Commodore

Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom is, like New York's CBGB's and Los Angeles's Whiskey a Go-Go, one of the most venerated rock clubs in the world; originally built in 1930, it's hosted a who's-who of music greats before they made it big: The Police, The Clash, Blondie, Talking Heads, Nirvana, New York Dolls, U2, and, more recently, Lady Gaga and the White Stripes. Filled with never-before-published photographs, posters, and paraphernalia, Live at the Commodore is a visceral, energetic portrait of one of the world's great rock venues. Aaron Chapman is a musician and journalist, and the author of Liquor, Lust, and the Law.

To whom does one’s true allegiance lie?

Explores the life and times of John Drake Sloat, the US Navy Pacific Squadron commander who occupied Monterey and declared the annexation of California at the beginning of the war with Mexico. Knickerbocker Commodore chronicles the life of Rear Admiral John Drake Sloat, an important but understudied naval figure in US history. Born and raised by a slave-owning gentry family in New York’s Hudson Valley, Sloat moved to New York City at age nineteen. Bruce A. Castleman explores Sloat’s forty-five-year career in the Navy, from his initial appointment as midshipman in the conflicts with revolutionary France to his service as commodore during the country’s war with Mexico. As the commodore in command of the naval forces in the Pacific, Sloat occupied Monterey and declared the annexation of California in July 1846, controversial actions criticized by some and defended by others. More than a biography of one man, this book illustrates the evolution of the peacetime Navy as an institution and its conversion from sail to steam. Using shipping news and Customs Service records from Sloat’s merchant voyages, Castleman offers a rare and insightful perspective on American maritime history. “Knickerbocker Commodore is a first-rate scholarly biography of John Drake Sloat. In his study, Castleman presents a persuasive assessment of this important naval officer and his role in the controversial early days of the Mexican War in California.” — John H. Schroeder, author of Matthew Calbraith Perry: Antebellum Sailor and Diplomat “Written by a scholar and a former naval officer, Bruce Castleman has given us not only a well-balanced biography of John Drake Sloat but also a history of the US Navy from the time of the War of 1812 to the Civil War. In addition, his well-researched book provides an important contribution to the war with Mexico and the American conquest of Alta California through the actions and decision making of this ‘Knickerbocker Commodore.’” — Gary F. Kurutz, Curator Emeritus of Special Collections, California State Library “The Mexican-American War of 1846–47 was a war of foundational importance to the United States. Bruce Castleman’s biography of an important but little-known participant deftly captures the critical moment when America defeated its major continental rival. Even better, by thoughtfully tracing the entirety of Sloat’s life, the book winningly tells the story of the early American Navy from its tremulous beginnings in the Revolution to its steam-powered modernity in the Civil War. Castleman’s biography is of more than just a man; it is of an entire time in American history, and all the more useful for it.” — David J. Silbey, author of A War of Frontier and Empire: The Philippine-American War, 1899–1902

The changes which brought the city of Miami of today are delightfully described in this book of personal reminiscences, written by one of Florida’s earliest settlers in collaboration with his life-long friend, Vincent Gilpin. Ralph Munroe first went to Biscayne Bay in 1887. Soon after that time he and his friends built his home, The Barnacle, in Coconut Grove, where he has lived ever since. From this center his influence has been felt for almost fifty years—during the vivid and exciting period of early exploration and settlement,—during the slow development which led up to Flagler and the railroad,—through the boom, the disastrous hurricanes against which the Commodore’s warnings went unheeded, down to the present time. No one interested in southern Florida or in the sea can afford to miss this picturesque story of a Biscayne Bay pioneer who is today so widely and affectionately known. One of Florida’s earliest lovers, the Commodore has been unswervingly devoted to the best interests of the region and has been close to the most significant incidents of its growth. Beautifully illustrated throughout with photographs from Ralph Munroe’s private collection, the earliest on the Bay.

Reproduction of the original: Commodore Paul Jones by Cyrus Townsend Brady