Rating: 
Summary: Important and entertaining US maritime history
Review: One of the many questions Sea of Glory raises is how could this amazing four-year voyage have rated so little attention from historians? Herein lies Philbrick's greatest achievement, telling the story. And what a story it is. Over three year's worth of sea faring adventures when much of the Pacific Ocean (then more commonly known as the South Seas) and its isles were uncharted and the Antarctic was still not a geographic fact.
While the EX EX had numerous encounters with natives, both those predisposed to violence such as in Fiji, and those who welcomed foreign sailors with open arms (to say the least) such as the Tahitians, it was the expedition's scientific achievements that were most notable.
Much of their findings influenced much of what the United States was to know about the Pacific, Antarctic and numerous islands, peoples, plants and animals.
That in itself is a not for an enriching even entertaining book. But as the TV ads say: there's more! The story of the expedition's leader, Charles Wilkes, is a fascinating character study. Philbrick gives Wilkes his due for his surveying skills and his necessarily aggressive leadership. But Wilkes had an uncanny ability to annoy, hurt and offend his underlings and had a tendency to capricious decisions and frequently folding under pressure. These intrigues add considerable spice to the story. As he did with his earlier masterpiece, "Heart of Sea" Philbrick expertly draws all characters, from the primary to the supporting cast. Keeping up with all of them was a difficult task that the author was certainly up to.
Sea of Glory is not just a wonderful addition to American and maritime history; it fills a void in it. I'm sure I join countless other readers in eagerly awaiting Philbrick's next work.
Rating:
Summary: A very compelling telling
Review: People interested in American History should not pass this up! A re-discovery of our past and fascination in the exploration of the Pacific and Antarctica lost to the discovery of gold in California is vividly read by Dennis Boutsikaris. A telling of the turbulent leadership of Charles Wilkes is revealed as well as the Naval politics of the pre-civil war.
Rating:
Summary: A very compelling telling
Review: People interested in American History should not pass this up! A re-discovery of our past and fascination in the exploration of the Pacific and Antarctica lost to the discovery of gold in California is vividly read by Dennis Boutsikaris. A telling of the turbulent leadership of Charles Wilkes is revealed as well as the Naval politics of the pre-civil war.
Rating: 
Summary: draws attention to important american expedition
Review: Philbrick does an exceptional job making a daunting task actually interesting. This isn't the usual type of book I read but the author managed to make it interesting to me. One of the problems though is the sheer amount of characters and people that are involved with this story so at points the reader may almost feel overwhelmed by all these characters. Overall an amusing and informative read.
Rating:
Summary: All the joy of recovered history
Review: Philbrick is undoubtedly one of the finest maritime writers working today. I thought his previous book, on the whaleship Essex, was excellent, but in the breadth of the tale told, Sea of Glory surpasses it. This book deserves wide attention, not the least for helping restore to history a fascinating tale of exploration that has simply vanished from America's history books: A four year journey round the globe, in which the existence of the Antarctic continent is proven, many islands of the South Sea and the Pacific Northwest surveyed for the first time and charted, and thousands upon thousands of plant, animal, and ethnographic specimens collected, which became the founding collections of the Smithsonian. Indeed, Philbrick makes clear that many US scientific organizations owe their start to the "US Ex Ex." In addition to US Ex Ex's accomplishments, Philbrick tells of many, sometimes deadly, adventures -- ships wrecked and battered by storms, encounters with island natives, even a very short "war." Finally, there is the all important human element: One reason the US Ex Ex vanished was the way the journey ended -- in courts martial and wrangling. The commander of the expedition, Wilkes, managed to turn his many young officers from ardent admirers into bitter enemies, through his fierce ambitions, paranoia, and other deep personal flaws -- which in turn may have colored Melville's portrait of Captain Ahab in Moby Dick. I'm very glad to have found this book. Be sure to look through the excellent bibliography as well, which is a goldmine of sources for more information on US expeditions and early science.
Rating:
Summary: "Ex. Ex."cellent!
Review: There is much to admire in this book about this "U.S. Ex. Ex.", but what I liked most was the balanced treatment of the protagonist. It would have been easy to turn this book into a scathing diatribe against "Captain" Wilkes, but, while appropriately describing Wilkes as a martinet, Mr. Philbrick also emphasizes his perserverance and courage that resulted in the many accomplishments of the expedition. A poignant moment comes when Philbrick relates how the rejection by one of the officers of Wilkes's clumsy offer of reconciliation may have scuttled the Expedition's place in history. The book is well illustrated and includes several useful maps.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This author writes very well and captivates you from the first pages. The history of this voyage is fascinating and was unknown to me. That, combined with the well drawn characters make for a very interesting and enjoyable read. This author manages to write a historical story that keeps you interested without having to "invent" dialogue or enhance the characters to make them more interesting. I read this author's In the Heart of the Sea (Excellent!), and became interested in the seafaring genre and can also recommend Batavia's Graveyard (riveting) and the Pirate Hunter.
Rating:
Summary: Stunning, Complete, and Even
Review: This book is astounding. Philbrick is even-handed, clear, and thorough. This book chronicles a time in American maritime history that has previously been almost totally overlooked.
Rating:
Summary: Missing History Recovered
Review: This book is outstanding. How can such a piece of history go missing? Through these pages, Philbrook has provided us with an important nautical accomplishment. You will be taken around the world with a crew that is under the command of a most peculiar character. You will travel to various islands in the Atlantic and Pacific, the Antarctic (my personal favorite), South America, visit North America of a time past, and, perhaps most interestingly, you will travel in the minds of those who embarked on this journey. You will return from this journey with the realization that its discoveries are still within your own reach. Really.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, but depressing
Review: This fabulous narrative is marred by the depressing nature of the events being described. The accomplishments of the US Ex.Ex. were colossal, and in fact dependent on the incredible energy and abilities of its tyrannical and unstable commander, Lt. Wilkes. The politics and infighting which consumed the return of the expedition are described in so much detail as to bring us down at the end. The fact that this amazing journey of discovery has vanished into obscurity due to the human failings of its commander and officers, and the various government and Navy functionaries who participated in the courts martial, rings true and yet tastes bitter. For me, the triumph of pettiness and the worst of human nature drags the book down unfairly, because it is written extremely well.
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