Buy used: $21.81
$4.83 delivery April 26 - 30. Details
Used: Very Good | Details
Sold by Night Heron Books
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comment: From the estate of a smoker.paperback.Minor wear to page edges and corners. Cover clean.Binding tight. P/O's name in pen on title page, otherwise, No writing, highlighting, or marks in text.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Eric Hammel
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea : The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, Nov. 13-15, 1942 Paperback – December 19, 1988

by Eric Hammel (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 79 ratings
See all formats and editions
Details the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in November of 1942, a crucial step toward America's victory over the Japanese during WWII. Blends detailed historical records with personal accounts of many of the officers and enlisted men involved, creating an engrossing narrative of the strategy and struggle as seen by both sides. Includes major new insights into the battles, including an account of the American forces' failure to effectively use their radar advantage. Originally published in 1988 as the concluding volume in the author's series of three independent books. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Previous page
  1. Book 2 of 4
    The Guadalcanal Battles Series
  2. Print length
    480 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Pacifica Pr
  5. Publication date
    December 19, 1988
  6. Dimensions
    6 x 1.5 x 9 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0935553355
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0935553352
  9. See all details
Next page
The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pacifica Pr (December 19, 1988)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 480 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0935553355
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0935553352
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.66 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.5 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 79 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Eric Hammel

Eric Hammel

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Author Website: www.erichammelbooks.com

Eric Hammel's writing career began in the 1960s, when he was a teenager. He has had fifty military history books, two novels, and more than seventy non-fiction articles published. Eric has worked as West Coast contributing editor for Leatherneck Magazine and as a publishing acquisitions and content editor, but he has spent most of the years since 1983 as a full-time author, editor, and publisher.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
79 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

John K
5.0 out of 5 stars Best Description I've Read Of These Battles
Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2015
Verified Purchase
I have read several different accounts of these battles over the years. This was the first book I've read of Erich Hamel's and my feeling is that his research is head and shoulders above the books I've previously read. His descriptions of the actions of the individual ships and their crews makes you feel like you are there. It is difficult to believe the mistakes made by high USN officers at the beginning of the war because they did not know or trust the information they received from radar. In many instances proper use of radar could have saved hundreds of U.S. lives. Fortunately, those who survived the battles learned rapidly or were replaced by more competent officers. This is a very good read for anyone interested in this period of WWII.
Helpful
 Report
Nana & Granddad
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book But Format Detracts
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2022
Verified Purchase
This is overall a good book. Explicitly stated to lean on interviews to make sense of documentary records. Has differing opinions on the sequence of the battles from other histories. Many personal accounts. Written very well and in compelling fashion. There are no foot- or endnotes, but there is a bibliography.
The book is "print to order" and was, therefore, printed after being ordered. The edition is apparently based on a scan of the original book. There are quite a number of minor typos that seem to come from the process, typically involving unit numbers and naval ratings, although some are textual ("H" apparently should be "11" in one case). The book lacks maps, photos, and an index, although the author's companion "Guadalcanal - The Carrier Battles" has them. This lack may come from the "print to order" production of the book.
Helpful
 Report
Theodore Douglas
5.0 out of 5 stars A Sobering Account of Naval Warfare
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2013
Verified Purchase
This is by far the most detailed account I've ever read of the brutal naval engagements around Guadalcanal in November of 1942. Mr. Hammel pulls together many accounts of the confused fighting, from many of the ships engaged. His harrowing accounts will disabuse the reader of any notions of the glamor of surface warfare in the Pacific, as he recounts the effects of gunfire and torpedo strikes on steel warships packed full of men. It's a fascinating and sobering tale; the shortcomings of American leadership and American equipment may shock some readers.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent History
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2012
Verified Purchase
I cannot add very much to the reviews which the esteemed folks have already made. I will say that the story is well told, very personal, and is tightly constructed. More maps are always needed in any naval book, even guesses at tracks would help the non-grognard. Good book, excellent historian, I recommend it to anyone slightly interested in this intense time when the IJN and the USN were nearly evenly matched.
Helpful
 Report
Nicholas L. Rodriguez
4.0 out of 5 stars Very good read.
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2010
Verified Purchase
This was a very good account of the two naval battles that occurred near Guadacanal. The author was very descriptive of the accounts of each battle, using many sources. Unfortunately, as is the case when talking about pacific battles, there is little from the Japanese side concerning their viewpoints of the battles. Nevertheless, I think the author did a find job - considering this was a night battle and the ships were so close to each other - of writing this book.
Helpful
 Report
Kensei
5.0 out of 5 stars Eric Hammel does it again!
Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2008
Verified Purchase
This is THE most detailed and informative historical narrative of the surface action on Guadalcanal, Nov.13-15, 1942. From detailed tactical maps to personal accounts of the actions and heroism of both sides of the conflict, Eric Hammel truly puts the reader on the battle bridge, behind the turrent guns, in the cockpit, and treading shark infested waters. You won't be able to put this book down.
Helpful
 Report
Ronald E. Banks
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must read by anyone who reads and stuies the Pacific war as I do from the Navy view point.
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2020
Verified Purchase
A magnificent book, well written and not cluttered withexcessive notes.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
FranciscoRC
3.0 out of 5 stars Narraciones similares todas locales monotono siendo relatos de guerra
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2024
Verified Purchase
Mi error de evaluacion comparado con William Manchester no fue lo esperado.
Mi culpa
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

buuuuuuk
2.0 out of 5 stars Damage control and survival fest claims history narrative
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 27, 2020
Verified Purchase
Uneven.Unbalanced.No details on japanese side nor analysis.Losses details are difficult to follow when they are provided.
The bulk of the book narrates the damage n casualties control made by the usa side.Im talking about half the book.It became a grind to finish the first part only to find suprisingly that the bs duel was 40 pages.
Minor details seem uncertain.I found myself wondering whether zeros and sea zeros were not to be taken litterally except the one time the author seemed to make the disctinction.Given that this is widely a first person narrative that is stitched together out of many many individuals im prone to believe that when the author wrote about zeros he just meant japanese non bomber planes just like every german tank was a tiger.
Cactus air base remains a mystery.Just after the japanese bombardment that trashes or damages about 70 to 80 planes the base launches a 50 plane wave.How did that happen remains a mystery.How many planes did the base have at the beginning is not mentioned.Losses are not totalled. Additions from cv or other bases are not detailed nor followed up.
The text structure is divided into smaller paragraphs and parts that are not easy to follow specially in the wide and wild damage control section and specially if you dont get past the 120 pages of damage control in one read.
Bibliography is 2 pages.
This was my first Guadalcanal special and it was very unpleasant.
Report