Fortress Alcatraz: Guardian of the Golden Gate

Rating:
Summary: Great photographs
Review: A former park ranger stationed at Alcatraz and a military historian, Martini takes readers into the days before "the Rock" became a prison. Starting with the first mappings of San Francisco Bay by the Spanish and English through the modern day, Martini presents an amazing number of photographs of and stories about life on Alcatraz. Particularly interesting is how designs for the fort and its armaments changed over the years from the Mexican-American War through the Civil War and through to World War II. It's quite a different look at the island that the common focus on Al Capone, the Bird Man and other inhabitants of the federal prison.

Rating:
Summary: Great photographs
Review: A former park ranger stationed at Alcatraz and a military historian, Martini takes readers into the days before "the Rock" became a prison. Starting with the first mappings of San Francisco Bay by the Spanish and English through the modern day, Martini presents an amazing number of photographs of and stories about life on Alcatraz. Particularly interesting is how designs for the fort and its armaments changed over the years from the Mexican-American War through the Civil War and through to World War II. It's quite a different look at the island that the common focus on Al Capone, the Bird Man and other inhabitants of the federal prison.

Rating:
Summary: Additional information
Review: Author John Arturo Martini also maintains a web site to update informational materials and publicity for the book. It's at http://www.fortressalcatraz.com

Rating:
Summary: Simply great!
Review: For the first time, the fascinating story of the U.S. Army's nearly 90 years on Alcatraz comes to life - coastal guns, Civil War and San Francisco, army family life on the island, and tales of the military prison. John Martini describes the Rock in a lively manner and gives us an exciting history, well-illustrated with rare 19th-century photographs." Erwin N. Thompson Historian

Rating:
Summary: Excellent work - very readable with fantastic photographs.
Review: John Martini's well-thought-out work gives a very readable, historically accurate look at the "fort period" of Alcatraz Island. John brings the old fort to life, and gives a visitor to Alcatraz a new perspective on the historic site. A real treasure are the numerous photographs John was able to obtain through painstaking research - most were mislabled in the Archives! As a total package, the book is very enjoyable and informative - a very good read.