Books

[pontiouspilot]

Has anyone read Jeffery Cox's 2nd book: Morning Star, Midnight Sun? His 1st book, Rising Sun, Falling Sky was quite good.

[Buckrock]

Yep.

I'll have to be careful about what I say as Cox is also a litigation lawyer.[;)]

If you've not read many of the major works on the Guadalcanal Campaign (such as Morison, Frank, Prados, Leckie, etc), Cox's book is probably worth getting but if you have already read widely on the campaign, you won't see much you haven't seen before as those books supply most of the references for Cox's narrative.

As you're probably aware, Cox's book does not cover the full campaign. He finishes at the point where the Battle of Santa Cruz has just ended with a US defeat and Cox concludes his narrative with the question "Can Guadalcanal be saved?", meaning he's doing another book(s) to cover the rest of the campaign.

[rsallen64]

I did not read his second book, but I did read his first. I have read many of the Guadalcanal books available, just about any I can find, as it is one of my favorite WWII campaigns. BTW, I am also a litigation lawyer, so I will phrase my response accordingly. [:D]

I think he covered his subject in the first book well, and in sufficient depth. But after reading something along the lines of H.P. Willmott, covering much of the same campaign, I was a little put off by some of his conclusions and his hyperbole. It makes me very reluctant to purchase his second book, especially given how many great accounts of the campaign exist, especially Frank's. If you haven't read it yet and are looking for a good account of the campaign, I would suggest skipping Cox and going with Frank. Prados is also good, but his account is much shorter in length. Older books, like Hammel's Starvation Island and his two books focusing on the naval campaigns around the 'Canal, are also good.

Just my two cents.

[pontiouspilot]

Thanks to my learned friend!

[warspite1]

I would echo previous answers. Cox's first book was decent enough, but whether one would find his latest book worth buying depends on where one is on the subject.

If you've read Frank's Guadalcanal, I would say probably don't bother. The Guadalcanal campaign was probably the only really interesting campaign of the Pacific War (from a point of view of balance of forces) and Frank really brings this fascinating story - on land and sea and in the air - to life.