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MacArthur (Great Generals) | 
 enlarge | Author: Richard B. Frank
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Category: Book
List Price: $21.95
Buy Used: $2.50
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Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 310669
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.7 x 0.9
ISBN: 1403976589
Dewey Decimal Number: 355.331092
EAN: 9781403976581
ASIN: 1403976589
Publication Date: July 10, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Condition: Clean, unread hardcover with light-to-modest shelfwear to dust jacket - VERY NICE!
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Product Description
Douglas MacArthur is best remembered for his ability to adapt, a quality that catalyzed his greatest accomplishments. Adaptability has become an indispensable trait for military leadership in an era of technological leaps that guarantee the nature of war will radically change during the span of an ordinary career. One of the first proponents of a new dimension in warfare--the Air Force--MacArthur was also unmatched historically for his management of peace during the U.S. occupation of Japan. For generations to come, MacArthur's legacy will yield profitable--and entertaining--examples to Americans in and out of uniform.
Book Description
Douglas MacArthur might be popularly remembered for his legendary pledge of 'I shall return,' but it was his ability to adapt and perceiver that catalyzed his greatest accomplishments. Adaptability has become an indispensable trait for military leadership especially in an era when technological leaps guarantee the nature of war will radically change during the span of an ordinary career. No American figure better exemplifies this trait than the man who was commissioned before the Wright Brothers' first flight, but became one of the first proponents of a new dimension in warfare--the Air Force. Conversely, MacArthur was also unmatched for his management of peace during the U.S. occupation of Japan. A veteran of three wars, WWI, WWII, and the Korean War, his aggressive, often controversial, strategies ultimately cost him his career. In April 1951 he was relieved of his command by President Truman. MacArthur's legacy as a brilliant strategist and national hero will certainly endure and will continue to be an example for generations both in and out of uniform.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 well done May 13, 2008
Riddled with typos, this is nevertheless a model of short biography, by far the best of the four books in this series that I've read so far. An accomplished historian of World War II in the Pacific (see GUADALCANAL and DOWNFALL; I believe he's currently working on a trilogy covering the entire Pacific War), Richard B. Frank avoids the oversimplification, sentimentalization, and borderline hagiography of the other volumes. Brief but meaty, this book provides a fairly detailed overview of MacArthur's career, focusing on World War II but also covering his prewar career and Korea; indeed, Frank wades so deep into describing the conduct of operations that MacArthur at times drops out of the narrative. Frank praises MacArthur's intellect, boldness, adaptability, and rhetorical skills but also highlights the general's flaws, such as his being a difficult subordinate and, relatedly, drifting too far into politics. All in all, this is an entertaining and informative book.
 An excellent biography March 31, 2008
In this fascinating biography, author and historian Richard B. Frank tells the story of General Douglas MacArthur, one of only nine American men to be promoted to the 5 star rank. Beginning with MacArthur's childhood in the closing days of the American West, he follows his career as he streaked across the American sky like a meteor.
Overall, I found this to be an absolutely fascinating audiobook. The author does an excellent job of presenting the real Douglas MacArthur, showing him at his most brilliant, and at his worst - falsifying reports, making tragic blunders, and so forth. And, Tom Weiner does a great job of reading the book, his voice sounding pleasant on the ear, making the 7 hours (on 6 CDs) go by quite pleanantly.
Now, everyone seems to mention the book's attempt to give what would have been MacArthur's views on current events. Admittedly, this is a rather subjective exercise. But, that said, I think that the author did do a good job of suggesting what the general would have said and thought.
Yep, I think that this is an excellent audio-biography of General MacArthur, one that should be purchased by every armchair student of World War 2.
An excellent biography December 18, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
In this fascinating biography, author and historian Richard B. Frank tells the story of General Douglas MacArthur, one of only nine American men to be promoted to the 5 star rank. Beginning with MacArthur's childhood in the closing days of the American West, he follows his career as he streaked across the American sky like a meteor.
Overall, I found this to be an absolutely fascinating read. The author does an excellent job of presenting the real Douglas MacArthur, showing him at his most brilliant, and at his worst - falsifying reports, making tragic blunders, and so forth.
Now, everyone seems to mention the book's attempt to give what would have been MacArthur's views on current events. Admittedly, this is a rather subjective exercise. But, that said, I think that the author did do a good job of suggesting what the general would have said and thought.
Yep, I think that this is an excellent biography of General MacArthur, one that should be read by every armchair student of World War 2.
 Prodigious for its size November 9, 2007
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
A man as controversial as Douglas MacArthur is a difficult subject for any author, and the relatively brief "Great Generals" series makes it an especially challenging one. Richard Frank does an excellent job of covering the main details of MacArthur's career, and manages to condense a fair amount of analysis into a few brief lines. In particular, he manages to clearly convey the problem of MacArthur's singular stature in the Army; by his frequent comparison of the general's seniority and experience with those of his colleagues (Marshall, Eisenhower, etc.), the enormity of the gulf between them is made very clear. For such a small book, it does a good job of giving a good feel for the man and his career.
This is however the most flawed book of the series so far. Frank's projection of MacArthur's views forward to the present times lacks context; he does not adequately 'ground' his postdictions with references or justification, and it comes off sounding more like a caricature than is the case in the other books. Furthermore, the editing work on the book is shockingly subpar; each chapter is riddled with typographical and formatting errors (which reveals either that Wesley Clark's title as series editor is purely honorific, or that he is a magnificently incompetent editor).
Overall, it is worth reading, particularly if one desires a brief introduction to MacArthur's career and his significance as a general. Seeing that this is more or less the point of the series, one might well declare that it has accomplished its mission, despite its rather glaring flaws.
Not unlike MacArthur himself, as it happens.
Enthusiastically recommended especially for public library collections. October 6, 2007
MacArthur is an audiobook biography of legendary general Douglas MacArthur, known not only for his brilliance in World War II, but also his peacetime occupation of Japan - the most successful occupation in history. Written by Vietnam veteran Richard B. Frank, MacArthur explores how a man commissioned before the Wright Brothers' first flight became one of the most adaptable and innovative military leaders, quick to adjust to new dimensions in warfare. Enthusiastically recommended especially for public library collections. 6 CDs, 7 hours, tracks every three minutes for easy bookmarking.
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