Ports of Call

Provides an account of American sea fiction, with heavy emphasis on U.S. naval activity, from its inception to the present. While pursuing a chronological pattern, the book covers the sea tales of Cooper, Melville, London, Goodrich, and Wouk; the flurry of books emerging from World War II; and the more subdued flow of the later years. This concise analysis concludes that the phenomenon of the sea and war will always fascinate both reader and writer, and that the best novels about the seagoing fighting man are shocking, fast-paced, and memorable. An intriguing text for layman with an interest in naval affairs, as well as literature and American Studies scholars and students.