James D. Hornfischer was a writer, literary agent, and book editor. He was the author of the New York Times bestsellers Neptune’s Inferno, The Last Stand of the Tin Can Soldiers, Ship of Ghosts, and The Fleet at Flood Tide, all widely acclaimed accounts of the U.S. Navy in the Pacific during World War II, as well as the upcoming Who Can Hold the Sea. His books have received numerous awards, including the Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Distinguished Service and the Naval Historical Foundation Distinguished Service Award. James D. Hornfischer died in 2021.
Advance praise for Neptune’s Inferno
The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and Boston Globe
bestseller
A main selection of the History Book Club and the Military Book
Club
Selected as a Best Book of 2011 by Military History Quarterly
“With the publication of Neptune's Inferno, a masterpiece of 20th
century naval history, it's time to declare James Hornfischer a
national treasure, a member of the distinguished band of
brothers--Stephen Ambrose, Shelby Foote, Ken Burns, Spielberg and
Hanks--whose sacred mission has been vital to America's journey,
preserving the stories of our fathers and grandfathers for future
generations, before those stories fade forever out of our
consciousness into the shadows of time.”
Bob Shacochis, National Book Award winner, author of The Immaculate
Invasion
"Hornfischer has produced an account that is visceral, yet
technical; sweeping, yet personal. It’s a terrific read, and an
important new addition to the literature on this most important
naval campaign in the Pacific."
—Jonathan Parshall, co-author of Shattered Sword: The Untold Story
of the Battle of Midway
"Hornfischer’s accounts of naval combat in the Pacific are simply
the best in the business."
—Ian W. Toll, author of Six Frigates: The Epic History of the
Founding of the U.S. Navy
"With this grand, sweeping, history-correcting book, James
Hornfischer takes his place among the elite historians of the
United States war in the Pacific during World War II. Like a
Curtiss Helldiver, Neptune’s Inferno catapults the reader high into
the skies for a clear perspective on the vast oceanic conflict,
then dives relentlessly to propel us right into the smoke and fire
and human valor of the brutal inferno known as Guadalcanal. Along
the way, and drawing on newly available papers, Hornfischer clears
up lingering misconceptions about this battle, including the full
extent of the U.S. Navy’s role in victory. And in his character
portraits of the brilliant, quirky top admirals and generals of the
fractious Army-Navy command, Hornfischer offers a worthy
counterpart to Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals."
—Ron Powers, author of Mark Twain: A Life and co-writer, Flags of
Our Fathers
"Neptune’s Inferno is a superb portrait of the U.S. Navy’s critical
role in the Guadalcanal campaign, both the surface and aerial
combat. Comprehensive with much that is new, yet immensely
readable, it covers not only the admirals, but the junior officers
and bluejackets as well. Highly recommended."
―John B. Lundstrom, author of The First Team
“An epic work…In Neptune's Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal,
Hornfischer deftly captures the essence of the most pivotal naval
campaign of the Pacific war…Compiling interviews with survivors,
unpublished eyewitness accounts, and previously unavailable
documents, [he] skillfully re-creates the bravery displayed by
sailors who opposed the Japanese in what could be called America's
finest hour of the Pacific campaign. The book is richly supported
by meticulous source notes, a concise bibliography, rare photos and
campaign maps…With Neptune's Inferno, Hornfischer…has earned his
place among the hallowed ranks of military historians. [It] is a
literary tour de force that is destined to become one of the most
definitive works about the battle for Guadalcanal. It deserves a
place of honor on every military bookshelf.” – San Antonio
Express-News
“Ambitious…entertaining…insightful…judicious…A vivid and engaging
account…of war at sea in 1942.” —Ronald Spector, The Wall Street
Journal
“Neptune’s Inferno is well written, packed with scene-setting
details and clearly the product of extensive research, including
interviews with some of the battle’s now-aged survivors… The
author’s two previous WWII books, The Last Stand of the Tin Can
Sailors and Ship of Ghosts, thrust him into the major leagues of
American military history writers. Neptune’s Inferno is solid proof
he deserves to be there.” –Dallas Morning News
“Hornfischer (Ship of Ghosts) understands the human dynamics of the
U.S. Navy in the Pacific war…[he] gives an empathetic but balanced
account…[reconstructing] the fighting in a masterful synthesis of
technical analysis, operational narrative, and tales of courage.”
–Publishers Weekly
“Outstanding… The author offers balanced assessments of the leaders
on both sides, but the real heroes are the American bluejackets,
who too often paid with suffering and death for those leaders’
slowness to learn. And as in his first two books, the author’s
narrative gifts and excellent choice of detail give an almost
Homeric quality to the men who met on the sea in steel titans.”
–Booklist (starred review)
“This work's major strengths are its careful organization, readable
prose, and...well-reasoned conclusions. Depictions of battles and
ships are enlivened with...apt comments from participants and
relevant character sketches of the key figures.” –Proceedings
Magazine
“Neptune’s Inferno is an exceptional piece of military history.
Hornfischer has broadened and deepened our understanding of the
U.S. Navy’s role in the Solomons campaign in this eminently
readable account of the bloody naval battles of attrition in the
fall of 1942 that doomed the Imperial Japanese Navy to defeat and
irrevocably shifted the strategic initiative in the Pacific War.”
—Dr. Peter R. Mansoor, colonel, U.S. Army (ret.), Gen. Raymond E.
Mason Jr. Chair in Military History, The Ohio State University
"With good maps and extensive documentation, this is gripping and
readable, not a dry military report." —Library Journal
“The star of this year’s reading list is James D. Hornfischer, a
military historian whose flair for narrative is rivaled only by his
ability to organize the sweep of battle and assess strategy and
tactics in layman’s terms.” —Cleveland Plain Dealer
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