The New York Times bestseller from master biographer Evan Thomas brings to life the tumultuous story of the father of the American Navy. John Paul Jones, at sea and in the heat of the battle, was the great American hero of the Age of Sail. He was to history what Patrick O’Brian’s Jack Aubrey and C.S. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower are to fiction. Ruthless, indomitable, clever; he vowed to sail, as he put it, “in harm’s way.” Evan Thomas’s minute-by-minute re-creation of the bloodbath between Jones’s Bonhomme Richard and the British man-of-war Serapis off the coast of England on an autumn night in 1779 is as gripping a sea battle as can be found in any novel. Drawing on Jones’s correspondence with some of the most significant figures of the American Revolution—John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson—Thomas’s biography teaches us that it took fighters as well as thinkers, men driven by dreams of personal glory as well as high-minded principle, to break free of the past and start a new world. Jones’s spirit was classically American.
Winner of the Samuel Eliot Morrison Award for Excellence in Naval Literature. This fresh look at America's first sea warrior avoids both the hero worship of the past and the recent, inaccurate deconstructionist views of John Paul Jones's astonishing life. The author goes beyond a narrow naval context to establish Jones as a key player in the American Revolution, something not done by previous biographers, and explains what drove him to his achievements. At the same time, Admiral Joseph Callo fully examines Jones's dramatic military achievements—including his improbable victory off Flamborough Head in the Continental ship Bonhomme Richard—but in the context of the times rather than as stand-alone events. The book also looks at some interesting but lesser-known aspects of Jones's naval career, including his relationships with such civilian leaders as Benjamin Franklin. How Jones handled those often-difficult dealings, Callo maintains, contributed to the nation's concept of civilian control of the military. Suggesting that Jones might well be the first U.S. apostle of sea power, the author also focuses on the fact that Jones was the first serving American naval officer who emphasized the role naval power would play in the rise of the United States as a global power. Another neglected aspect of Jones's career that gets attention and analysis is his brief tour in the Russian navy, a revealing chapter of his life that has been underreported in the two hundred years since Jones's death. Rather than looking at Jones in a rearview mirror, Callo illuminates how this unique naval hero is linked to the nation's present and future. As a result, he gives us a sea saga that tells much about our own lives and times.
This 1959 Pulitzer Prize-winning book vividly portrays the illustrious career of John Paul Jones, from his early training at sea in the British West Indian merchant trade to his command in the newly independent American Navy and his eventual award of flag status.
It started with the searing sound of a slide careening up the neck of an electric guitar. In 1970, twenty-three-year-old Bruce Iglauer walked into Florence’s Lounge, in the heart of Chicago’s South Side, and was overwhelmed by the joyous, raw Chicago blues of Hound Dog Taylor and the HouseRockers. A year later, Iglauer produced Hound Dog’s debut album in eight hours and pressed a thousand copies, the most he could afford. From that one album grew Alligator Records, the largest independent blues record label in the world. Bitten by the Blues is Iglauer’s memoir of a life immersed in the blues—and the business of the blues. No one person was present at the creation of more great contemporary blues music than Iglauer: he produced albums by Koko Taylor, Albert Collins, Professor Longhair, Johnny Winter, Lonnie Mack, Son Seals, Roy Buchanan, Shemekia Copeland, and many other major figures. In this book, Iglauer takes us behind the scenes, offering unforgettable stories of those charismatic musicians and classic sessions, delivering an intimate and unvarnished look at what it’s like to work with the greats of the blues. It’s a vivid portrait of some of the extraordinary musicians and larger-than-life personalities who brought America’s music to life in the clubs of Chicago’s South and West Sides. Bitten by the Blues is also an expansive history of half a century of blues in Chicago and around the world, tracing the blues recording business through massive transitions, as a genre of music originally created by and for black southerners adapted to an influx of white fans and musicians and found a worldwide audience. Most of the smoky bars and packed clubs that fostered the Chicago blues scene have long since disappeared. But their soul lives on, and so does their sound. As real and audacious as the music that shaped it, Bitten by the Blues is a raucous journey through the world of Genuine Houserockin’ Music.
2016 Christian Book of the Year Award Winner in Bible Reference From Moses to Gutenberg, easily find out how we got the Bible we have today and discover why we can trust it with this highly visual and easy-to-understand handbook on the history of Bible! Dive into the fascinating stories of the people who risked their lives to print and distribute the Word of God (Tyndale, Wycliffe, etc). Perfect for personal or small group use. Have you ever wondered where the Bible came from? Who wrote the books of the Bible and how did they end up together? Perhaps you have been asked by a friend or coworker about books that were cut out of the Bible. Through seven dynamic chapters in How We Got the Bible, expert Dr. Timothy Paul Jones will guide you through all the important questions about the Holy Bible to show you why it can be trusted. Filled with dramatic stories and highly visual charts and illustrations, this exciting Bible History handbook will take you from the earliest clay tablets and papyrus copies to the first bound Bible and the various Bible translations that we use today! Discover the following: Three ways the Bible is unlike any other "Holy Book"What it means when we say that the Bible is inspired and inerrantWhat people did to preserve the text of the Bible over the centuriesHow we know that the Old and New Testament are reliableThe stories behind names like John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, Gutenberg, and King James I4 Key Features of the How We Got the Bible Handbook 1. Get a Simple Overview of the History of the Bible (Covers More Than 3,500 Years) Enjoy having a concise overview of the Bible's entire history at your fingertips. With this book, you can firmly grasp what biblical reliability means in six engaging and easy-to-understand chapters, packed with key events and people to deepen your understanding of the history of the Bible. Includes the following: 2. Provides Solid Proofs for Why You Can Trust the Bible Easily compare today's Bible with the Dead Sea Scrolls and many more early church records from past centuries to see how carefully the texts have been translated and recorded. Enjoy getting a simple explanation of the Bible's reliability with basic apologetics. 3. Packed with Fascinating Stories of Key People and Events History can be a dry and tedious subject--but not with the How We Got the Bible handbook! Easily absorb important facts and information in a fun and easy-to-understand way that will have you not wanting to put this book down, such as: 4. Filled with Visual Charts, Definitions, and Additional Resources Save hours looking up technical terms and searching for extra timelines and charts--it's all here in one easy-to-understand handbook! With the flip of a page, you'll find charts simplifying technical definitions, an English Bible Translations Comparison, and references to give you a complete overview of how the Bible was formed. These related resources are also available (each sold separately): How We Got the Bible Complete Kit (UPC 031809035658 or ISBN 9781628622072) which contains a DVD plus additional resourcesHow We Got the Bible DVD Bible Study (UPC 031809035665 or ISBN 9781628622065)Paperback edition of How We Got the Bible Leader Guide (ISBN 9781628622089, also available as an e-book)Paperback edition of How We Got the Bible Participant Guide (ISBN 9781628622126, also available as an e-book) with session outlines, discussion questions, definitions, and timelines. Buy a copy of the participant guide for each person.How We Got the Bible PowerPoint (ISBN 9781890947460) with dozens of slides providing even more in-depth information.
For those who do not have a spiritual director – or are curious about the concept – W. Paul Jones has crafted a series of topical meditations that facilitate self-guided spiritual direction. In this refreshing approach to the means of spiritual growth, you will explore self-guided spiritual direction with the ultimate spiritual director – The Holy Spirit. Examine your inner thoughts, truths, difficulties, and triumphs through reflection questions at the end of each chapter that prompt introspection and ultimately direction in your spiritual life. Chapter Topics Include: Abandonment, Being Second, Covenant, Envy, Prayer, and Religion
Illustrated by period artwork and photographs of historical artifacts, a biography of John Paul Jones describes how the Scots immigrant served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolution and led his men to victory over the world's greatest sea power.
Describes the life of John Paul Jones, who served in America's navy during the Revolutionary War and is remembered for saying, "I have not yet begun to fight."
