Bill Yenne – författare

Alexander the Great is considered one of the most successful commanders of all time and was known to be undefeated in battle. He is mentioned in the Bible as well as the Qur'an, and is on the shortest of short lists whenever the world's best military leaders are cataloged. When asked to name other great military leaders, Caesar reportedly said Alexander was the only great one. Born in 356 BC, the son of Philip II of Macedonia, Alexander was educated by Aristotle, became a consummate horseman, and commanded a wing of his father's army in the victory over the Thebans and Athenians at the Battle of Chaeronea - all when he was still a teenager. By the time of his death at age 32, he had united Greece and had amassed an empire that stretched from the Adriatic Sea to the Indus River and included all of Persia and most of Egypt. He ruled as both the Shah of Persia and as a Pharaoh of Egypt by right of conquest, and he was also crowned King of Asia. As Yenne shows in this masterful biography, Alexander's influence on the course of cultural and political history and the scope of his military prowess remains awe-inspiring to this day.

A perfectly poured history of the world's greatest beer. "Joseph Conrad was wrong. The real journey into the Heart of Darkness is recounted within the pages of Bill Yenne's fine book. Guinness (the beer) is a touchstone for brewers and beer lovers the world over. Guinness (the book) gives beer enthusiasts all the information and education necessary to take beer culture out of the clutches of light lagers and back into the dark ages. Cheers!"-Sam Calagione, owner, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and author of Brewing Up a Business, Extreme Brewing, and Beer or Wine? "Marvelous! As Bill Yenne embarks on his epic quest for the perfect pint, he takes us along on a magical tour into the depths of all things Guinness. Interweaving the tales of the world's greatest beer and the nation that spawned it, Yenne introduces us to a cast of characters worthy of a dozen novels, a brewery literally dripping with history, and-of course-the one-and-only way to properly pour a pint. You can taste the stout porter on every page."-Dan Roam, author of The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures

Become a global beer expert with this tantalizing tour through every beer region in the world.Join author Bill Yenne on a whirlwind tour of the crafty world of beer. After a quick stop to learn about the anatomy of beer, including ingredients, styles, and even museums, Beer: The Ultimate World Tour guides you through all the regions of the world and their famous brews. This comprehensive guide includes: In-depth discussions of the world’s beer regionsMaps, charts, illustrations, and photographs showcasing favorite brews of the areasAn overview of beer stylesAn overview of beer glasswarePreface by Fergal Murray, head brewer at Dublin City Brewing Co. and former master brewer at Guinness BreweryThe featured beer regions: Ireland, the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, the Baltic, Russia, Poland, Eastern Europe, the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Southern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, Africa, Asia, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, Latin America and the Caribbean, Canada, and the United States.Grab a pint and delve into this sweeping tour of one of the world’s favorite beverages!

Discover the history and personal stories of 47 US Presidents in this beautifully illustrated volume.From the first president, George Washington, to the forty-seventh, Donald J. Trump, the United States has seen a host of extraordinary men take office. Their stories are all included in this fifth edition of The Complete Book of US Presidents by journalist and historian Bill Yenne. With a highly illustrated, accessible format perfect for a broad range of readers, this book features:Short, biographical essays about the lives of 47 presidents, jam-packed with unusual details and commentary on the significant roles each commander-in-chief played in shaping the United States and its relations with the worldLavishly illustrated pages, including the presidents’ official White House portraitsSidebars about each and every vice president and first ladyIntriguing anecdotesSure to captivate any history lover, The Complete Book of US Presidents is an expansive collection that reflects on America’s rich presidential history, telling the story of a nation through the biographies of some of its greatest political leaders.

Black '41 opens with the arrival of the class of 1941 at the gates of West Point in the spring of 1937. It follows that class—nicknamed "Black '41" for their misdeeds while at the Academy—over the course of the next four years, as they absorb the lessons that will help them become military leaders. Their cadet days provide the backdrop for the ominous events in a world headed toward war. It would be a war, as Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson underscored in his commencement address to the class in June 1941, that "may fall, in large measure, upon your shoulders." The U.S. Army into which those new graduating second lieutenants were commissioned in 1941 was in many ways a holdover from the army of an earlier era, with plenty of cavalry but without a single armored division. Black '41 became a key part of the new army, quickly transitioning to a mechanized force and growing its air arm. By the time of the major Pacific and European action, Black '41's officers were captains and majors, and leading soldiers into some of the critical fighting in the war. Told largely through the words of the graduates, Black '41 is the coming-of-age story of West Point's finest, during the hour of our country's greatest need.

America's Few delves into the history of US Marine Corps aviation in World War II, following the feats of the Corps’ top-scoring aces in the skies over Guadalcanal.Marine Corps aviation began in 1915, functioning as a self-contained expeditionary force. During the interwar period, the support of USMC amphibious operations became a key element of Marine aviation doctrine, and the small force gradually grew. But in December 1941 came the rude awakening. Within hours of Pearl Harbor, heroic Marine aviators were battling the Japanese over Wake Island. In the South Pacific, the aviators of the US Marine Corps came out of the shadows to establish themselves as an air force second to none. In the summer of 1942, when Allied airpower was cobbled together into a single unified entity – nicknamed 'the Cactus Air Force’ – Marine Aviation dominated, and a Marine, Major General Roy Geiger, was its commander.Of the twelve Allied fighter squadrons that were part of the Cactus Air Force, eight were USMC squadrons. It was over Guadalcanal that Joe Foss emerged as a symbol of Marine aviation. As commander of VMF-121, he organized a group of fighter pilots that downed 72 enemy aircraft; Foss himself reached a score of 26. Pappy Boyington, meanwhile, had become a Marine aviator in 1935. Best known as the commander of VMF-214, he came into his own in late 1943 and eventually matched Foss’s aerial victory score.Through the parallel stories of these two top-scoring fighter aces, as well as many other Marine aces, such as Ken Walsh (21 victories), Don Aldrich (20), John L. Smith (19), Wilbur Thomas (18.5), and Marion Carl (18.5), many of whom received the Medal of Honor, acclaimed aviation historian Bill Yenne examines the development of US Marine Corps aviation in the South Pacific.

A remarkable collection of accounts of intrepid American aircrew shot down over enemy lines during World War II and how they got away. To be an airman in the Eighth Air Force flying over the war-torn skies of Europe required skill, tenacity, and luck. Those who were shot down and evaded capture needed all of that and more if they were to make it back to friendly lines. These are their stories. Each is compiled from the original intelligence debrief written by the pilots or aircrew themselves.Bill Yenne details how a spider web of escape routes sprang up, created by the local Résistance. Downed airmen were clothed, given false papers, and hidden so they could be smuggled back to England. These efforts were then supplemented by Allied intelligence agents. But the risks remained the same. Capture could mean death.Their accounts are sometimes funny, often heartbreaking. P-47 pilot Joel McPherson feigned appendicitis and was able to escape from the local German military hospital – after he had his appendix removed. He spent weeks operating as a getaway driver for a Maquis bank robber gang before making it into neutral Spain. Bomber crewmen Fred Hartung and Norman Therrien found refuge at a French château, but later nearly froze to death crossing the icy Pyrenees with the Gestapo on their trail. The accounts of these men and others from the Mighty Eighth make this a story of defiance, foolhardiness, and bravery against the odds.

General Henry Harley “Hap” Arnold is widely considered the father of the United States Air Force. But his long list of accomplishments doesn’t begin or end there. He was also the first and only five-star general of the US Air Force; one of the first US military aviators; the first American to carry air mail; and the architect of the war-winning air strategy of World War II.In this new biography of one of the American military’s most towering figures, author Bill Yenne weaves the story of Hap Arnold’s life, from his youthful days as a cunning prankster to his sunset career as an elder statesman. All along, Yenne unfolds General Arnold’s life like the adventure story it is. A bold advocate for technological advancement, Hap Arnold was a powerful character in the golden age of aviation, an innovative warrior in the conflict that defined the modern era, and the creator of an entirely new branch of the US military.Hap Arnold: The General Who Invented the US Air Force is a page-turning adventure biography for history buffs, aviation enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the events that shaped America and the world in the first half of the twentieth century.

The aftershocks of the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor were felt keenly all over America—the war in Europe had hit home. But nowhere was American life more immediately disrupted than on the West Coast, where people lived in certain fear of more Japanese attacks. From that day until the end of the war, a dizzying mix of battle preparedness and rampant paranoia swept the states. Japanese immigrants were herded into internment camps. Factories were camouflaged to look like small towns. The Rose Bowl was moved to North Carolina. Airport runways were so well hidden even American pilots couldn't find them. There was panic on the Pacific coast: the Japanese were coming.