Books about Seaborne from Amazon.com

The Spanish empire in America was the first of the great seaborne empires of western Europe; it was for long the richest and the most formidable, the focus of envy, fear, and hatred. Its haphazard beginning dates from 1492; it was to last more than three hundred years before breaking up in the early nineteenth century in civil wars between rival generals and "liberators."
Available now for the first time in paperback is J. H. Parry's classic assessment of the impact of Spain on the Americas. Parry presents a broad picture of the conquests of Cortès and Pizarro and of the economic and social consequences in Spain of the effort to maintain control of vast holdings. He probes the complex administration of the empire, its economy, social structure, the influence of the Church, the destruction of the Indian cultures and the effect of their decline on Spanish policy. As we approach the quincentenary of Columbus's arrival in the Americas, Parry provides the historical basis for a new consideration of the former Spanish colonies of Latin America and the transformation of pre-Columbian cultures to colonial states..
Price: $11.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The Establishment of English colonies in North America and the West Indies in the seventeenth century opened new opportunities for trade. Conspicuous among the families who used these opportunities to gain mercantile and social importance was the Perry family of Devon, who created Perry and Lane, by the end of the century the most important London firm trading to the Chesapeake and other parts of North America.

Jacob Price traces the family from Devon to Spain, Ireland, Scotland, the Chesapeake, New England, and London. He describes their relationships with Chesapeake society, from the Byrds and Carters to humble planters. In London, the firm's patronage gave the family high standing among fellow businessmen, a position the founder's grandson utilized to become a member of Parliament and Lord Mayor of London. In the end, the grandson's political success as an antiministerialist brought the family the enmity of the prime minister, Sir Robert Walpole, and contributed to the downfall of their firm.

The Perrys' story reveals the interrelatedness of social, commercial, and political history. It offers an important contribution to our understanding of the nature of the Chesapeake trade and the forces shaping the success and failure of English mercantile enterprise in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

.
Price: $40.99 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Ring-headed crosses of impressive height and intricate design were first erected in Iona and Ireland from the eighth century onwards. This book deals with these but also shows how they were the culmination of a long period of development during the early Christian period. The early sculpture of Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, Scotland and Ireland is examined against the background of the spread of Christian beliefs and practices. Examples selected from the whole of the Celtic west between the fifth and eleventh centuries are fully discussed and illustrated. A bibliography and list of places to visit are also included.

.
Price: $13.45 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This book is the history of the highly trained officers and men who went by the cover name "Beach Jumpers " Their top-secret mission was to create and sustain the illusion that a military landing was imminent at Beach "A" when in fact U.S./allied troops would hit the beaches 100 miles away at Beach "X". During World War II, their tactics were extremely successful in Sicily, Salerno, Southern France, and the Philippines. Beach Jumpers later served ashore and afloat in Vietnam. Their descendants, called "Fleet Tactical Deception Groups," continue their important, highly classified work today. This work details the development, major operations, "weapons," and leaders of this deception group. The Beach Jumpers began as a naval task group under the direct control of the fleet commander. The group consisted of specialists, officers, and men, trained to conduct tactical cover and deception missions, to include radio and radar countermeasures. The program was initiated by Douglas E. Fairbanks, Jr., the movie actor and son of the silent-screen star, who had studied at the HMS Tormentor Advanced Training and Amphibious Operations Base then at the Commando Training School, Ancharry Castle, Scotland. Dwyer's account follows the Beach Jumpers through training at Camp Bradford and Ocracoke and their first mission, Operation Husky, during the invasion of Sicily. Accounts are given of the invasion of Salerno and of operations on a number of Mediterranean islands. In addition, Dwyer recounts the exploits of the Beach Jumpers in the Pacific theater of operations. Part II traces the exploits of the Beach Jumpers and their descendants in Vietnam and during the post-Vietnam era. The volume includes maps, photos, and a diagram..
Price: $75.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]