West Point: The First 200 Years: The First 200 Years [Hardcover]

John Grant (Author), James M. Lynch (Author), Ronald H. Bailey (Author)

Book Description

Series: Broadcast Tie-Ins | Publication Date: January 1, 2002

West Point - the name resonates through the annals of American history from its earliest pages down to the present day. Established by the founding fathers of a fledgling democratic nation, the United States Military Academy has, in 200 years, trained the leaders of American land forces in every major battle from the Civil War to Afghanistan, instilling in them the creed that has become part of the American cultural fabric - DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY.

West Point: The First 200 Years is a celebration in words and pictures of the venerable military academy's remarkable role in our nation's history. Published to coincide with the Academy's bicentennial, this lavish commemorative book tells the story of West Point, from its awkward beginnings to the divisiveness of the Civil War through the social challenges of the modern era - including the admission of the first African American and female cadets and the backlash of the Vietnam War.

Woven into the fabric of this extraordinary history are the stories and images of the larger-than-life characters that people the Academy's past: Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Douglas MacArthur, and H. Norman Schwarzkopf to name just a few.

Stunning, full-color photographs of the campus as it looks today, archival images of the Academy, and photos of artifacts and memorabilia from the West Point Museum's collections are featured throughout the pages of this beautiful keepsake volume. The perfect souvenir of the Academy's 200th anniversary, this book will be a treasure not just for West Point alumni and their families, but for anyone with an interest in American history. (8 3/4 x 11 1/4, 208 pages, color photos, b&w photos)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

West Point famously graduated generals like Grant and MacArthur, but it's perhaps less well known that James Whistler also matriculated (he was a poor student who dropped out, but not before drawing some humorous sketches of cadet life), or that one of the first cadets to graduate, Simon M. Levy, was Jewish. These and other trivia are collected in West Point: The First 200 Years, a glossy photo book celebrating the academy's distinguished history. John Grant, producer of a PBS special to which the book is a companion, and writers James Lynch and Ronald Bailey have put together a capsule history illustrated with copious photographs of the campus, cadets and renowned alumni.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The publication of these two volumes coincides with the 200th anniversary of the founding of West Point in March 2002. The first is a brief history and a companion to the PBS special to air in March, while the second is a photographic essay on student life at the academy. Executive producer Grant and historians James Lynch and Ronald Bailey have written an excellent short history of the academy. They emphasize the contributions of superintendents Alden Partridge, Sylvanus Thayer, Robert E. Lee, and Douglas MacArthur, spicing the text with well-chosen reproductions of historical artifacts, photographs, drawings, and paintings. Also covered are the hazing scandals, interracial problems, and the violations of the honor code. (The football scandals of the 1950s are not mentioned, however.) The authors stress that the current excellence of the academic program is based on the continual emphasis on mathematics and the physical sciences. Internationally known photographer Lippman (Bali Journal) spent over a year at the academy as an artist in residence. Her black-and-white photographs vividly portray cadet life, parades, maneuvers, and athletic pursuits. Excellent composition and an emphasis on contrast have created the most beautiful book ever devoted to life at West Point. West Point graduate and author Salter (Burning the Days: A Recollection) contributes a brief narrative. The PBS companion is recommended for all libraries seeking an excellent short history of West Point. Lippman's photographic essay would be a welcome addition to libraries housing large art collections. Richard Nowicki, Emerson Vocational High (ret.), Buffalo, NY
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Globe Pequot; 1st edition (January 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762710136
• ISBN-13: 978-0762710133
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,480,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

84 of 86 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I Admire West Point, But This Does Not Live Up To The Hype, January 29, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: West Point: The First 200 Years: The First 200 Years (Hardcover)

I was disappointed. After all the hype, I thought this was a substantial work, but it isn't. It is mostly pictures. The pictures are nice but it offers nothing, and text-wise, not enough of it for the price. I'm sorry to say this about Westpoint, but I somewhat resent being misled. It could have taken me but 5 minutes to flip through it at a bookstore to see it was not for me.

100 of 107 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Celebrate -- And Give Us Your Money! .... Ugh., January 4, 2002

By 

"longhorner" (New York, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: West Point: The First 200 Years: The First 200 Years (Hardcover)

Ugh. Another West Point coffee table book. The concept is the same as we have seen repeatedly in the past. It's a book of mainly pictures, with sound bites of ideas that can be covered in 5 pages. The result is 95% fluff, 5% something of value. It seems everyone is trying to bilk unwitting customers under the guise of doing something noble for West Point's Bicentennial. What spin. Forgive me for laughing at authors' and publishers' perceptions of altruism! I think, if they are sincere about wanting others to help them celebrate 200 years of this noble and great institution, they should pass out their books-of-celebration for FREE! Uh-oh. The emperor has no clothes?

52 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Glossy photos, glossy history, July 15, 2002

By 

Andrew S. Rogers (Stamford, Connecticut) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: West Point: The First 200 Years: The First 200 Years (Hardcover)

I admit I didn't watch the PBS program to which this book is 'companion,' but I have no doubt that the pretty pictures on TV matched the pretty pictures in this book. In fact, that's probably the biggest impression I carry away from this book: it's very ... colorful. The text gives an adequate history of the US Military Academy, hitting on all the requisite high points: Thayer, Lee, Flipper, MacArthur, Eisenhower, Hollen, and so on. The images -- portraits, old maps, memorabilia from the USMA museum, etc -- decently illustrate the text (though the contemporary photos mixed in with the historic ones are sometimes rather *non sequitur* to what's being discussed). Among the great piles of books and videos that have been produced to observe West Point's bicentennial, I'm sure this picture book will be very popular. But I suspect it will mean more to people who didn't themselves actually attend the school. Those who did will find little that's new -- and despite the Academy's official cooperation with this production, may find the book too, well, glossy for their tastes.