Raphael Semmes was a U.S. Navy officer from Maryland during the first half of the nineteenth century. He distinguished himself during the Mexican War but was frustrated by the tradition-oriented promotion system of the Navy. When the Civil War broke out, he took command of a small steam-and-sail raider built in England and for two years terrorized Yankee shipping in the North Atlantic. He was a colorful character but is largely known only to Civil War historians. Stephen Fox’s biography captures the multiple sides of the naval officer. Barrett Whitener is an able reader. His tone is even, although not somnolent. He adds just a hint of an accent to direct quotes, whether Southern or Irish, a technique that allows listeners to easily distinguish these passages.
Pub Date: July 9, 2007
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Carol Matthau epitomizes a glamour and lifestyle not associated with the 1990's. Here is a life of privilege, tragedy and worry about what friends would think of her new frock or lover. Matthau possesses a voice and delivery that simply could not be improved on. In her coy whisper, she tells compelling stories involving everyone from William Saroyan (husband #1) and Truman Capote to Carson McCullers, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Walter Matthau (husband #2). This excellent audio presentation will leave you wanting to read the entire book to discover what juicy tidbits were left out.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: The Publishing Mills
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
The Gilded Age race to invent automated typesetting was packed with colorful characters and grim reversals of fortune.
Energy more than artistry propels this rich and thoroughly engrossing history of automated printing and its impact on modern media. Author Jarvis isn’t the smoothest of narrators, but his enthusiastic delivery heightens the narrative. And what he delivers sounds very much like a gold rush tale. Setting type remained the final, seemingly impossible step in automating the printing process, and many failures preceded the successful Linotype, which remained the standard for decades thereafter. Mark Twain’s losses after he invested in a competitor are lamentable, but they’re merely tangential to the far more interesting stories of those who succeeded.
The Gilded Age race to invent automated typesetting was packed with colorful characters and grim reversals of fortune.Pub Date: Aug. 20, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9798216477341
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Sept. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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