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Biography
American

Norman Polmar

1938

American naval historian, analyst, and author who has written over fifty books on naval warfare, submarines, intelligence, and military technology. His works include Death of the USS Thresher (1964), the definitive account of America's worst submarine disaster, and DEFCON-2 (2006), a history of the Cuban Missile Crisis from the military perspective. Polmar served as a consultant to the U.S. Navy and several Senate committees.

Past sales0
PeriodContemporary
NationalityAmerican
1. Biography

A short life of the author

Norman Polmar (born 1938) is an American naval historian and analyst who has written or co-authored over fifty books on naval warfare, submarine technology, intelligence operations, and military affairs. He served as a consultant to three secretaries of the Navy, to several Senate committees, and to the Los Alamos and Brookhaven national laboratories.

Major Works

Death of the USS Thresher (1964, Chilton Books; revised edition 2004) — the authoritative account of the sinking of the nuclear submarine USS Thresher in 1963, which killed all 129 people aboard. The book is the standard reference on the disaster and its impact on submarine safety.

DEFCON-2: Standing on the Brink of Nuclear War During the Cuban Missile Crisis (2006, John Wiley & Sons, with John D. Gresham) — a military history of the 1962 crisis based on declassified documents.

Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet (multiple editions since 1958) is a continuously updated reference work used by naval professionals.

Collecting Polmar

Death of the USS Thresher (1964, Chilton Books) first editions bring $50–$150. Polmar’s naval reference works are collected by military historians and submarine enthusiasts. His prolific output means a complete collection would be a significant undertaking.