James Boles

When President Roosevelt took the oath of office in March 1933, he was facing a devastated nation. Four years into the Great Depression, a staggering 13 million American workers were jobless and many millions more of their family members were equally in need. Desperation ruled the land.What people wanted were jobs, not handouts-the pride of earning a paycheck. And in 1935, after a variety of temporary relief measures, a permanent nationwide jobs program...

This is the epic history of the "iron men in wooden boats" who built an industrial empire through the pursuit of whales."To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme," Herman Melville proclaimed, and this absorbing history demonstrates that few things can capture the sheer danger and desperation of men on the deep sea as dramatically as whaling. Eric Jay Dolin begins his vivid narrative with Captain John Smith's botched whaling expedition...