Given the focus of this blog on maritime/naval history, it’s only appropriate that I provide people with a list of works that I’ve gathered over the years. To that end, here’s a categorized list of books in my personal library that I use for research. (Somewhat similar to my Content Curation post, but more expansive.)
Note that my research interests gravitate toward the Imperial Japanese Navy and the Pacific Theater of WWII, so most of my books relate specifically to these topics. I don’t have anything against other services or theaters, but that’s just what I’ve focused on. Some relevant fictional works are also included. Naturally, this isn’t my entire library, and it doesn’t include titles that I’ve borrowed from libraries. I have included ebooks, but not PDFs (although I may add them later).
Another thing to note is that the majority of these books are secondary sources since they’re readily available at bookstores and through Amazon. Subsequently, the lack of primary sources means that most of my research and writing is very derivative, but I try to include some of my own interpretations where appropriate.
This list will be constantly updated because I have an unfortunate tendency to buy more books than I can feasibly read and my bookshelves are literally overflowing. Most of the books I keep are ones that I find some value in, and I tend to get rid of books that I don’t like as quickly as possible.
*Listings are alphabetical by author’s last name
Asia-Pacific War/WWII Pacific Theater
Titans of the Seas: The Development and Operations of Japanese and American Carrier Task Forces during World War II by James & William Belote
Fire in the Sky: The Air War In The South Pacific by Eric Bergerud
Touched with Fire: The Land War in the South Pacific by Eric Bergerud
Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan by Herbert Bix
Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War against Japan by Clay Blair, Jr.
How Carriers Fought: Carrier Operations in World War II by Lars Celander
Japan at War: An Oral History by Haruko Taya Cook
Prisoners of the Japanese: POWs of World War II in the Pacific by Gavin Daws
War Without Mercy: Race and Power in the Pacific War by John Dower
Japan’s Imperial Army: Its Rise and Fall, 1853-1945 (Modern War Studies Series) by Edward Drea
A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941-1945 by Paul Dull
Shinano!: The Sinking of Japan’s Secret Supership by Joseph Enright
Kaigun: Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887-1941 by David Evans & Mark Peattie
The Japanese Navy in World War II: In the Words of Former Japanese Naval Officers (2nd edition) edited by David Evans
Decision at Leyte by Stanley Falk
The Battle of Okinawa: The Blood and the Bomb (AKA Tennozan: The Battle of Okinawa and the Atomic Bomb) by George Fiefer
Thunder Below!: The USS Barb Revolutionizes Submarine Warfare in World War II by Eugene Fluckey
Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire by Richard Frank
Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle by Richard Frank
Tower of Skulls: A History of the Asia-Pacific War July 1937 – May 1942 by Richard Frank
The Second World War Asian and Pacific Atlas (West Point Military History Series) by Thomas Griess
Japanese Destroyer Captain: Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, Midway – The Great Naval Battles as Seen Through Japanese Eyes by Tameichi Hara
Soldiers of the Sun: The Rise and Fall of the Imperial Japanese Army by Meirion & Susie Harries
Yankee Samurai: The Secret Role of Nisei in America’s Pacific Victory by Joseph Harrington
Japanese Naval Aces and Fighter Units in World War II by Ikuhiko Hata and Yasuho Izawa
Bridge to the Sun: The Secret Role of the Japanese Americans Who Fought in the Pacific in World War II by Bruce Henderson
Early Pacific Raids 1942: The American Carriers Strike Back by Brian Lane Herder
Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy’s Finest Hour by James Hornfischer
A War of Empires: Japan, India, Burma & Britain 1941 – 45 by Robert Lyman
Battleship: The Sinking of the Prince of Wales and the Repulse by Martin Middlebrook & Patrick Mahoney
War Plan Orange: The U.S. Strategy to Defeat Japan, 1897-1945 by Edward Miller
The Marauders by Charlton Ogburn
Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully
Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power, 1909-1941 by Mark Peattie
Combined Fleet Decoded: The Secret History of American Intelligence and the Japanese Navy in World War II by John Prados
At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor by Gordon Prange
Pearl Harbor: The Verdict of History by Gordon Prange
Dec. 7, 1941: The Day the Japanese Attacked Pearl Harbor by Gordon Prange
Japanese Army in World War II: The South Pacific & New Guinea by Gordon Rottman
The Knights of Bushido: A History of Japanese War Crimes During World War II by Edward Russell
Eagle Against the Sun: The American War with Japan by Ronald Spector
Ghost Fleet of the Truk Lagoon: An Account of “Operation Hailstone”, February 1944 by William Stewart
Pacific Carrier War: Carrier Combat from Pearl Harbor to Okinawa by Mark Stille
The Imperial Japanese Navy in the Pacific War by Mark Stille
The United States Navy in World War II: From Pearl Harbor to Okinawa by Mark Stille
USN Destroyer vs. IJN Destroyer: The Pacific 1943 (Vanguard Duel Series) by Mark Stille
The Coral Sea 1942: The first carrier battle (Vanguard Campaign Series) by Mark Stille
Santa Cruz 1942: Carrier duel in the South Pacific (Vanguard Campaign Series) by Mark Stille
U.S. Navy Carrier Aircraft vs. IJN Yamato Class Battleships: Pacific Theater 1944-45 (Vanguard Duel Series) by Mark Stille
Guardian of Guadalcanal: The World War II Story of Douglas A. Munro, United States Coast Guard by Gary Williams
Empires in the Balance: Japanese and Allied Pacific Strategies to April 1942 by H.P. Willmott
The Barrier and the Javelin: Japanese and Allied Strategies, February to June 1942 by H.P. Willmott
The Battle of Leyte Gulf: The Last Fleet Action by H.P. Willmott
The Second World War In the East (Cassell History of Warfare Series) by H.P. Willmott
Battleship Musashi: The Making and Sinking of the World’s Biggest Battleship by Akira Yoshimura
Kamikaze: Japanese Special Attack Weapons 1944-45 (New Vanguard Series) by Steven Zaloga
WWII European/Atlantic/Mediterranean/North African Theater
Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II by Daniel James Brown
Italian Battleships of World War II (New Vanguard Series) by Mark Stille
Ships, Vehicles, & Weapons References
The Fleet Submarine in the United States Navy: A Design and Construction History by John Alden
The Complete Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II by Charles Bishop
Naval Weapons of World War II by John Campbell
The Aircraft Carrier Hiryu (Anatomy of the Ship Series) By Stefan Draminski
The Complete Guide to Fighters and Bombers of the World by Francis Crosby
Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War by Rene Francillon
U.S. Naval Weapons: Every Gun, Missile, Mine, and Torpedo Used by the U.S. Navy from 1883 to the Present Day by Norman Friedman
U.S. Aircraft Carriers: An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman
U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman
U.S. Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History (Revised edition) by Norman Friedman
U.S. Submarines since 1945: An Illustrated Design History (Revised edition) by Norman Friedman
Destroyer Weapons of World War 2 by Peter Hodges & Norman Friedman
Weapons and Tactics of the Soviet Army by David Isby
Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869-1945 by Hansgeorg Jentschura, Dieter Jung, & Peter Mickel
Battleships: United States Battleships in World War II by William Garzke & Robert Dulin
Battleships: Allied Battleships in World War II by William Garzke & Robert Dulin
Battleships: Axis and Neutral Battleships in World War II by William Garzke & Robert Dulin
Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War by Eric LaCroix & Linton Wells
The Hybrid Warship: The Amalgamation of Big Guns and Aircraft by R.D. Layman
Zero: Combat and Development History of Japan’s Legendary Mitsubishi A6M Zero Fighter by Robert Mikesh
The Iowa Class Battleships: Iowa, New Jersey, Missouri, & Wisconsin (Weapons and Warfare Series) by Malcom Muir
The Battleships Yamato and Musashi: Selected Photos from the Archives of the Kure Maritime Museum (The Japanese Naval Warship Photo Albums Series) by Kure Maritime Museum
Aircraft Carriers: A History of Carrier Aviation and Its Influence on World Events, Volume I: 1909-1945 by Norman Polmar
Aircraft Carriers: A History of Carrier Aviation and Its Influence on World Events, Volume II: 1946-2006 by Norman Polmar
Cold War Submarines: The Design and Construction of U.S. and Soviet Submarines by Norman Polmar & K.J. Moore
The Naval Institute Guide to the Soviet Navy (Fifth Edition) by Norman Polmar
Fletcher-Class Destroyers (Warship Design Histories) by Alan Raven
U.S. Coast Guard Cutters and Craft: 1946 – 1990 by Robert Scheina
U.S. Coast Guard Cutters and Craft of World War II by Robert Scheina
The Heavy Cruiser Takao (Anatomy of the Ship Series) By Janusz Skulski
Battleships Yamato and Musashi (Anatomy of the Ship Series) By Janusz Skulski
U.S. Standard-Type Battleships 1941 – 1945 (1): Nevada, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico Classes (New Vanguard Series) by Mark Stille
U.S. Standard-Type Battleships 1941 – 1945 (2): Tennessee, Colorado, and Unbuilt Classes (New Vanguard Series) by Mark Stille
Battleship New Jersey: An Illustrated History by Paul Stillwell
Blueback by Scott Stone
Iowa Class Battleships: Their Design, Weapons, and Equipment by Robert Sumrall
Cruisers of the U.S. Navy, 1922 – 1962 by Stefan Terzibaschitsch
Corsair: The F4U in World War II and Korea by Barrett Tillman
The Imperial Japanese Navy by A.J. Watts and B.G. Gordon
Yamato Class Battleships (ShipCraft Book 14) by Steven Wiper
Naval Theory/Doctrine/Tactics
Operations Officer’s Guide by John Callaway
A History of Naval Tactical Thought by Giuseppe Fioravanzo
World War II U.S. Fast Carrier Task Force Tactics 1943 – 45 by Brian Lane Herder
Fleet Tactics and Naval Operations (3rd edition) by Wayne Hughes & Robert Girrier
To Train the Fleet for War: The U.S. Navy Fleet Problems, 1923-1940 by Albert Nofi
Understanding Naval Warfare (1st Edition) by Ian Speller
Anti-Access Warfare: Countering A2/AD Strategies by Sam Tangredi
Seapower: A Guide for the Twenty-First Century (3rd Edition) by Geoffrey Till
General Military History/Military Reference/Military Science
It’s Our Ship: The No-Nonsense Guide to Leadership by Michael Abrashoff
It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy by Michael Abrashoff
Jack Tar: Life in Nelson’s Navy by Roy & Lesley Adkins
Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty by Peter Collier
On War and Leadership: The Words of Combat Commanders from Frederick the Great to Norman Schwarzkopf by Owen Connelly
The West Point Atlas of American Wars. Vol. 1: 1689-1900. Vol. 2: 1900-1953 by Department of Military Art and Engineering
How to Make War (4th edition): A Comprehensive Guide to Modern Warfare in the Twenty-First Century by James Dunnigan
The Evolution of Weapons and Warfare by Trevor Dupuy
War at Sea: A Naval Atlas, 1939-1945 by Marcus Faulkner
Code of the Warrior: Exploring Warrior Values Past and Present by Shannon French
Battle at Sea: 3,000 Years of Naval Warfare by R.G. Grant
Bombers Versus Battleships: The Struggle Between Ships and Aircraft for the Control of the Surface of the Sea by David Hamer
Fighting Techniques of the Oriental World: Equipment, Combat Skills, and Tactics by Michael Haskew, Christer Jorgensen, Chris McNab, Eric Niderost, & Rob Rice
Naval Warfare in the Age of Sail by Bernard Ireland
Brassey’s Encyclopedia of Military History and Biography edited by Franklin Margiotta
The Illustrated Directory of Modern American Weapons edited by David Miller
The Grammar of Warfare: The Ultimate Visual Guide to the History of Warfare From the Ancient World to the American Civil War edited by Tim Newark
Patrick O’Brian’s Navy: An Illustrated Companion to Jack Aubrey’s World by Richard O’Neill
Wave-Off!: A History of LSOs and Ship-board Landings by Robert Powell
World War II: Saving the Reality, A Collector’s Vault by Kenneth Rendell
The Good War: An Oral History of World War II by Studs Terkel
Command in War by Martin Van Crevald
Games, Wargaming, & Simulations
The Craft of Wargaming: A Detailed Planning Guide for Defense Planners and Analysts by Jeff Appleget, Robert Burks, & Fred Cameron
On Wargaming: How Wargames Have Shaped History and How They May Shape the Future by Matthew Caffrey
The Complete Wargames Handbook: How to Play, Design, and Find Them by James Dunnigan
Zones of Control: Perspectives on Wargaming edited by Pat Harrigan & Matthew Kirschenbaum
U.S. Navy Fundamentals of War Gaming by Francis McHugh
The Art of Wargaming: A Guide for Professionals and Hobbyists by Peter Perla
Lost Battles: Reconstructing the Great Clashes of the Ancient World by Philip Sabin
Simulating War: Studying Conflict through Simulation Games by Philip Sabin
Espionage & Intelligence
The Guinness Book of Espionage by Mark Lloyd
Blind Man’s Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage by Sherry Sontag & Christopher Drew
Spy Catcher – The Candid Autobiography of a Senior Intelligence Officer by Peter Wright
Other Conflicts
If Not Now, When?: Duty and Sacrifice in America’s Time of Need by Jack Jacobs
But Was It Just?: Reflections on the Morality of the Persian Gulf War by Jean Bethke
Thud Ridge by Jack Broughton
Going Downtown: The War Against Hanoi and Washington by Jack Broughton
Hell in a Very Small Place: The Siege of Dien Bien Phu by Bernard Fall
One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer by Nathaniel Fick
The Good Soldiers by David Finkel
About Face: The Odyssey of an American Warrior by David Hackworth
Steel My Soldiers’ Hearts: The Hopeless to Hardcore Transformation of the U.S. Army, 4th Battalion, 39th Infantry, Vietnam by David Hackworth & Eilhys England
The Battle for the Falklands by Max Hastings
Warrior’s Rage: The Great Tank Battle of 73 Easting by Douglas MacGregor
Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea by Robert Massie
We Were Soldiers Once…And Young: Ia Drang – The Battle that Changed the War in Vietnam by Harold Moore & Joseph Galloway
We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey Back the Battlefields of Vietnam by Harold Moore & Joseph Galloway
Outlaw Platoon: Heroes, Renegades, Infidels, and the Brotherhood of War in Afghanistan by Sean Parnell
Making the Corps by Thomas Ricks
Chasing Ghosts: Failures and Facades in Iraq: A Soldier’s Perspective by Paul Reickhoff
Warrior King: The Triumph and Betrayal of an American Commander in Iraq by Nathan Sassaman
The Village by Bing West
Generation Kill: Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America, and the New Face of American War by Evan Wright
General Maritime History
Ships by Enzo Angelucci
The Coast Guard edited by Tom Beard
All Present and Accounted For: The 1972 Alaska Grounding of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Jarvis and the Heroic Efforts that Saved the Ship by Steven Craig
Life and Death at Cape Disappointment: Becoming a Surfman on the Columbia River Bar by Christopher D’Amelio with Reid Maruyama
Lost Subs by Spencer Dunmore
Peter Freuchen’s Book of The Seven Seas by Peter Freuchen
Two Tankers Down: The Greatest Small-Boat Rescue in U.S. Coast Guard History by Robert Frump
Seafaring Lore and Legend by Peter Jeans
The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea by Peter Kemp
U.S. Naval Aviation by M. Hill Goodspeed
A Sea of Words: A Lexicon and Companion for Patrick O’Brian’s Seafaring Tales by Dean King, John Hattendorf, & J. Worth Estes
The Navy by W.J. Holland
Ghost Ships: Tales of Abandoned, Doomed, and Haunted Vessels by Angus Konstam
So Others May Live – Coast Guard’s Rescue Swimmers: Saving Lives, Defying Death by Martha LaGuardia-Kotite
The Conquest of the Ocean (AKA A Short History of Seafaring) by Brian Lavery
Boats of the World: From The Stone Age to Medieval Times by Sean McGrail
A Voyage for Madmen by Peter Nichols
The Sea and Civilization: A Maritime History of the World by Lincoln Paine
The Great Trade Routes: A History of Cargoes and Commerce over Land and Sea edited by Phillip Parker
The Atlas of Shipwrecks and Treasure: The History, Location, and Treasures of Ships Lost at Sea by Nigel Pickford
Origins of Sea Terms by John Rogers
Rescue at the Top of the World: The True Story of the Most Daring Arctic Rescue in History by Shawn Shallow
Sailing Alone Around the World: The Illustrated Edition by Joshua Slocum
Ghost Stories of the Sea by Barbara Smith
The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst by Nicholas Tomalin & Ron Hall
The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Most Daring Sea Rescue by Michael Tougias and Casey Sherman
Japanese & Asian Studies
*Does not include foreign language dictionaries/references
The Chrysanthemum and the Sword by Ruth Benedict
Narrow Road to the Interior: And Other Writings by Basho Matsuo
Japanese Lessons: A Year in a Japanese School Through the Eyes of an American Anthropologist and Her Children by Gail Benjamin
Japanese Swordsmanship: Technique and Practice by Donn Draeger
Wabi Sabi: The Japanese Art of Impermanence by Andrew Juniper
Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets, and Philosophers by Leonard Koren
Japanese Patterns of Behavior by Takie Sugiyama Lebra
Empire of Horses: The First Nomadic Civilization and the Making of China by John Man
The Nobility of Failure: Tragic Heroes in the History of Japan by Ivan Morris
Secrets of the Samurai: The Martial Arts of Feudal Japan by Oscar Ratti
Samurai – The World of the Warrior by Stephen Turnbull
Warriors of Medieval Japan by Stephen Turnbull
The Samurai: A Military History by Stephen Turnbull
Japanese Tales by Royall Taylor
Japanese Culture by Paul Varley
The Japanese Sword: A Handbook by John Yumoto
Miscellaneous History & Historiography
How to Study History by Norman Cantor & Richard Schneider
The Collected What If?: Eminent Historians Imagine What Might Have Been edited by Robert Cowley
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
The Methods and Skills of History: A Practical Guide (2nd edition) by Conal Furay & Michael Salevouris
The Color of Time: A New History of the World, 1850-1960 by Dan Jones & Marina Amaral
National Geographic Concise History of the World: An Illustrated Timeline edited by Neil Kagan
Atlas of World History by Patrick O’Brien
The Information-Literate Historian: A Guide to Research for History Students by Jenny Presnell
The Mental Floss History of the United States by Erik Sass
A Companion to the Study of History by Michael Stanford
A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
Fiction
Das Boot by Lothar-Gunther Buchheim
Sixteenth Watch by Myke Cole
Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes
The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarrat
A Drowning War by John Winton
The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk
Miscellaneous
The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Knots and Ropework: Over 200 Tying Techniques with Step-by-Step Photographs by Geoffrey Budworth
Marine Knots: How to Tie 40 Essential Knots by Patrick Moreau
Fair Winds & Following Seas 