The Marine Corps: Three Centuries of Glory [Hardcover]

B. L. Crumley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2002

The United States Marine Corps is one of the most famous military units in the world. The Marine Corps tells the story behind a unit that has seen action across the world in its long and illustrious history. The book begins with the Corps' origins during the colonial period, when battalions of American Marines were raised to fight alongside their British counterparts. It was not until 1798, however, that the Corps was finally created by an Act of Congress. The Corps has fought in Central America, World War I, World War II (where it carried the brunt of the Allied effort in the Pacific), Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, and the Gulf. This book describes the full combat record of the Marines and details the Corps' organization, equipment, uniforms, and insignia. Illustrated with black and white and color photographs, and with an authoritative text, The Marine Corps: Three Centuries of Glory is a definitive history of one of America's top fighting units.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Thunder Bay Press (CA) (November 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571457844
• ISBN-13: 978-1571457844
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,902,097 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Marine point of view, November 4, 2002

By 

Ted Ingram "Ted Ingram" (Greensboro, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Marine Corps: Three Centuries of Glory (Hardcover)

I have read literally dozens if not hundreds of works on the history of our militaries and the stories of my Corps. I have seen some of the best, and many of the worst. I have been very disappointed in many of the past books because of the ramblings and pointlessness of the subject matter. Even worse very often the authors are simply not knowledgeable enough on the subjects, especially Marines. When I started reading this book, I realized it was different. In this brilliant work I actually got the feeling that the author had somehow been able to go back into time and interview the Marines in the lines, and take notes while the shots were being fired. The pages are well written with outstanding sidebars on the oft-overlooked characters in Marine history that helped us become what we did in the 20th century. Great full color photos and illustrations add flavor to an all around excellent read. Crumley knows Marines, and she knows us well.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A REVIEW OF BETH CRUMLEYS WORK, THE MARINE CORPS, October 21, 2002

By 

MARC KAPLAN (EL PASO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Marine Corps: Three Centuries of Glory (Hardcover)

MS CRUMLEY HAS WRITTEN A DEFINITIVE WORK, PERHAPS THE GUTSIEST MILITARY HISTORY BOOK I HAVE YET TO ENCOUNTER. THE AUTHUR DOES SO MUCH MORE THAN PRESENT A HISTORY OF THE CORPS IN INK AND PAPER. RATHER, HER READERS ARE TRANSPORTED TO BELLEAU WOOD, THE SANDS OF IWO, THEY FIGHT ALONGSIDE LEATHERNECKS AS THEY BRAVE WITHERING FIRE AT INCHON AND ELSEWHERE. I FELT AS IF I HAD TO SCRAPE THE BLOOD, GUTS AND MUD OFF MY PAJAMAS AS I POWERED THROUGH MS CRUMLEYS MASTERPIECE.
I THANK GOD THAT MS CRUMLEY PRESENTS HER WORK FOR ALL TO READ LEST WE FORGET THE PRECIOUS GIFT THAT HER BELOVED DEVILDOGS HAVE PRESENTED TO ALL WHO RESIDE IN PEACE AND FREEDOM.

WHETHER THE AUTHOR TAKES US TO VIETNAM, FRANCE IN WW 1, THE PACIFIC IN WW 11, OR SHE TRANSPORTS US TO KOREA, SHE HAS GIVEN US A KEEN APPRECIATION FOR THE BRAVERY, THE DEDICATION, AND THE SACRIFICES THAT OUR CORPS HAS DEMONSTRATED. CRUMLEYS DOES ALL THIS WHILE GLUING HER READER TO THE PAGES OF HER BOOK WITH LANGUAGE AND PENACHE THAT WOULD BRING THE FIGHTING MAN BACK TO HIS DAYS OF GLORY

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bold Potrait of the Corps, November 29, 2002

By 

Jon T. Hoffman - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Marine Corps: Three Centuries of Glory (Hardcover)

Historian Crumley has done a sterling job in painting a bold and intimate portrait of the Corps. She has done more than simply recount the details of battles and institutional changes. She has mined the oral histories and personal papers of those who experienced these events firsthand and elegantly woven their best words into the fabric of her story. The result is an accurate and thoroughly engaging narrative spiced with an insider's view. The top notch text is accompanied by an excellent selection of photos and art (many of these illustrations appearing in print for the first time). If you're looking for a Christmas gift for a Marine, this is it!