Graveyards of the Pacific: From Pearl Harbor to Bikini Island
by Robert D. Ballard, Michael Hamilton Morgan

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Book Reviews of Graveyards of the Pacific: From Pearl Harbor to Bikini Island

Book Review: A flawed but fascinating account of the Pacific War.
Summary: 3 Stars

While the subject matter of this book is fascinating and the photographs, many in colour, are vivid and beautiful, the real failing of the book is, for me, the quality of the writing, with numerous lapses which include mis-labelled photographs and frequent repetition, giving the overall impression that parts of the book were not properly proof-read before publication. As an example of this I point to the story of the sinking of the light carrier USS Princeton, a photo of which, on page 218, carries a caption declaring that the Princeton was the last American carrier to be lost in World War 2. Yet, on page 222, and in total contradiction to this photo caption, the U.S. escort carriers Gambier Bay and St. Lo are sunk on the following day.

It's this sort of confusion and misinformation that mars an otherwise spectacularly-presented book, and leaves the reader with the impression that Dr Ballard and his writing partner Michael Hamilton Morgan were in direct competition with one another, rather than working in co-operation.

In summary, then, 'Graveyards of the Pacific' is something of a disappointment - well-researched but poorly presented, with evidence of rush and hurry throughout the text. This is a genuine shame because, when compared to the high quality of some of Dr Ballard's other works, this book seems to have been completed quickly, to meet a tight deadline, and it suffers as a result.

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