Maritime and Naval History: An Annotated Bibliography

Mystic, CT: The Marine Historical Association, 1955. Revised Edition. Wraps. Fair. Cover worn and soiled. Rear cover illustrated. Tape binding reglued at top of spine. [2], v, [1], 93, [1] pages. Index of Authors. This comprehensive annotated bibliography for its time of published works and Ph.D. theses in the English language was compiled by a pioneering maritime historian Robert Albion. While this work has been updated and expanded upon, this first revision provides an insightful snapshot in time with regards to naval scholarship, bibliographic annotation, subject characterization, and organization of research/reference aids. Mystic Seaport Museum or Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea in Mystic, Connecticut is the largest maritime museum in the United States. It is notable for its collection of sailing ships and boats and for the re-creation of the crafts and fabric of an entire 19th-century seafaring village. It consists of more than 60 historic buildings, most of them rare commercial structures moved to the 19-acre (0.077 km2) site and meticulously restored. The museum was established in 1929 as the "Marine Historical Association". Its fame came with the acquisition of the Charles W. Morgan in 1941, the only surviving wooden sailing whaler. The Seaport was one of the first living history museums in the United States, with a collection of buildings and craftsmen to show how people lived. The Seaport supports research via an extensive library and runs the Frank C. Munson Institute of American Maritime Studies, a summer graduate-level academic program established in 1955 by maritime historian Professor Robert Albion of Harvard University. Robert Greenhalgh Albion (15 August 1896 in Malden, Massachusetts - 9 August 1983 in Groton, Connecticut) was Harvard's first professor of Oceanic History and inspired two generations of maritime historians in the United States. Albion became interested in shipping while at Bowdoin College, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1918. After serving as a second lieutenant in the Army Infantry at the end of World War One] he became a graduate at Harvard University. He received his Master's degree in 1920 and completed his doctorate in British history in 1924 with a dissertation on Forests and Sea Power: The Timber Problem of the Royal Navy. Published in 1926, this work was a highly influential study that combined his interests in ships, British history, and economics. He began his teaching career at Princeton University as an instructor of British history in 1922 and he taught a popular course in maritime history, rising to be professor of history and assistant dean of the faculty. In 1923, he married Jennie Barnes Pope, who collaborated with him on several works. After writing several works on military history, he returned to maritime history with The Rise of New York Port, 1815-1860 and Square Riggers on Schedule. From 1943 to 1950, he was Assistant Director of Naval History and Historian of Naval Administration for the Department of the Navy. In this position, he oversaw the work of some 150 naval officers, who wrote about 200 studies on the navy's wartime administration. In 1948, President Harry S. Truman awarded him the Presidential Medal for Merit for his work in naval history. Secretary of the Navy James V. Forrestal personally encouraged Albion to study the history of the formulation of American naval policy. As a result of this, Albion eventually published two important works: Forrestal and the Navy and Makers of Naval Policy, 1798-1947. The latter proved to be very controversial within the Navy and was long delayed in publication. In 1948, he was appointed the first Gardiner Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs at Harvard University. He held that position until 1963, when he received emeritus status. In 1955, Albion founded and was the first director of the Frank C. Munson Institute of American Maritime History at Mystic Seaport, a summer graduate program in which he trained and inspired many of the nation's leading maritime historians, regularly teaching there for twenty years until retiring in 1975. Albion also served as vice president of the Naval Historical Foundation and as a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Economic History and the American Neptune. Albion was a pioneer in the use of television for distance education. He lectured afloat for the Harvard Polaris Program and served as a visiting professor at a number of universities between 1964 and 1972, including University of Connecticut, Emory University, Carleton College and Bowdoin College.