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John Paul Jones: Sailor, Hero, Father of the American Navy Audiobook
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(3.05) - 275 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
John Paul Jones, at sea and in the heat of 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."
John Paul Jones is more than a great sea story. Jones is a character for the ages. John Adams called him the "most ambitious and intriguing officer in the American Navy." The renewed interest in the Founding Fathers reminds us of the great men who made this country, but John Paul Jones 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. Evan Thomas brings his skills as a biographer to this complex, protean figure whose life and rise are both thrilling as a tale of dauntless courage and revealing about the birth of a nation.
"Superlative... Both Jones and his latest biographer can justly be praised as masters of their respective crafts" ~ Publishers Weekly
"Evan Thomas captures all the incongruities, vanities, blazing ambition, and phenomenal courage of his subject" ~ David McCullough, author of John Adams
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"John Paul Jones did at the birth of our nation what, in todays terms, we would call "Terrorism". He sailed to the shores of England and would pillage townships (not just random ones, but specific plantations of former colonial governors) to prove a point; that the ocean can not protect the Crown."
— Ted (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Every sentence is written with grace and style…Thomas opens a window on the squalid, demeaning, and hazardous milieu of eighteenth-century mariners and provides unsurpassed descriptions of naval battles.”
— Washington Post -
“A penetrating biography…an adventure story…Part George Patton, part Jesse James, Jones was, as it turns out, a perfect American hero.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“In this stellar biography of Revolutionary War naval hero John Paul Jones, journalist-biographer Evan Thomas skillfully navigates the waters of the eccentric Jones’s life…a compelling narrative of one of America’s great sea heroes.”
— Barnes & Noble, editorial review -
“Superlative…Both Jones and his latest biographer can justly be praised as masters of their respective crafts”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Evan Thomas captures all the incongruities, vanities, blazing ambition, and phenomenal courage of his subject”
— David McCullough, author of John Adams
John Paul Jones Listener Reviews
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" Very fine read. Jones was finally turned into a person and not just a Naval Hero for me. "
— John, 2/18/2014 -
" a quick read, surprised to learn of just how few battles he was in. wondering where his ships, papers, descendants? might be. "
— Aaron, 12/22/2013 -
" A must read for those interested in naval warfare of the Revolutionary War. "
— Goatville9, 11/28/2013 -
" Mr. Thomas wrote a terrific book on John Paul Jones. It's very educational and I would gladly recommend this book to all my friends. "
— Michael, 10/22/2013 -
" a fine biography of a fascinating figure in the revolution. it contains very little about his adolescence and very much about his seafaring, as a good bio should. "
— Joey, 10/19/2013 -
" So far, this book is cool. I like John Paul Jones - I pretty much like people who lived in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. "
— Daniel, 10/12/2013 -
" Read in less than 2 weeks, finishing on April 17, 2011. "
— Jerry, 10/10/2013 -
" As I understand it, this book leaves out some of the more unpleasant details about JPJ's life. It's a decent piece of pop history I suppose. "
— Ben, 9/25/2013 -
" Interesting (but not fascinating) story of a man living on two continents (and the seas) in the late 1700's. Great insight into the broken systems of the time that existed in Great Britain, the fledgling U.S., and Russia. Amazing that two out of those three overcame their history. "
— Don, 5/11/2013 -
" I thought the history of John Paul Jones could have been shorter. It went on way too long and was not written well. The author spent too much time chiding Jones than telling his story without bias. Really didn't like the author or his perception. Not impressed! "
— Siggy97, 3/5/2013 -
" This man was a victim of his own ego and pride. He would be a celebrity in Hollywood today and keep good company with the vast number of people who "reinvent" themselves to accomodate their goals. "
— Cindy, 9/7/2012 -
" If you like naval history this book is great, also tells the story of the revolutionary war from a different perspective and shines a light on the life of a very interesting man, who, for all his flaws and foibles was always amazing when it mattered most, battling the enemy or the high seas. "
— David, 12/18/2008 -
" Must be the ultimate name, as 2 people have it and are awesome. Also, the queen of Russia was kind of a slut. "
— Matthew, 10/21/2008 -
" fun, simple, quick read. "
— MS, 1/17/2008 -
" I enjoyed very much reading about my hero's life. Filled with romance and thrilling battles this a must read for anybody interested in American history. "
— Clay, 12/30/2006 -
" I came to appreciate an know about the place of John Paul Jones in history. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. "
— Richard, 10/17/2006 -
" "A good read with some heavy lingo about sailing. Overall, interesting biography about a man whose name is well known yet most of us know very little about him." "
— Mike, 1/28/2005 -
" Poorly written, poorly read. "
— Nicole, 12/20/2004
About Evan Thomas
Evan Thomas is the author of several bestselling works of history and biography, including The War Lovers and Sea of Thunder. He was a writer and editor at Time and Newsweek for more than thirty years, and he is frequently a commentator on television and radio. He teaches at Princeton University and lives in Washington, DC.
About Dan Cashman
Dan Cashman is an American television actor, producer, and audiobook narrator who has also appeared in many television movies such as Dangerous Women, The Invisible Man, and The Pretender.