This book is an excellent source of information for anyone with an interest either in the American Civil War or in warfare in general. For the casual reader, one can find interest in the stories of Read's early career and of his swashbuckling adventures. To the historian, one can find interesting insight into the importance of sea power, during the Civil War. This concept has a sort of Alfred Thayer Mahan ring to it, who wrote about sea power as important to nations during the nineteenth century.

Admiral Dewey said "America never produced a navy officer more worthy of a place in history" and thanks to Jones he has it and we've got a great book to read! Read captured over 20 union ships and burned most of them - he was captured once, made several nearly successful escape attempts, and at one point had over 30 Union ships at sea just to try to stop him. The main part of the book reads like an action novel, but it's all real - as he moves from river warfare to commerce raiding and back, but it has a detailed, 23 page section of notes and an 11 page bibliography. So you'll learn a lot about the naval side of the war, and lots of information is there for those doing research - but read it first for the story - you'll love it!

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**Hey, SOMEBODY [Ted Turner maybe?] ought to make a MOVIE out of this! ** ======

Lt. Read's true story, captured in this well-documented & very readable biography, has All the earmarks of a great, action-packed adventure! -- This Civil War "sea story" has everything: Lt. Read graduated last in his class from the U.S. Naval Academy; he fought on the Mississippi River in various ships, including an ironclad; he raided as far north as Portland, Maine; he was a prisoner of war & made multiple escape attempts... What a fantastic story line for a movie! But this is all true!

This is a very well-written account of a heroic figure, and it's one that will hold you in suspense! (...other than the fact that you already know how the war turned out.)

Bravo, Robert A. Jones!... I like your book!

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Buffalo Jones had to deal with horrible weather, a pack of wolves, and other difficulties in his quest to capture buffalo calves. The clever way he outwitted the wolves adds a surprising twist to an exciting story. Especially good for readers 8 to 12 who like true adventure, but older readers (including adults) will enjoy it, too.

Fast-paced and colorful, this book describes one of Jones' expeditions in which he captured buffalo calves to create a captive herd and preserve the species. The difficulties Jones had to overcome make exciting reading, especially the ingenious way he protected the calves from wolves. Great for ages 7 to 10, but older and younger folks will enjoy it, too.

This is a collection of dozens of folktales culled from the Gullah tradition. They are mostly from the mid to later part of the 19th century from the coastal lowlands area of Georgia. The hundred + year-old tales are transcribed in a dialect, but they shouldn't be considered authentic renditions of the Gullah creolized language. The book has a great introduction that explains how Jones came to compile the work and write other books on a range of subjects. The dialect of the stories take a while to understand, but the glossary at the end of the book helps explain unfamiliar words. The stories are really good ones, and it is great to see this important book in print.

A must for study of the Gullah culture of the Southern Atlantic states. It is wonderful that the University of Georgia press reprinted Jones's 1888 collection.