New to me books on Pearl and Hiroshima.

[OpanaPointer]

Pearl Harbor, by Takuma Melber

Pearl, December 7, 1941, by Daniel Allen Butler

140 Days to Hiroshima, by David Dean Barrett

I currently have trouble holding a book, so any effort needs to be directed toward productive reading. If anyone has thoughts on these books I would appreciate hearing from you.

[OpanaPointer]

Ah, then I'll have to make reports as I progress through them.

[Rob Stuart]

Pearl Harbor, by Takuma Melber

Pearl, December 7, 1941, by Daniel Allen Butler

140 Days to Hiroshima, by David Dean Barrett

I currently have trouble holding a book, so any effort needs to be directed toward productive reading. If anyone has thoughts on these books I would appreciate hearing from you.

I have not read any of these three books, but very recently finished reading the 2001 book "Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire" by Richard B. Frank. It is excellent. Looking at the table of contents of "140 Days to Hiroshima", it seems to cover pretty much the same time period and the same issues, and it also begins with a prologue on the 9/10 March 1945 B-29 attack on Tokyo. My gut reaction, based on the table of contents and what little one can see of it on-line, is that it may be a rip-off of Frank's book, except that it is 150 pages shorter. If you've not already read Downfall, I'd think that it is probably a better bet than 140 Days, and it's available in softcover, which may make it easier to hold.

I hope your difficulties holding a book prove to be temporary.

Regards,

Rob

[OpanaPointer]

Those are the only new books I've seen on the periods covered in years, except for Zimm's dissection of the raid on Pearl. "140 Days" promises to give more information on the Japanese side of the events, hopefully that will be accurate.

[OpanaPointer]

Melber: Background Chapter: He cites the Magic documents, but he fails to relate the facts about them, that being that the US was reading Nomura's mail faster than he was. I wonder where this will go.

[OpanaPointer]

Con't Melber: This is a "narrative chronology" (my own phrase). If you want a painfully complete picture of the events this would be a candidate.

[OpanaPointer]

Another nitpick with Mabler. The translator used a program of some kind, resulting in the airfield at Ewa being called "Ewa Mooring Mast Air Field" every damn time it is mentioned.

I can't wait to get to the conspiracy theories section. The view from Germany is new for me.

[OpanaPointer]

I'll end my review of the Melber book by saying there are many better books on the topic. The sole advantage to this one is that it was published in German first, so that audience can have a peek at the material. But anything you find that is amazing would need to be cross-checked carefully. :roll:

[OpanaPointer]

140 Days to Hiroshima, by David Dean Barrett

If you're a "Hirohito was a puppetmaster!" kind of person you'll like this one.