I want to read about Admiral Halsey. What's the best biography?

June 30, 2012 7:10 PM

I want to read about Admiral Halsey. What's the best biography?
posted by carlodio to Education (4 answers total)

The Fighting Sailor by John Patrick Ryan is widely respected within the US defense and intelligence establishments, although some experts disagree with its conclusions.

If you have trouble finding that excellent volume, there's a naval bio sketch here as well as a couple recent biographies from 2003 and 2010.
posted by Wretch729 at 11:02 PM on June 30, 2012 [1 favorite]

Oops, misdated one of those. The E.B. Potter authored Naval Institute Press biography was originally published in 1985, only republished in 2003. That's probably the closest thing I can find to an "authoritative" biography, though obviously with certain a pro-US navy perspective.

(Serves me right for being a smart aleck with the Jack Ryan joke.)
posted by Wretch729 at 11:07 PM on June 30, 2012

The best book I've read on him is not really a biography, although it does go into detail on his life.

Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942. (This is currently my favorite WWII book, and I read a ton of WWII books.) I also enjoyed The Admirals: Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King--The Five-Star Admirals Who Won the War at Sea.
posted by lyra4 at 3:43 AM on July 1, 2012

I was wondering if anyone would call out the Ryan book (which I found a bit wordy myself). Kudos for being the first comment.
posted by jeporter99 at 7:07 AM on July 2, 2012