John Paul Jones

Sailor, Hero, Father of the American Navy

By: Evan Thomas

Narrated by: Dan Cashman

John Paul Jones, at sea and in the heat of battle, was the great American hero of the Age of Sail. He was to history what Patrick O'Brian's Jack Aubrey and C. S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower are to fiction. Ruthless, indomitable, clever; he vowed to sail, as he put it, "in harm's way."

John Paul Jones is more than a great sea story. Jones is a character for the ages. John Adams called him the "most ambitious and intriguing officer in the American Navy." The renewed interest in the Founding Fathers reminds us of the great men who made this country, but John Paul Jones teaches us that it took fighters as well as thinkers, men driven by dreams of personal glory as well as high-minded principle to break free of the past and start a new world. Jones' spirit was classically American. Evan Thomas brings his skills as a biographer to this complex, protean figure whose life and rise are both thrilling as a tale of dauntless courage and revealing about the birth of a nation.

©2003 Evan Thomas (P)2003 Tantor Media, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Superlative....Both Jones and his latest biographer can justly be praised as masters of their respective crafts." (Publishers Weekly)
"Evan Thomas captures all the incongruities, vanities, blazing ambition, and phenomenal courage of his subject." (David McCullough, author of John Adams)
"With the skill appropriate to a polished journalist, Thomas chronicles the short, but glorious, life of a brilliant, but frustratingly difficult, man, who was the first American naval hero....This is a fine account of the life of an admirable, but deeply flawed, man." (Booklist)

Self Serving

The summary is correct: the description of Jones' engagement on USS Bonhomme Richard with HMS Serapis was indeed engaging. However, the minutiae of Jones' incessant, prigish, whining about his career must have gotten on the nerves of Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, etc. A self described naval strategist, he had many opinions which he freely shared with members of Congress or anyone who would listen. I had a hard time with this book because it droned on about relationships with count-this and duke-that. It took me months to finish listening.

Very Interesting Read

Well written book about an American hero who was far more complex than what we all learned in high school textbooks. The author does a nice job of pointing out the positives and flaws with Jones. While another review enjoyed the accents of the narrator - that was the one downside to my listen -- it got old after awhile.

Very Good

Very good story, I did not realize how much of a selfish person Jones was. One of the most brilliant men in history but also the most inflated.

Local "baern" does good.

While the naration is well (including various accents to distinguish the important players in Jones' life), the major problem is Jones himself. While there is little that can be said, or done, to diminish the single most important (and incredible) action that made Jones famous (exceptionally retold in this biography), it's the years following that make the story so disappointing.
Alas, such is true, on some level or another, in all our lives, I'm afraid.
Still, it is a good, and important, "read", especially when balancing his life's thread by the actions of other important "players" during the "War of Independence."
Overall, I don't think you will be disappointed with this purchase.

Poor recording quality

Enjoyed the story but found the recording irritating to listen to because the performer was sitting in a squeaking chair! There are also a few insurances where I could hear other voices talking in the background.

very informative

Thought it was a great story. I thought it did a good job telling the whole vice the bits The Navy teaches.

I Have Not Yet Begun to Praise

This is an extremely well written book about a fascinating historical figure. The reader is excellent and presents the material in a lively and interesting manner.

A few good insights outweighed by poor editing

Evan Thomas put a lot of research into "John Paul Jones" and the book offers some good insights into the man's character. Unfortunately, he continues to offer them over and over again. Also, he seems a bit blas? about Paul Jones' admission regarding events behind the scandal that brought about Paul Jones' downfall in Russia. Thomas doesn't condone the act, but doesn't incorporate it into his assessment of his subject's character. (I talk around the point to avoid spoiling anyone's listen.)

Just the book I wanted on John Paul Jones

Bravo to Evan Thomas! This was exactly the book I wanted! He gives a history of John Paul Jones’s early life but focuses primarily on his years during the American revolution including his raids on Great Britain. He went into just enough detail for the non seaman to visualize the battles and ship life but not too much. I never got bored of the details! I particularly liked his insight into Jones’s personality. He gave a very transparent view of this complex but brilliant man. Thomas also did a great job showing how Jones’s life intersected with other revolutionary heroes. After reading this book, I love John Paul Jones warts and all. I highly recommend this book!!!
Also, I listened to the book and it was greatly enriched by Dan Cashman’s reading!!! He brought Jones, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Lafayette’s voice to life!! Bravo!!

decent book

little over the top with reader and the accents bur overall a good book on our country first naval hero