By Samuel Eliot Morison

The biography“John Paul Jones: A Sailor’s Biography”by Samuel Eliot Morison provides a comprehensive and detailed account of the life and naval career of John Paul Jones, a prominent figure in American naval history.

John Paul Jones was born inScotland and began his seafaring career at a young age. Heapprenticed on merchant ships, gaining valuable experience.and as aMerchant Marineheworked in the West Indies trade, eventually becoming a shipmaster. His career was marked by a controversial incident in Tobago, where he killed a mutinous sailor in self-defense.Jones joined the Continental Navy in 1775, driven by a desire to fight for American Independence. He was commissioned as a lieutenant and later promoted to captain.He commanded several ships, including the Providence and the Alfred. He conducted successful raids and captured numerous British vessels, gaining a reputation for his boldtactics.As captain of the Ranger, Jones led a daring raid on Whitehaven, England, in 1778,aiming to disrupt British shipping and boost American morale.Jones achieved a significant victory by capturing the British warship Drake in a fierce battle off the coast of Ireland.

Jones’s most famous battle occurred in 1779 when he commanded the BonhommeRichard against the British ship Serapis. Despite severe damage to his ship, Jones emergedvictorious, cementing his legacy.But he faced numerous challenges, including difficulties with prize money, conflicts with other officers, and the complexities of international diplomacy.

In his final years Jones served in the Russian Navy under Catherine the Great but faced political intrigue and professional setbacks, and spent his last years in France, struggling with health issues and financial difficulties. He died inParis in 1792.

Samuel Eliot Morison’s biography of John Paul Jones offers a detailed and scholarly account of the sailor’s life, blending historical accuracy with engaging narrative. The book is enriched with visual aids, original sources, and contributions from various experts,making it a valuable resource for understanding the complexities of Jones’s character and achievements.

Naval Institute Press, 1999, 453 pages

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Selected and Edited with an Introduction by L. Jesse Lemisch

FROM THE INTRODUCTION: “In the following pages we meet the many-sided Franklin. We see him through his own eyes and sometimes through the eyes ofothers: bis wife, his son, Abigail Adams, fellow-scientist Joseph Priestley, to name a few. H e is father, son, brother, husband, lover; he is scientist,in- ventor,educator, diplomat, propagandist, politician, hu- morist; he reveals his own ambition and advises us on the way to wealth and in the art of conversation; he explains his religion and tells us how he did good. Franklin introduces himself to us in his Memoirs- as he always called his autobiography. We meet him at the punchbowl where, from time to time, he steps aside from the ball to hurriedly relate his reminiscences. He comes to aquiet corner of the halland speaks candidly, but he is still dressed for a public ball. He tells us the truth but is careful to keep his distance: "Let all Men know thee, but no man know thee thoroughly," said Poor Richard…”

NY. Signet Classic. 1961.

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By Joseph J. Ellis

FROM THE PREFACE: “No Event in American history which was so improbable at the time has seemed so inevitable in retrospect as the American Revolution. On the inevitability side, it is true there were voices back then urging prospective patriots to regard American independence as an early version of manifest destiny. Tom Paine, for example, claimed that it was simply a matter of common sense that an island couldnot rule a continent. And Thomas Jefferson's lyrical rendering of the reasons for the entire revolutionaryenterprise emphasized the self-evident character of the principles at stake. Several other prominent American revolutionaries also talked as if they were actors in a historical drama whose script had already been written by the gods. In his old age, John Adams recalled his youthful intimations of the providential forces at work….”

NY. Vintage. 2002. 307p.

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By Joseph J. Ellis

FROM THE PREFACE: “My own relationship with George Washington began early. I grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, and attended St. Mary's grade school, about eight miles down Mount Vernon Boulevard from the estate where the great man once walked the earth. Because my school was so prox- imate to Mount Vernon, my teachers-all nuns--forced us to make frequent pilgrimages to the historic site where the spirit of America's greatest secular saint resided. Back then the tour was less historically informed than it is now. I don't recall slavery being mentioned at all. I do recall being told that the story of Washington's wooden teeth was a myth--my first encounter with the notion that you could not always trust what you read in history books. I remember this clearly because the high point of the tour was Washington's dentures, which were encased in glass and looked to me like a really gross instrument of torture made of metal and bone. The only other thing I remember is the majestic view of the Potomac from the piazza on the east side of the mansion….”

NY. Vintage. 2005. 354p.

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By Joseph J. Ellis

FROM THE PREFACE: “ The idea for this book first came to me while listening to twenty-eight middle school boys recite the Gettysburg Address from memory in front of their classmates and proud parents. My son Scott was teaching science at the Greenwood School in Putney, Vermont, and had invited me to judge the annual oratorical contest. Idon't remember exactly when it happened, but at some point during the strenuous if repetitious effort to get Lincoln's words right, it dawned on me that the first clause in the first sentence of Lincoln's famous speech was historically incorrect. Lincoln began as follows: "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this Continent a new Nation." No, not really. In 1776 thirteen American colonies declared themselves independent states that came together temporarily to win the war, then would go their separate ways…”

NY. Vintage. 2016. 305p.

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By Joseph .J . Ellis

FROM THE PREFACE: “Any aspiring biographer of Jefferson, recognizing the ink already spilled and the libraries already filled, might do well to recall the young Virginian's famous words of 1776. Which is to say that no one should undertake yet another book on Thomas Jefferson for "light and transient causes." In fact "prudence dictates" and "a decent respect of the opinions of mankind requires" that the publication of all new books about that man from Monticello be accompanied by a formal declaration of the causes that have impelled the author to undertake the effort.”

NY. Vintage. 1998. 482p.