History of United States Naval Operations in World War II 15 Volume Set Book

The definitive work on naval operations in WW2. Even with recent revelations after Morison's death, and occasional errata, it's a superb work. Deftly written, a wealth of both scholarship and his own experience during the war combine to make this a "must read" for any serious student of America's naval operations in WW2. The shorter version, "The Two-Ocean War," gives but an incomplete taste of Morison's skill as a writer as well as the technical and factual detail that make the 15-volume set worth acquiring.

My Dad was a Navy fighter pilot in the Pacific during the war (June-December, 1944), and this series became a way for me to connect with him after he was killed in 1951. I started reading this (Volume 10) when I was 10 years old in 1954, and got one volume a year at Christmas every year for several years, each one devoured in a day or two immediately after Christmas. Once I graduated from college, I completed the set buy getting the final few volumes all at once.

I've gone back to read each volume multiple times over the years, and this set might be my most prized printed possession.