Welcome to our ongoing celebration of the Library of Congress National Book Festival. Each weekday, we will feature a video presentation from among the thousands of authors who have appeared at the National Book Festival and as part of our new year-long series, National Book Festival Presents. Mondays will feature topical nonfiction; Tuesday: poetry or literary fiction; Wednesday: history, biography, memoir; Thursday: popular fiction; and Friday: authors who write for children and teens. Please enjoy, and make sure to explore our full National Book Festival video collection!
James Stavridis, a retired rear admiral, was on the History & Biography stage of the 2017 Library of Congress National Book Festival to discuss “Sea Power: The History and Geopolitics of the World’s Oceans,” his book about the world’s most important bodies of water and how naval power has been a force from the beginnings of human history. Stavridis retired from the Navy after 37 years of service, and he is currently an operating executive with the Carlyle Group.
Karen Lloyd, director of the Library’s Veterans History Project, introduced the admiral. He begins with a “walk through the oceans,” noting that “you could take all of the land in the world, and it would fit quite nicely inside the Pacific Ocean.” Q&A begins at 25:35.
The 2020 Library of Congress National Book Festival will celebrate its 20th birthday this year. You can get up-to-the-minute news, schedule updates and other important festival information by subscribing to this blog. The festival is made possible by the generosity of sponsors. You too can support the festival by making a gift now.