Excellent biography. Well written, plenty of details and a very revealing portrait of John Paul Jones. Historical facts, such as his stint in the service of Catherine the Great and the feats of courage and audacity he managed in the sea battles with Turkey were unknown to me.
Surprising facts and revelations about naval warfare . . . or the lack thereof . . . during the American War for Independence.
The famous quotation, "I have not yet begun to fight," was expressed at the perfect moment of probably the only real sea battle of the period. Jones' life was much different than I had either heard or imagined.
He was a patriot but, like all other who aspired to high positions during that period, he wanted a flag command.
He was focused, confident, articulate, and intelligent. Few,if any, of the others who aspired to command positions in the fledgling American navy had either his ability or courage.
William K. Spence, 10-15-07 ( )

This won the 1960 Pulitzer prize for biograpy, and is the 43rd such winner I have read. Morison is a sailing enthusiast so he drowns his reader in 18th century nautical detail. The research he did on this book is awe-inspiring. I did not find the book or Jones too interesting. Jones was not a likeable person but he was a great seaman. His victory against the Serapis was the highlight of his career. I am glad I read this book. ( )

Samuel Eliot Morison is one of the greatest historians of American history. He loved the sea, and this biography is a tribute to that love. The details of Jones' life are delineated and we experience the excitement of adventure that occurred on the open sea. ( )

As a rule, sea adventures are one of my favorite genre, american history also, but I couldn't finish this book. I read up to the big battle with the famous, "I have not yet begun to fight." I didn't care for the author's assumptions and negativity. Besides, I fell asleep every time I opened it up. ( )