A Fellowship of Valor: The Battle History of the U.S. Marines

Published to coincide with a three-part A&E History Channel documentary of the same name, Alexander's lavishly illustrated chronicle covers 200 years of derring-do and unsurpassed bravery, focusing on Marines' spirit under fire. From the ""leathernecks"" of the Revolutionary War and early 19th century (who got their nickname from the black leather stockings they tied around their Adam's apples) to the ""devil dogs"" of WWI and the men of Desert Storm, here is the story of ""rough-hewn square pegs in round organizational holes, neither sailors nor soldiers, but a special breed, amphibians, Soldiers of the Sea,"" as told in rapid fire, brief paragraphs. The text, which is peppered with fascinating sidebars, is undemanding but never dull. The exploits of men like Lieutenant Lewis ""Chesty"" Puller and Second Lieutenant Cord Meyer, ""who `stayed awake all night with a knife in one hand and a grenade in the other,'"" abound, and generate excitement throughout. By the final page, readers will be thoroughly convinced that there is something special about those who, as the Marine Hymn goes, ""fight our country's battles in the air, on land and sea."" (Oct.)