NJ. Next Kellner turns to contemporary issues in the port- dredging, containerization, ferries, port securi ty, and a survey of significant historical events in the port's history. Kellner's theme is the inevitabiliry of change within the port. His sryle is journalistic, breezy, full of fac ts and figures. Because he deals with content that is immediate and contemporary (2006), we (h opefully) look fo rward to an updated second edition that will offer an opportuni ry to correct some repetitive prose, annoying rypos, and incorrect citations. Nevertheless, this new survey is reco mmended for anyo ne wanting more info rmation on N ew York harbor, its ships and its people. J osEPH F. MEANY J R New York State Historian Emeritus Annapolis, Maryland
The Inner Islands: A Carolinian's Sound Country Chronicle by Bland and Ann Cary Simpson (Universiry of N orth Carolina Press, C hapel Hill, NC, 2006, 232pp, illus, maps, biblio, index, ISBN 0-807833056-9 ; $34.95hc) The husband and wife team of Bland Sim pson and photographer Ann Cary Simpson have produced a well-ro unded book documenting North Carolina's inner islands (inner, as opposed to th e barrier islands that make up fa mous Outer Banks). If you've ever passed by these islands by boat (for some islands, the only way to get there), and wo ndered about them, this book is a perfect guide for you. The Simpsons used a multidisciplinary approach to fully cover each island: geographical, anecdotal, historical-both oral and SEA HISTORY 119, SUMMER 2007