The books in this section are usually hardcover and in decent condition, though we'll sometimes offer hard-to-find books in lesser condition at a reduced price. Though we often put images of the book with their original dust jackets, the copies here won't always (or even often) have them. If that is important to you, please call ahead or say so in the order comments!
There was a glitter about Oliver Hazard Perry, a beautiful brilliance. His brother, Matthew Calbraith Perry, was quieter, steady, and more thoughtful. Yet both these men were destined to play roles of crucial importance in the history of the United States. Oliver's star rose first. Beginning as a midshipman at twelve, he was finally to command the battle of Lake Erie. As famed for his charm as for his daring and unusual maneuvers, he was often plagued by political intrigue. During a voyage undertaken for the United States Government to establish better relations with South America he was stricken with a fatal illness.
Matthew's career—bridging the change from sail to steam—entered its greatest phase after Oliver's death. He was among the first to recognize the need for trained navy personnel. And it was the quiet Matthew who finally made the fantastic voyage which opened up Japanese ports to American ships a voyage which is in itself a superb adventure story.
This dual biography of the two brothers is at the same time the biography of the sea-going Perry family. Sons of a captain- father, all their ambitions, all their personal sacrifices were part of the great tradition of the sea which the men and women of their family shared.
—from the dust jacket
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