Lieutenant Colonel
Merrill L. Bartlett served as an officer in the Marine Corps for twenty years, with final assignment at the U.S. Naval Academy,
where he earned three awards for excellence in teaching history. He is the author, coauthor, editor or
coeditor of seven books on naval history; and, he has published more than a hundred essays, encyclopedia entries, forewords
to books and book reviews.
According
to the description of Leathernecks: An Illustrated History of the United States Marine Corps, “The
authors of the highly regarded history The U.S. Marine Corps have written a new work that combines a lively, well-researched
narrative with a generous selection of photographs and paintings, many in full color, and numerous maps to provide an illustrated
history of the U.S. Marine Corps from its inception to the present day. The combination of a wealth of art, a substantial
text, and a balanced perspective make the work unique in the literature of the Corps. Many of its illustrations have never
before been published or have appeared only in black and white. Unlike other histories of the Corps, this one relies heavily
on primary sources and original research.
The authors explain how and why a force that throughout the first century of its existence
seldom exceeded the strength of an infantry regiment still managed to attain a strength greater than that of many armies,
and developed what is arguably the world's most potent military mystique. Because the history of any institution is the
product of the actions of the individuals contained within it, the book includes cameos of some of those who made exceptional
contributions to the Corps' rich heritage. An introductory chapter outlines the evolution of marine forces from ancient
times to the eve of the American Revolution. Neither a rehash of old histories nor a repeat of unsupported sea stories and
fictional tales, this new study brings the Corps' history fully up to date.”
According to a reader of Assault from the Sea: Essay on the History
of Amphibious Warfare, “This book is used as a textbook at the United States Naval Academy and is a must
read. It covers the Age of Sail (from 490 B.C.) to the Falklands in 1982. A great history reference. It contains over 50 different
eras in 437 pages, so it is a fast-past book.”
