Checking out the Writing in Historical Writing Can Be a Real Joy: Ian Toll.

I will never forget reading the opening passage of Barbara Tuchman's Guns of August describing Europe's assembled royalty at the funeral of Edward VII. It was simply beautiful writing and I was mesmerized.

Recently I took all three volumes of Ian Toll's Pacific War Trilogy out of the library, and read the books out of order, the second volume The Conquering Tide first, Twilight of the Gods second, and am now reading the first volume Pacific Crucible first.

I must say there is some very powerful writing therein; exhaustively researched, and brilliantly presented.

The way he captures people, Yamamoto, (with reflections on Nelson), Roosevelt; the way he understands the politics of the time, well, it's just outstanding writing.

Good stuff.