Rating: 
Summary: Some good information, but terribly written
Review: From reading the notes on the cover, I bought the book thinking that it would cover a European perspective on the American Revolution, showing how the war tied into a greater world conflict. While some of that is done, it is not the focus of the book. In fact, I would say that there is little focus, but there are many flaws, which was disappointing given the reputation of the author that is trumpeted on the cover.
There is some focus on the greater naval and colonizing competition between France and Britain surrounding the period of the war, as well as some initial information about conditions in Holland leading up to and surrounding the period. This in itself would be an interesting subject for a book, as long as it was better written than this one. (One note, to me, there was not nearly as much coverage of Dutch involvement, after the first couple of chapters, as another review seemed to imply.)
She, somewhat bizarrely, dedicates a lot of text praising, and defending the honor of Admiral Rodney of the British navy. This includes a chapter of 50 out of the 300 total pages dedicated to the story of his life before the war. This chapter was so boring I pledged to quit the book twice while trying to get through it, when my levels of frustration and boredom surpassed my naturally strong urge to finish any book that I start, only to twice come back to the book after a couple of days, vowing to fight through the muddle.
She includes many of her own, seemingly suspect conclusions, and a lot of information that is almost unrelated to the stated subject of the book. For example, the vagaries of rigging and directing a square-rigger could be an interesting subject, but it's not what I want to read about at length in a book about the American Revolution.
Perhaps the most galling is the total lack of respect given to time. I think that a perceptible timeline is rather important in a book about historical events, but the author's habit of constantly jumping forwards and backwards in time, along with her maddening penchant for stating and then later restating facts and stories, combine to make the timeline practically impossible to discern.
I am not familiar with any of her other books, two of which have apparently won Pulitzer Prizes, but I would honestly expect better written presentation from a decent high school student. I gave it as many as 2 stars only because there is some good information in the book, though it takes a lot of effort to find it all.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Barbara's best
Review: I am a big fan of Barbara Tuchman. She turned me on to history more than anyone else with fantastic books like "Guns of August", "The Proud Tower" and others. This book, however, is not of the same caliber. I spent much of the book trying to grasp her main point as she threw all kinds of facts at us and jumped around the narrative. The book covered the American Revolution almost from a European perspective, which was important, but in such a short book she could not do the topic justice. What we are left with then is bits and pieces of what seemed to be a larger book cut and pasted into this one. That was the feeling I got while I read it. The coherency typical of Tuchman's books and beautiful writing did not seem to be there. Having said that, I feel she is still far superior than many history writers and is the "gold standard" by which I judge all historians.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than taking sleeping pills.
Review: I am a lover of history. American, English, and Roman are my favorites. A good history book, brings history alive. This book does not. It is one of the slowest, dull books I've ever tried to read. Mrs. Tuchman should find another line of work, as she has no business pretending to be an author. This book does not rate a review longer than this.
Rating:
Summary: Better than taking sleeping pills.
Review: I am a lover of history. American, English, and Roman are my favorites. A good history book, brings history alive. This book does not. It is one of the slowest, dull books I've ever tried to read. Mrs. Tuchman should find another line of work, as she has no business pretending to be an author. This book does not rate a review longer than this.
Rating: 
Summary: The First Salute
Review: I have rarely ever read a more sublime Historical work. Tuchman combines erudition and the ability to handle detail with a lightness of touch which one finds from the better novelists. Tuchman has the ability to move from a particular situation `The first salute` to the general - why the Eastern States of North America decided to revolt against the `relatively` benevolent rule of the British Government. As a colonial, albeit one of a country that stayed in the Empire, and one who is interested in the History of the Royal Navy I found this book a rich source of information on the first Empire and on the tactics that eventually brought the British Navy to the most feared force in the nineteenth century and through this it was able to impose the `Pax Britannica`. As one who has been a student of History. I have rarely found so much detail packaged in such an attractive style. I would recommend all of those who are interested in the actual reasons why the United States sought and won its independence, and why this was beneficial; not only to the USA but also to the British.I can only reiterate. If you are a student of history in the widest sense. If you are interested in this period; if you want a sublime read, then buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Mediocre Work from A Great Author
Review: I love some of Barbara Tuchman's work. In particular, The Gun's of August and the Zimmerman Telegram are "must reading." This book is not. The First Salute was actually the first Tuchman book I had read, and almost the last. To begin with, it is boring. In her other books, she writes an interesting history about the people and their times. She was especially good at comparing different events and showing the common themes that run through time. I especially liked how, in The Guns of August, see details how a French army marching to defend their country from Germany invasion, march past a memorial to Roman troops defending Gaul (Roughly France and Belgium) against another German invasion more then 2000 years past. Events seem to repeat themselves, but the charactors do change. Here Ms. Tuchman's efforts seem designed more to impress us about the knowledge of the author and her mastery of the details of the American Revolution, then to convey an understanding of the events. In particular, this book is actually not a book about the American Revolution. It is more a book about the effect of the American Revolution on other parts of the world, notably Holland. Holland, as a small power, was a close ally with England in the 1580s. After the defeat of the Spanish Armada, the alliance between the English and the Dutch developed into a rivarly and then transformed into open hostility and war. Ms. Tuchman details parts of three wars between these two powers. She then trys to put the American Revolution into that broader context. Instead of being a fight for freedom, in Tuchman's eyes, the American Revolution was part of the continual competition between the Dutch and English empires. This book, of course, does discuss other parts of the American Revolution. But, over and over, Ms. Tuchman goes back to the Dutch. It was their help, supplying guns and supplies, which Ms. Tuchman believes helped sustain the young Americans during the first part of their Revolutionary War. Indeed, the Dutch, on a tiny Island, gave an American Warship, its "First Salute", recognizing them as a equal power in the families of nations. Overall, this was an interesting point of view. But, as I said above, it was not written in an interesting way. Since, I think Ms. Tuchman also, in some ways, overstated her thesis, it took away from parts of this book. As such, I can't recommend this book; but I would steer you towards the other books, referred above, that Ms. Tuchman has written.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling Writing
Review: I read The First Salute as a high school senior more than a decade ago. It was one of the main reasons I have become an avid student of history, especially U.S. history. As all her readers have found, Tuchman has a gift for telling history with passion and suspense. I recommend anything she has written--even a grocery list.
Rating:
Summary: Good, necessary historical view of American Revolution
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this work because it presented a needed view of the American Revolution and how the international context supported our victory. It provides lessons in how the pre-eminent power of an age can be humbled by a coalition of forces, determination, and coincidence. It shows just how fragile the fabric of our revolution's success actually was. This was, however, not up to Ms. Tuchman's usual standard of excellence, but that is still good enough, because the history is good in all but one respect: she depreciates A.T. Mahan while using and espousing his arguments and presentations. By coincidence I had just read Mahan's Influence of Seapower on History before reading The First Salute. It was apparent that in her research Ms. Tuchman also had read Mahan. She incorporated his arguments and yet criticized them out of context. A small flaw in toto, but significant to students of history, especially to those with more than a passing interst in seapower. I would not have noticed this discrepancy had I not just read the other work first. Ms. Tuchman's work is a valuable addition to the body of work on the American Revolution and seapower. It is a "must" read for both sets of lessons: those of history and objectivity in an author. Jay Brown, St. Petersburg, FL
Rating:
Summary: How the Dutch helped the 'rebels'
Review: I was looking for a high-level, unbiased look at the Revolutionary War. What I came away with was a look at the Dutch culture, their motivations at the time of the conflict and how they made it possible for the colonies to get the supplies they needed to continue the struggle. I do think Ms. Tuchman did an EXCELLENT job on telling her story. She uses alot of references to letters and dispatches, explains the words that might not be understood, and there's a very smooth flow to the words and ideas. Very refreshing.
Rating:
Summary: Finally, the Real Revolutionary War
Review: I'd like to say that Barbara Tuchman saved her best for last, and in many respects, she did. However there will be many out there who will not appreciate the slow build-up of The First Salute. Like a sailing schooner waiting for a breeze before finally being able to move, Ms. Tuchman's account of the American Revolution mirrors her main subjects - the French fleet, and that of the Englisman Sir George Brydges Rodney. More than once were they all stuck somewhere in their ships waiting (seemingly forever) for a wind so they could get underway. I felt like this book was waiting to get "under sail" too, mainly at the beginning. But I think you will find that not only is the wait worth it, but once you finish the book, you will realize just how brilliant the author really was in chosing this method to effectively drive home her points by clever use of point of view - Despite what Disney would have us belive, the Americans didn't rally to fighting or winning this war. Congress was as slow, and often made as little sense then as it seems to do from time to time now - Washington was a miracle worker for somehow keeping an army on the field at all. The American Revolution was won by French and Dutch money, and mainly the French military (yes it was fought by many brave Americans too, but there was too much apathy, too much self-interest, and there were too few in number to ever WIN it). Through the story of Rodney, the reader is given a unique perspective from which to witness the incredible mismanagement of the war by the British, insight into those self-destructive practices and entrenched egos that characterized monarchy, and just how close this war was to being lost and how easily it could have turned out differently. Tuchman also does not miss the chance to remind everyone just how far we still have to go to live up to those principles for which the war was supposedly fought - The end of her Epilogue will knock your socks off. All in all, another treasure from Barbara Tuchman.
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