Reading Room

A quick note: my name is Mike Romero, and I'm a Historic Interpreter at Colonial Williamsburg.  The postings I make on this site are my own personal opinions and research, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Colonial Williamsburg.  With that said, enjoy the read!


Depending on my work and research schedule, I may not be able to post regularly.  However, I'm always working on something related to naval history of the 18th/19th centuries.  For those that are curious, here's what I'm currently reading:

For Interpretive Purposes:

Shipbuilding in Colonial America
By Joseph A Goldenberg.
Deciding to delve a little deeper into this subject, looking specifically to learn more about Virginia's shipbuilding efforts at Gosport and the Chickahominy Yard. From what I can see, this draws heavily on historic accounts and primary source documents. I'm hoping to use this to develop more interpretations for use at work, as well as research for a possible article for Naval History magazine.







British Admirals of the Eighteenth Century: Tactics in Battle
By John Cresswell.
One of my latest interpretations-under-construction is one pertaining to John Clerk's 1782 "An Inquiry Into Naval Tactics."  I stumbled across this book in the research library at work, which includes some info on Clerk, as well as what appears to be more extensive accounts of many of the battles Clerk references.  Looking forward to seeing what I can glean from this one.






I'm also trying to sort through surviving Virginia Gazettes and Revolutionary War Pension Claims, hoping to turn up some primary source documentation on James Barron and Cesar Tarrant for possible character work in the future.


Just for Fun:

The Chesapeake: Biography of a Ship
By Charles Brinson Cross.
I came across this title while reading through a biography of James Barron the Younger.  Hoping it might turn up additional references and some useful info on both James Barron and Stephen Decatur for yet another article I have planned for Naval History.






The Jeffersonian Gunboat Navy
By Spencer C. Tucker.
I got interested in this particular topic after reading several texts on the First Barbary War and Commodore Edward Preble.  Hoping this turns up a good deal of information on gunboats used off the coast of Tripoli as well as those constructed for defense of the Atlantic Coast.

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