USMC: A Complete History (U.S. Military Series) (Hardcover)

by Jon Hoffman (Author) "The concept of a corps of Marines was well established when the colonies in America rebelled against Great Britain in 1775..." (more)
Key Phrases: Marine Corps, National Archives, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Bound in camouflage cloth and thick enough to stop an anti-tank shell, this exhaustive chronology of the Marine Corps' 227-year existence will appeal to veterans and regimental historians alike. The detailed entries cover desultory peacetime action, administrative minutiae and desperate battles in the same terse military jargon: on January 28, 1922, for example, "Marines assist in rescue work after the roof of a theater collapses in Washington," while the entry for March 1, 1944, at the height of the Iwo Jima battle ("Marine aircraft participate in TF 58 strikes on Okinawa"), includes the laconic note that "VMSB 332 is redesignated VMTB 332." The march of dates and acronyms is interrupted by engaging two-page vignettes that feature loving descriptions of rifles and machine guns, tales of heroism and profiles of prominent Marines, including the "irrepressible" Major General Smedley Butler, who later soured on the Corps and denounced expeditions he had led in the Caribbean as an imperialist "racket." Innumerable photos and reproductions of paintings by Marine artists provide sometimes gritty, sometimes sentimental glimpses of Marine life and combat. Scholars will find the chronology of real value, while the trove of Marine lore will spark reminiscences among leathernecks.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
This remarkable book...goes far beyond facts and figures, it's a treasure for the military enthusiast,...a real conversation piece. -- Armourer Magazine, UK

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 664 pages
• Publisher: Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, Inc. (September 10, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0883631113
• ISBN-13: 978-0883636176
• Product Dimensions: 13.5 x 10 x 2.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #234,949 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #28 in

  Books > History > Military > Pictorials

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice!, July 24, 2003

By A Customer

I loved it. USMC is the ultimate Marine coffee table book for Marines, Marine Corps historians, and Marine Corps buffs. It can be used as a tool to settle arguments or--when the recalcitrant refuse to be convinced--as a formidable weapon!

7 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More a coffe table reference, November 21, 2002

By	Timothy M Johnson (Escondido, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Don't buy this book expecting the definitive history of the United States Marine corps. Think of it more as reference book. Every single significant event that a date can be attributed to is listed, in that sense the book is great. But it does not give the reader a true sense of "Esprit de Corps"

2 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, January 25, 2005

By	LDSMARINE (Los Angeles California) - See all my reviews

With 600+ pages, this is a fat book. It must way a ton, but based on the first few pages, it looks real good. It is descriptive, intelligent, and long. I would never have to go to the library again. Ill just look at this book, but only if its for reports that im doing. I only do reports on war stuff, since my other teachers dont give us reports.