USS Arizona BB-39. Her name, and story, still evoke an emotional response among many- caused by her infamous demise which ushered in the United States' involvement in the global conflict known as World War Two. David Doyle's new book on Arizona is also the first volume in a new series from Squadron Signal Publications; Squadron At Sea. This introductory volume is over 100 pages, packed with images and information.

The book is laid out in a familiar , chronologiclal, format, starting with an introduction, and leading to construction and launching images. These are followed by a section on commissioning, and then following the lifespan of Arizona over the next 30 years, with some interesting short deviations: a section on Aviation and the Arizona; on the salvage of the wreck; construction of the Arizona Memorial; and even coverage of the construction of Batteries Arizona and Pennsylvannia.

The book strikes a good balance between text and images. Sections headings have small informative blocks of text, but do not overburden the book. Each image is also accompanied by an informative caption, many with surprising observations.

The book is filled with mostly black and white photos from a variety of sources, some of which are images rarely seen before. There are a few line drawings and color illustrations as well, clarifiing aspects of Arizona's appearance at different times.

This book is really impressive, and bodes well for this new endevour by Squadron Signal books. The large size and high picture count (120 pages, 275+ pictures) make this a great reference for your Arizona project, as well as a good read. Highly Recommended.

This reference is available from numerous sources, in both softback and hardbound editions. The softback has an MSRP of $24.95. Next in this new series is a volume on USS North Carolina BB-55, due in December of 2011, and promises to be even larger and image filled than this Arizona book.