Books for Review

A message from Book Reviews Editor Rebecca Murray

Book Reviews - not just for Oprah or the New York Times

Reviewing books may sound like a job for authors or magazine literary critics – but we all have perspectives to share and readers are eager to hear what their peers think about recently published works from fields of shared interest.

Since becoming the book reviews editor I have already learned SO much about maritime affairs and oceanic history, going down rabbit holes I could never have imagined – even as a girl who grew up on the east coast and studied history. From the lives of noted individuals to social and environmental issues, to naval history and studies of vessels and beyond, there’s a little something for everyone in the book review section of The Northern Mariner. No matter the topic, authors bring their passion to the page and share stories, some very well known and others less well known, to audiences far and wide.

Reviewing these books is an important part of the journal – lifting up voices, perspectives and stories – sharing work from across the field and helping readers make that all important decision – what to read next!

The history of book reviews in the journal is a rich and continued one with over 30 years of publication and wide distribution. And to further our goal of continuing to reach readers we need your help! Every issue of the journal includes twenty or more book reviews – ensuring a variety of topics are tackled and with the hope that every reader can identify something of interest to them. And perhaps of most importance, we care very much to include and reflect the perspectives and interests of the journal’s readership. This means we need your help.

Can you, sometime this year, commit to reading one book (of varying length), write 750 to 1,200 words about it and send us that text within 4 to 6 months of receiving the book? We’re very happy to work with you on editing and style and encourage you to look at our most recently published issue as an example. You can also take inspiration for your text from questions like these:

- What is the book about?
- How did the author approach the telling of this story (narrative construction/arc, research, writing etc.)?
- Was anything missing that you think should have been included?
- What did the author do really well?
- Who do you think should or would like to read this book?
- How does this book contribute to the wider literature on this topic?

You can choose a book from our list (https://nasoh.org/books-for-review) or make a suggestion based on your particular interests! If you have lots of ideas but only time to read and review one book, we can add other titles to the list – we appreciate the variety of interests of journal readers and hope that those can be reflected in the titles available for review.

We are always happy to receive your questions via email – cnrsbookreviews@cnrs-scrn.org – please do not hesitate to write to us – we endeavour to respond to written requests within the week.

Very best,
Rebecca

Rebecca Murray

Book Reviews Editor

The Northern Mariner/Le marin du nord

Books for Review

These books are available to review. Please fill out the form below to request one!

We suggest that you request a back-up title or two just in case!

Bertram, Ian S.. On Board the USS Boise in World War II: The Battles and Secret Missions of Light Cruiser CL-4.
McFarland, 2025.
229pp., Photos, maps, etc. ISBN 9781476698076.

Blackmore, Robert and Craig Lambert. Kent and Europe, 1450-1640 Merchants, Mariners, Shipping and Defence.
Boydell Press, 2025.
206 pp., US $120 (hardcover), ISBN 9781837651504.

Breham, Victoria, Editor. A Fully Accredited Ocean: Essays on the Great Lakes.
University of Michigan Press, 2025.
264pp., US $65.00 ISBN 9780472223930 (e-book).

Clancy, Peter and Mario Levesque. Environmental Governance in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
UBC Press, 2025.
406 pp., CAN $49.95 ISBN 9780774870948.

Cox, Jeffrey R.. Devil's Fire, Southern Cross: The Conclusion of the Guadalcanal-Solomons Campaign October 1943 - February 1944
Osprey, 2025.
494 pp., Index, Bibliography etc. ISBN 9781472864482

Doyle, David. USS California (BB-44) Tennessee-Class Battleship in WWII.
Schiffer, 2025.
176pp., ISBN 9780764370854 (hardcover), CDN $42.99.

Doyle, David. USS Nevada (BB-36) US Navy Super-Dreadnought in WWI and WWII. Schiffer.
176 pp., ISBN 9780764370762(paperback), US $29.99.

Doyle, David. USS Arizona (BB-39): From Keel Laying to Pearl Harbor Memorial.
Schiffer Military History, 2025.
144 pp., 310 color and b/w photos, US $24.99, hardcover. ISBN 9780764368868.

Doyle, David. USS Yorktown (CV-10) Essex-Class Carrier in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Apollo 8.
Schiffer, 2026.
176 pp., ISBN 9780764370779 (hardcover) CDN $29.99.

Ferland, Catherine and Eric Dussault. Un chantier, une nation. Davie, 200 ans d'histoire Septentrion, 2025.
420pp., ISBN 9782897916190 (paperback).

Gebhart, Richard. The Great Lakes Ships of Frank E. Kirby America’s Greatest Naval Architect.
University of Michigan Press, 2026.
184pp., ISBN 9781611865677 (paperback) CDN $38.95.

Harrigan, Michael. Culture and Environment in the Early French Caribbean.
Johns Hopkins University Press, 2026.
264 pp., ISBN 9781421453170 (hardcover), US $64.95.

Hatteandorf, John. Sailors and Scholars: The History of the U.S. Naval War College, 1884–2009, Vol. 2.
U.S. Naval War College Press, 2025.
E-book only.

Hattendorf, John, B., Mitchell Simpson III, and John R. Wadleigh. Sailors and Scholars: The History of the Naval War College 1884–2009, Vol. 1.
U.S. Naval War College Press, 2025.
E-book only.

Heck, Timothy, B. A. Friedman, and Walker D. Mills, eds. On Contested Shores: The Evolving Role of Amphibious Operations in the History of Warfare volume 2.
Marine Corps University Press, 2024.
365 pp. ISBN 9798986259581.

Hirsimak, Eric. Sail, Steam, and Diesel: Moving Cargo on the Great Lakes.
University of Michigan Press, 2024.
696pp., ISBN 9781611864441 (hardcover) US $79.95.

Hore, Captain Peter. No Uncertain Sound: The Life and Times of Sir Jock Slater.
Porto Press, 2025.
326pp., ISBN 9781849956130(hardcover) £24.99.

Jones, Jennifer E., Calvin H. Mires, Daniel Zwick, Editors. Intertidal Shipwrecks: Management of a Historic Resource in an Unmanageable Environment Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 2025.
333pp. Index, figures. ISBN (hardcover) 9780813079325.

Karamanski, Theodore J.. Great Lake: An Unnatural History of Lake Michigan. University of Michigan Press, 2026.
ISBN 9780472040063 (paperback), US $24.95.

Lagendijk, Vincent and Frederik Schulze, Editors. Dam Internationalism
Rethinking Power, Expertise and Technology in the Twentieth Century.
Bloomsbury History, 2024.
272pp., ISBN 9781350367883, CDN $179.

Layton, Thomas N. and James P. Delgado. Wreck Divers and Archaeologists: A History of Maritime Archaeology in California.
Society for Historical Archaeology, 2024.
409 pp. 26.99$ ISBN 9781957402.

Marks, Robert B.. Deep Time in the Mono Lake Basin Nature and History over the Last 10,000 Years.
University of California Press, 2026.
384pp., ISBN 9780520428577 (hardcover), US $28.95.

Martinovich, Paul. Sailors of Varied Fortune: The Schombergs afloat and ashore.
Foresail Press, 2025.
397 pp., CAN $63.23 ISBN 1069713406.

Marvin, Daniel C.. Francis H. Leggett: Unravelling the Mystery Behind Oregon’s Worst Maritime Disaster
Samandi Publishing.
53 pp., ISBN 9798218478285.

Morriss, Trey. Doom 34: A Firsthand Account of the Top-Secret Mission that Launched Operation Desert Storm.
Lyons Press, 2026.
248pp., US $29.95, ISBN 9781493093618.

Nutting, William Washburn. Foreword by Tim Murphy. The Track of the Typhoon.
Lyons Press, Series: Sheridan House Maritime Classics, 2025.
256 pp,, illustrations, notes, bibliography, index. 6 X 9, 86 Photos, $24.95, ISBN: 9781493090457 (paperback)

Pelleteri, Car. Montuak 11954, 2ndEdition
Schiffer, 2025.
144pp., US $29.99 ISBN 9780764369735.

Perinovic, Eric J., Ed. Navy Force Planning and Design, 1939 – 2019
Naval History and Heritage Command, 2025.
ISBN 9781943604999.

Polmar, Norman. Submarines of the Russian and Soviet Navies 1946–2026.
Schiffer, 2026.
240pp., ISBN 9780764370830 (hardcover), CDN $64.

Purcell, Judy S.. The Haddock Family of English Seafarers: Merchant Mariners and Naval Officers 1327–1941
Coracle Group, 2025.
328 pp., CDN $70, ISBN 9798999039217.

Rindfleisch, James K., F. Samuel Bauer, and Stanton R. Daywalt. SS United States : An Operational Guide to America's Flagship.
Schiffer: 2023.
215 pp., photographs, US $45.00, ISBN 9780764366550.

Romanov, Andrei. Masters of the Ocean Sea: The Epic Saga of the Portuguese Explorers Who Redrew the Map of the World.
Sagres Heritage Press, 2026.
392pp., CDN $27.45, ISBN 9789893391020.

Sancton, Julian. Neptune’s Fortune: The Billion-Dollar Shipwreck and the Ghosts of the Spanish Empire.
Hatchards, 2026.
384 pp., ISBN 9780593594179 (hardcover), CDN $33.

Sayers, Ken W.. U.S. Navy Service Craft A History and Directory from World War I to Today
McFarland, 2025.
436 pp., Format: softcover (8.5 x 11), 525 photos, glossary, notes, bibliography, index.  US $35.00, paper; ISBN 9781476690063

Sayers, Ken W.. U.S. Navy Amphibious Warfare Vessels
McFarland, 2026.
250 pp., US $49.95 ISBN 9781476696942.

Takakjian, Eric. Yarmouth Castle Burning: The Deadliest Passenger Ship Disaster off the Coast of the United States Since 1934
Schiffer, 2025.
224pp., CDN $23.99, ISBN 9781507305829.

Taylor, Jane H. M., translated by Craig D Taylor. The French Conquest of the Canary Islands, 1402-1405 (Le Canarien).
Boydell Press, 2025.
216pp., ISBN 9781837650958 (hardcover), US $130.

Wilk, Stephen R.. Mystery Ship: The Long, Strange Odyssey of Submarine S-49.
McFarland, 2026.
268pp., ISBN 9781476698359

Wilson, Walter E.. William Watson and the Rob Roy: The Adventures of a Civil War Blockade Runner.
McFarland, 2026.
244 pp., US $39.95 ISBN 9781476699035.

Ziegler, Hannes. Coastal Policing in Eighteenth-Century Britain: The Riddle of the Coast, c. 1660-1822.

Boydell Press, 2025.

310pp., US $120 ISBN 9781837651924 (hardcover).

North American Society for Oceanic History

A message from Book Reviews Editor Rebecca Murray

Book Reviews - not just for Oprah or the New York Times

Books for Review

These books are available to review. Please fill out the form below to request one!

Book Request Form