A Rage for Glory
The Life of Commodore Stephen Decatur, USN

I knew virtually nothing about Stephen Decatur when I picked up this book. Now he is one of my favorite Americans. His swashbuckling and derring-do would be the envy of Robert Louis Stevenson protagonists. He makes for an entertaining subject and the author is more than up to the job. The man climbe......more

James Tertius de Kay has written a balanced and stimulating account of a national hero from the early formative years of the U.S. Navy and the country. Although admiring Stephen Decatur for bravery and leadership skills, de Kay notes that the time and the man were known for “occasional hubris” (p. 1......more

"Dove mi piace!" "I go where I please!" It's my new motto in life, so thanks Stephen. Man, Commodore Stephen Decatur, what a piece of work. What started out as a funny office joke has now expanded to me knowing far more about early US Navy, the Barbary Pirates, the absolute spanking we gave the Royal......more