Free Press, 2001, $35, ISBN 0-684-87176-9, 436 pages, hardback

The former Secretary of the US Navy (under Reagan) delivers exactly what the title says: a survey of the USN over the last 200 years. His pleasant writing style captures the events in an overview fashion, with enough atmosphere to set the scene, but not to overwhelm you with details.

Like a "Greatest Hits" record album, On Seas of Glory offers up all the top events from colonial days through Desert Storm. John Paul "I have not yet begun to fight" Jones, David "Damn the torpedoes" Farragut, George "You may fire when ready" Dewey, and all the other heavy weight commanders are included, not to mention the action that made their lives memorable.

Each of the nine chapters more or less tackles a war. Each offers a "Reader's Digest" version of the war by focusing in on the highlights of a particular battle, personality, or strategy. Lest you think this an easy task, think again. Lehman's selection criteria is almost impeccable, and his sense of scale spot on. It is easy for an author to overwhelm a reader with scraps of fact, but far more difficult to convey information succinctly and with as much style as Lehman's effort. This is not a revolving door book deal of the military-industrial complex, but an honest effort to talk about traditions and how they've shaped our country.

On Seas of Glory offers a valuable overview of the history of the US Navy. Even better, Lehman comments on various aspects of naval policy over the last 200 years with an insight attained by a naval officer who became Secretary of the Navy. And it is precisely this insight that propels the book beyond a simple survey.

Information and analysis are the two edges of the sword of history. Lehman cuts a mighty fine stroke with On Seas of Glory.