Joseph C. Meredith: A Handful of Emeralds. On Patrol with the Hanna in the Postwar Pacific. Annapolis 1997. Stron 217. Lekko naderwana obwoluta. Nearly a decade after he saw extensive battle action in the Pacific during World War II, Joe Meredith had a rare chance to return to the western Pacific for a more tranquil look at the breathtaking beauty of the region. As captain of the destroyer escort Hanna, Meredith was tasked with patrol and surveillance duty throughout Micronesia and also in the Bonin and Volcano Islands. He remembers it as the choicest independent duty a young commander could imag­ine and recorded his thoughts and activities in a daily journal that inspired this book. Taking the title of his memoir from Joseph Con­rad's writing about the same islands, Meredith offers an evocative account of his voyages. He combines his own sense of discovery with the colorful descriptions of previous travelers. Ulithi, Yap, Truk, Ponape— exotic place-names that emerge from more than four hundred years of exploration narratives and the region's recent violent history—dot this insightful, lyrical narrative of his experiences. It celebrates both the author's love for a ship and pride in the naval ser­vice, as well as his fascination with the islands and the people of the far Pacific. Meredith's literary talents— calling to mind earlier well-known literature of the region—will transport readers of this atmospheric memoir to a time and place where most have never traveled. It also provides a historic snapshot of post­war conditions in the islands under navy administra­tion, long before they achieved independent status.