Category: History Books
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Escape of the Amethyst
Originally published in 1957, C.E. Lucas Phillips’ Escape of the Amethyst presents a detailed account of the Amethyst Incident based on the testimony of the namesake ship’s occupants and aids. HMS Amethyst was a British frigate that guarded the British Embassy in Nanking and sailed from Shanghai in relief of HMS Consort. This incident unfolded…
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The Last Imperialist
Bruce Gilley‘s The Last Imperialist supports many of British diplomat Sir Alan Burns’ arguments that decolonization was mismanaged and sped up irrationally by political forces after WWII. To justify these claims, Gilley explores the life and colonial activities of Alan Burns including posts in the Caribbean, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana and Fiji. Throughout these postings, the…
Evan Schwed
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Cuba: An American History
Ada Ferrer‘s Cuba: An American History presents a detailed history of how external forces impacted the people of Cuba beginning with Columbus’ first expedition to the New World and ending with an open question as to what US-Cuban diplomacy will look like going forward. The author tactfully explores the concept of Cuban sovereignty by examining…
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Where the Sea Breaks Its Back
Corey Ford’s historical narrative covers the discovery of modern day Alaska. The author utilizes the journal of naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller to recount the perilous Great Northern Expedition. Throughout the book, Ford explicitly focuses on how Steller’s personality flaws and intellectual strengths allowed him to access and document incredible findings. Where The Sea Breaks Its Back is…
Evan Schwed