Previously published in three separate volumes as Campaign 103: Hampton Roads 1862; New Vanguard 41: Confederate Ironclad 1861-65 and New Vanguard 45: Union Monitor 1861-65. When the ironclad USS Monitor steamed out to meet the CSS Virginia on 9 March 1862; the face of naval warfare was changed forever. A four-hour duel left neither ship victorious; but in the wake of the battle wooden warships were rendered obsolete. This book details the clash at Hampton Roads; as well as tracing the development of ironclads within the Union and Confederate fleets. Union ironclads evolved quickly from the time of the production of the Monitor; so that by the end of the war the US Navy possessed the most powerful artillery afloat. The Confederate fleet; meanwhile; was born out of the hulks of existing vessels in naval yards and backwaters within sight of the enemy - its very existence was a tribute to the ingenuity of Southern shipbuilders.
#103360 in Books VERSO 2017-05-02 2017-05-02Original language:English 8.20 x .60 x 5.50l; #File Name: 1786630192192 pagesVERSO
Review
22 of 26 people found the following review helpful. Very informativeBy Phelps GatesHaving read a lot over the years about Israel; I've always felt that I was pretty well informed; but I learned a lot from this book; The most notorious old myth is the one about Israel being "a land without a people for a people without a land." Does anyone still believe this? Apparently some do: Pappe quotes the official website of the Israeli foreign ministry; which continues to take this line. He goes into detail about the historical demographics and thoroughly refutes the claim.Another myth: Israeli historians have often claimed that Palestinians were told to leave their homes during the 1948 war; to make way for the advancing Arab armies. Is this widely believed? I don't know; but Pappe describes the process by which this example of "fake news" got its start. One example of a myth which I had believed was that the Israel's 2005 withdrawal from Gaza was a step toward peace. Actually; the opposite is true: this was; in effect; an inoculation against any possibility of withdrawal from the West Bank. The uproar in the country about moving the settlers from Gaza was nothing compared to what would happen if the West Bank settlements were touched! It's time. alas; to hold a funeral for the "Two State Solution."Some of Pappe's conclusions may be overstated; such as his view that Israel is not a democracy (based on the fact that the Arab citizens don't have full rights). And as he states right at the outset; the book doesn't claim to be "balanced." It's an attempt to make redress for some of the things that are widely believed in the media about the country. I won't go into more details about the other myths; other than to say that this is a book worth reading by anyone with an interest in Middle Eastern affairs; regardless of what their views are. It will buttress those on one side and challenge those on the other. Go read it.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. An important effort; well argued and clearly written.By Elisa 20Our outrage over the Holocaust and empathy for Jews and their need for a protected homeland; cannot blind us to the injustices involved in Western countries created that new country by taking away land that already belonged to others. If we accept the geopolitical reality of the formation of Israel--fair or not--nearly 70 years ago; it does not address the present injustice being meted out to the Palestinian people who are; ironically; ghettoized by the conservative Israelis (particularly right-wing party that's been in power for decades) and walled off from their previous homeland.To criticize "Israel" is not to be anti-Semitic. It is to criticize the rightwing prime ministers whose anti-Arab philosophies have dominated Israeli-Palestinian policies for decades; Sharon being previously one of the worst and now; the entrenched Netanyahu. As much as he and Obama may have disliked each other; there's no question that Obama continued to support and help militarize Israel more than any previous president. There is guilt to be shared by the U.S. in the plight of the Palestinians today. It was a start--although brief and largely symbolic--when; at John Kerry's urgin; the U.S. finally did not veto a U.N. resolution condemning the occupation of the West Bank and ongoing persecution of Palestinians; often with U.S. tanks and weaoonry.Americans do not often get to hear the Palestinian point of view toward Israel (and the U.S.; its foremost ally(. That is why this book is so important. "Ten Myths About Israel" are what often passes not for myth; but for truth; for conventional wisdom in the U.S. media. By cocntrast; Pappe's truths are as follows:. I1. Palestine was already settled by Arabs when it was changed to Israel. It was not "empty land";2. He questions the premise that Israel's existence serves the interest of all Jews around the world. Were Jews really a "people without a land"?3 "Zionism" is not the same as "Judaism". (Corollary of this is that to oppose Zionism is not to be against Jews.) Many leaders; including Gandhi; supported the idea of a Jewish homeland; but not with the consequence of the Palestinian people losing their homeland Pappe is unequivocal about the "Jews as the Chosen People" reclaiming their ancestral homeland giving them a right to take Palestine.This extension from Biblical stories thousands of years old as a justification for seizing land of others is a myth.4. He sees Israelis as colonizers-- the myth? "That Jews are not Colonizers"5. The 1967 War did not force Israel to occupy the West Bank and Gaza.6; He challenges the assumption that "Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East"; citing the treatment of Palestinians throughout the Occupation including 35;000 Palestinians killed (including 2000 children) since 19 67--; and continuing seizing upends the myth of "benign democracy."7.He argues that Hamas; the organization in the Gaza Strip; is not a terrorist organization.4. He feels the idea that the Two State Solution is the Only Way Forward" is also a Myth.9. The Palestinians have a right to struggle for liberation from Israel and have a right to have an army to help them do it and reclaim their land sand rights. 10 The Oslo Accord was not an ideal solution (the myth of the two-state solution being the answer ) but another way of rationalizing partition.You may find yourself changing your mind; at least on some things; as you read through his chapters; particularly if you approach the book openly.. .7 of 8 people found the following review helpful. EducationalBy L. Mars2017 has become my year of seeking fuller explanations for the top issues in our world; and working to answer the question "how did we get here?" This book was very enlightening in that it explained historical issues that I will continue to research. I am not pro or anti group. I am seeking truth and felt this book challenged so much that I assumed was fact.
