The First Salute : A View of the American Revolution

From Publishers Weekly In this brilliant slice of American Revolutionary history, Tuchman ( A Distant Mirror , The Guns of August ) pits the 13 colonies against a rogues' gallery of British fools. We meet looting English admiral George Rodney who confiscated British-owned property and expelled the Jews after seizing the neutral isle of St. Eustatius, the chief West Indies depot in the transatlantic trade. British Governor Tryon of New York waged a terrorist campaign of murder, arson and plunder against Connecticut citizens in 1779, fanning the flames of rebellion. The British command was fractured by the hatred between neurotic commander-in-chief Sir Henry Clinton and Lord Cornwallis, who disdained to make war on a tattered colonial militia. On the American side, the will to fight was exemplified by men like Reverend Naphtali Daggett, ex-president of Yale, a defiant old soldier on horseback. Expertly weaving political and military history, Tuchman lets you feel how Washington's victory at Yorktown sent shock-waves around the globe. Photos. 160,000 first printing; BOMC main selection. Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal Tuchman's trademarks are here: trenchant observations and an exciting climax, in this case when Washington and Corwallis meet at Yorktown. But this work is not her best. The narration is loosely structured and at times repetitious; the chronology is sometimes confusing. In her first venture into American history, the popular historian highlights military and diplomatic turning points of the Revolution, focusing on European participation and its impact on the politics of the Dutch, French, and English. Despite its drawbacks, most libraries will want this Pulitzer Prize-winner's latest. BOMC main selection. Nancy C. Cridland, Indiana Univ. Libs., Bloomington Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Barbara W. Tuchman, Pulitzer Prize'winning author of The Guns of August, comes history with a wide-angle The Pulitzer Prize'winning author of the classic work The Guns of August, Barbara W. Tuchman, turns her sights homeward with this brilliant, insightful narrative of the Revolutionary War. In The First Salute, one of America's consummate historians crafts a rigorously original view of the American Revolution. Barbara W. Tuchman places the Revolution in the context of the centuries-long conflicts between England and both France and Holland, demonstrating how the aid of both of these nations made the triumph of independence possible. She sheds new light on the key role played by the contending navies, paints a magnificent portrait of George Washington, and recounts in riveting detail the decisive campaign of the war at Yorktown. By turns lyrical and gripping, The First Salute is an exhilarating account of the birth of a nation. Praise for The First Salute "Nothing in a novel could be more thrilling than the moment in this glorious history when French soldiers arrive [to] see a tall, familiar figure: George Washington. ... It is only part of Tuchman's genius that she can reconstitute such scenes with so much precision and passion."'People "Tuchman writes narrative history in the great tradition. ... A persuasive book, which brings us entertaining pictures, scenes and characters."'Chicago Tribune "[A] tightly woven narrative, ingeniously structured."'The Christian Science Monitor From the Trade Paperback edition Barbara W. Tuchman, the Pulitzer Prize--winning author of the classic The Guns of August, turns her sights homeward with this brilliant, insightful narrative of the Revolutionary War. In The First Salute, one of America's consummate historians crafts a rigorously original view of the American Revolution. Barbara W. Tuchman places the Revolution in the context of the centuries-long conflicts between England and both France and Holland, demonstrating how the aid to the American colonies of both these nations made the triumph of independence possible. She sheds new light on the key role played by the contending navies, paints a magnificent portrait of George Washington, and recounts in riveting detail the decisive campaign of the war at Yorktown. By turns lyrical and gripping, The First Salute is an exhilarating account of the birth of a nation. Praise for The First Salute "Nothing in a novel could be more thrilling than the moment in this glorious history when French soldiers arrive [to] see a tall, familiar figure: George Washington. . . . It is only part of Tuchman's genius that she can reconstitute such scenes with so much precision and passion."--People "Tuchman writes narrative history in the great tradition. . . . A persuasive book, which brings us entertaining pictures, scenes and characters."--Chicago Tribune "[A] tightly woven narrative, ingeniously structured."--The Christian Science MonitorFrom the Trade Paperback edition Barbara W. Tuchman, the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of the classic The Guns of August, turns her sights homeward with this brilliant, insightful narrative of the Revolutionary War. In The First Salute, one of America’s consummate historians crafts a rigorously original view of the American Revolution. Barbara W. Tuchman places the Revolution in the context of the centuries-long conflicts between England and both France and Holland, demonstrating how the aid to the American colonies of both these nations made the triumph of independence possible. She sheds new light on the key role played by the contending navies, paints a magnificent portrait of George Washington, and recounts in riveting detail the decisive campaign of the war at Yorktown. By turns lyrical and gripping, The First Salute is an exhilarating account of the birth of a nation. Praise for The First Salute “Nothing in a novel could be more thrilling than the moment in this glorious history when French soldiers arrive [to] see a tall, familiar figure: George Washington. . . . It is only part of Tuchman’s genius that she can reconstitute such scenes with so much precision and passion.” — People “Tuchman writes narrative history in the great tradition. . . . A persuasive book, which brings us entertaining pictures, scenes and characters.” — Chicago Tribune “[A] tightly woven narrative, ingeniously structured.” —The Christian Science Monitor