Walter R. Borneman's Books

Polk

The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America

By: Walter R. Borneman

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Polk

The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America

By: Walter R. Borneman

In Polk, Walter R. Borneman gives us the first complete and authoritative biography of a president often overshadowed in image but seldom outdone in accomplishment. James K. Polk occupied the White House for only four years, from 1845 to 1849, but he plotted and attained a formidable agenda: He fought for and won tariff reductions, reestablished an independent Treasury, and, most notably, brought Texas into the Union, bluffed Great Britain out of the lion’s share of Oregon, and wrested California and much of the Southwest from Mexico. On reflection, these successes seem even more impressive, given the contentious political environment of the time. In this unprecedented, long-overdue warts-and-all look at Polk’s life and career, we have a portrait of an expansionist president and decisive statesman who redefined the country he led, and we are reminded anew of the true meaning of presidential accomplishment and resolve.

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Page Count

466

Publisher

Random House

Published Date

ISBN 10

158836772X

ISBN 13

9781588367723

Brothers Down

Pearl Harbor and the Fate of the Many Brothers Aboard the USS Arizona

By: Walter R. Borneman

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Brothers Down

Pearl Harbor and the Fate of the Many Brothers Aboard the USS Arizona

By: Walter R. Borneman

A deeply personal and never-before-told account of one of America's darkest days, from the bestselling author of The Admirals and MacArthur at War. The surprise attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 remains one of the most traumatic events in American history. America's battleship fleet was crippled, thousands of lives were lost, and the United States was propelled into a world war. Few realize that aboard the iconic, ill-fated USS Arizona were an incredible seventy-nine blood relatives. Tragically, in an era when family members serving together was an accepted, even encouraged, practice, sixty-three of the Arizona's 1,177 dead turned out to be brothers. In Brothers Down, acclaimed historian Walter R. Borneman returns to that critical week of December, masterfully guiding us on an unforgettable journey of sacrifice and heroism, all told through the lives of these brothers and their fateful experience on the Arizona. Weaving in the heartbreaking stories of the parents, wives, and sweethearts who wrote to and worried about these men, Borneman draws from a treasure trove of unpublished source material to bring to vivid life the minor decisions that became a matter of life or death when the bombs began to fall. More than just an account of familial bonds and national heartbreak, what emerges promises to define a turning point in American military history.

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Page Count

368

Publisher

Little, Brown

Published Date

ISBN 10

0316438871

ISBN 13

9780316438872

MacArthur at War

World War II in the Pacific

By: Walter R. Borneman

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MacArthur at War

World War II in the Pacific

By: Walter R. Borneman

The definitive account of General Douglas MacArthur's rise during World War II, from the author of the bestseller The Admirals. World War II changed the course of history. Douglas MacArthur changed the course of World War II. Macarthur at War will go deeper into this transformative period of his life than previous biographies, drilling into the military strategy that Walter R. Borneman is so skilled at conveying, and exploring how personality and ego translate into military successes and failures. Architect of stunning triumphs and inexplicable defeats, General MacArthur is the most intriguing military leader of the twentieth century. There was never any middle ground with MacArthur. This in-depth study of the most critical period of his career shows how his influence spread far beyond the war-torn Pacific. A Finalist for the Gilder Lehrman Prize for Military History at the New York Historical Society

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Page Count

697

Publisher

Little, Brown

Published Date

ISBN 10

0316405310

ISBN 13

9780316405317

Alaska

Saga of a Bold Land

By: Walter R. Borneman

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Alaska

Saga of a Bold Land

By: Walter R. Borneman

This panoramic chronicle of Alaska captures the grandeur of its geography, history, and many larger-than-life personalities: “Just plain terrific” (Bradford Washburn). The history of Alaska is filled with stories of new land and new riches—and ever present are new people with competing views on how these valuable resources should be used. Here are the stories of Russians exploiting a fur empire; explorers checking rival advances; prospectors stampeding to the clarion call of “Gold!”; soldiers battling out a decisive chapter in WWII; oil wildcatters looking for a different kind of mineral wealth; and always at the core of these disputes is the question of how the land itself is to be used—and by whom. While some want Alaska to remain static, others are in the vanguard of change. Alaska: Saga of a Bold Land shows that there are no easy answers on either side of this perennial debate, and that Alaska will always be crossing the next frontier.

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Page Count

1069

Publisher

Zondervan

Published Date

ISBN 10

0061865273

ISBN 13

9780061865275

The Admirals

Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King--The Five-Star Admirals Who Won the War at Sea

By: Walter R. Borneman

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The Admirals

Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King--The Five-Star Admirals Who Won the War at Sea

By: Walter R. Borneman

How history's only five-star admirals triumphed in World War II and made the United States the world's dominant sea power. Only four men in American history have been promoted to the five-star rank of Admiral of the Fleet: William Leahy, Ernest King, Chester Nimitz, and William Halsey. These four men were the best and the brightest the navy produced, and together they led the U.S. navy to victory in World War II, establishing the United States as the world's greatest fleet. In The Admirals, award-winning historian Walter R. Borneman tells their story in full detail for the first time. Drawing upon journals, ship logs, and other primary sources, he brings an incredible historical moment to life, showing us how the four admirals revolutionized naval warfare forever with submarines and aircraft carriers, and how these men -- who were both friends and rivals -- worked together to ensure that the Axis fleets lay destroyed on the ocean floor at the end of World War II.

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Page Count

439

Publisher

Little, Brown

Published Date

ISBN 10

0316202525

ISBN 13

9780316202527

Polk

The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America

By: Walter R. Borneman

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Polk

The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America

By: Walter R. Borneman

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466

Publisher

Random House

Published Date

ISBN 10

158836772X

ISBN 13

9781588367723

American Spring

Lexington, Concord, and the Road to Revolution

By: Walter R. Borneman

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American Spring

Lexington, Concord, and the Road to Revolution

By: Walter R. Borneman

A vibrant look at the American Revolution's first months, from the author of the bestseller The Admirals. When we reflect on our nation's history, the American Revolution can feel almost like a foregone conclusion. In reality, the first weeks and months of 1775 were very tenuous, and a fractured and ragtag group of colonial militias had to coalesce rapidly to have even the slimmest chance of toppling the mighty British Army. American Spring follows a fledgling nation from Paul Revere's little-known ride of December 1774 and the first shots fired on Lexington Green through the catastrophic Battle of Bunker Hill, culminating with a Virginian named George Washington taking command of colonial forces on July 3, 1775. Focusing on the colorful heroes John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Mercy Otis Warren, Benjamin Franklin, and Patrick Henry, and the ordinary Americans caught up in the revolution, Walter R. Borneman uses newly available sources and research to tell the story of how a decade of discontent erupted into an armed rebellion that forged our nation.

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Page Count

456

Publisher

Little, Brown

Published Date

ISBN 10

0316221015

ISBN 13

9780316221016

Iron Horses

America's Race to Bring the Railroads West

By: Walter R. Borneman

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Iron Horses

America's Race to Bring the Railroads West

By: Walter R. Borneman

A "masterly" account of the origins of the transcontinental railroad (Douglas Brinkley) by the author of the bestselling The Admirals. After the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869, the rest of the United States was up for grabs, and the race was on. The prize: a better, shorter, less snowy route through the American Southwest, linking Los Angeles to Chicago. In Iron Horses, Borneman recounts the rivalries, contested routes, political posturing, and business dealings that unfolded as an increasing number of lines pushed their way across the country. Borneman brings to life the legendary robber barons behind it all and also captures the herculean efforts required to construct these roads -- the laborers who did the back-breaking work, the brakemen who ran atop moving cars, the tracklayers crushed and killed by runaway trains. From backroom deals in Washington, DC, to armed robberies of trains in the wild deserts, from cattle cars to streamliners and Super Chiefs, all the great incidents and innovations of a mighty American era are made vivid in Iron Horses.

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Page Count

513

Publisher

Little, Brown

Published Date

ISBN 10

0316371793

ISBN 13

9780316371797

American Spring

Lexington, Concord, and the Road to Revolution

By: Walter R. Borneman

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American Spring

Lexington, Concord, and the Road to Revolution

By: Walter R. Borneman

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456

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Little, Brown

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ISBN 10

0316221015

ISBN 13

9780316221016

The French and Indian War

Deciding the Fate of North America

By: Walter R. Borneman

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The French and Indian War

Deciding the Fate of North America

By: Walter R. Borneman

In the summer of 1754, deep in the wilderness of western Pennsylvania, a very young George Washington suffered his first military defeat, and a centuries-old feud between Great Britain and France was rekindled. The war that followed would be fought across virgin territories, from Nova Scotia to the forks of the Ohio River, and it would ultimately decide the fate of the entire North American continent—not just for Great Britain and France but also for the Spanish and Native American populations. Noted historian Walter R. Borneman brings to life an epic struggle for a continent—what Samuel Eliot Morison called "truly the first world war"—and emphasizes how the seeds of discord sown in its aftermath would take root and blossom into the American Revolution.

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Page Count

408

Publisher

Harper Collins

Published Date

ISBN 10

0061842648

ISBN 13

9780061842641

1812

The War That Forged a Nation

By: Walter R. Borneman

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1812

The War That Forged a Nation

By: Walter R. Borneman

In June 1812 the still-infant United States had the audacity to declare war on the British Empire. Fought between creaking sailing ships and armies often led by bumbling generals, the ensuing conflict featured a tit-for-tat "You burned our capital, so we'll burn yours" and a legendary battle unknowingly fought after the signing of a peace treaty. During the course of the war, the young American navy proved its mettle as the USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides," sent two first-rate British frigates to the bottom, and a twenty-seven-year-old lieutenant named Oliver Hazard Perry hoisted a flag exhorting, "Don't Give Up the Ship," and chased the British from Lake Erie. By 1814, however, the United States was no longer fighting for free trade, sailors' rights, and as much of Canada as it could grab, but for its very existence as a nation. With Washington in flames, only a valiant defense at Fort McHenry saved Baltimore from a similar fate. Here are the stories of commanding generals such as America's Henry "Granny" Dearborn, double-dealing James Wilkinson, and feisty Andrew Jackson, as well as Great Britain's gallant Sir Isaac Brock, overly cautious Sir George Prevost, and Rear Admiral George Cockburn, the man who put the torch to Washington. Here too are those inadvertently caught up in the war, from heroine farm wife Laura Secord, whom some call Canada's Paul Revere, to country doctor William Beanes, whose capture set the stage for Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner." 1812: The War That Forged a Nation presents a sweeping narrative that emphasizes the struggle's importance to America's coming-of-age as a nation. Though frequently overlooked between the American Revolution and the Civil War, the War of 1812 did indeed span half a continent -- from Mackinac Island to New Orleans, and Lake Champlain to Horseshoe Bend -- and it paved the way for the conquest of the other half. During the War of 1812, the United States cast aside its cloak of colonial adolescence and -- with both humiliating and glorious moments -- found the fire that was to forge a nation.

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Page Count

384

Publisher

Harper Collins

Published Date

ISBN 10

0060531126

ISBN 13

9780060531126

MacArthur at War

World War II in the Pacific

By: Walter R. Borneman

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MacArthur at War

World War II in the Pacific

By: Walter R. Borneman

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Page Count

697

Publisher

Little, Brown

Published Date

ISBN 10

0316405310

ISBN 13

9780316405317

Brothers Down

Pearl Harbor and the Fate of the Many Brothers Aboard the USS Arizona

By: Walter R. Borneman

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Brothers Down

Pearl Harbor and the Fate of the Many Brothers Aboard the USS Arizona

By: Walter R. Borneman

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Page Count

368

Publisher

Little, Brown

Published Date

ISBN 10

0316438871

ISBN 13

9780316438872

The Admirals

Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King--The Five-Star Admirals Who Won the War at Sea

By: Walter R. Borneman

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The Admirals

Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King--The Five-Star Admirals Who Won the War at Sea

By: Walter R. Borneman

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Page Count

439

Publisher

Little, Brown

Published Date

ISBN 10

0316202525

ISBN 13

9780316202527

1812

The War That Forged a Nation

By: Walter R. Borneman

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1812

The War That Forged a Nation

By: Walter R. Borneman

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Page Count

384

Publisher

Harper Collins

Published Date

ISBN 10

0060531126

ISBN 13

9780060531126

The French and Indian War

Deciding the Fate of North America

By: Walter R. Borneman

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The French and Indian War

Deciding the Fate of North America

By: Walter R. Borneman

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Page Count

408

Publisher

Harper Collins

Published Date

ISBN 10

0061842648

ISBN 13

9780061842641

Book's by Walter R. Borneman

Polk

Polk

Brothers Down

Brothers Down

MacArthur at War

MacArthur at War

Alaska

Alaska

The Admirals

The Admirals

Polk

Polk

American Spring

American Spring

Iron Horses

Iron Horses

American Spring

American Spring

The French and Indian War

The French and Indian War

1812

1812

MacArthur at War

MacArthur at War

Brothers Down

Brothers Down

The Admirals

The Admirals

1812

1812

The French and Indian War

The French and Indian War

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