James D. Hornfischer (November 18, 1965 – June 2, 2021) was an American literary agent and

naval historian Naval warfare is combat in and on the sea, the ocean, or any other battlespace involving a major body of water such as a large lake or wide river. Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Even in the interior of large la ...

. A one-time

book editor The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...

at the publishing company

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News ...

in New York, Hornfischer was later president of Hornfischer Literary Management, a literary agency in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

Early life

Hornfischer was born in

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports tr ...

. He was a 1987 graduate of Colgate University, where he was elected to

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

and graduated with high honors in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

. He received a Juris Doctor degree from the

University of Texas School of Law The University of Texas School of Law (Texas Law) is the law school of the University of Texas at Austin. Texas Law is consistently ranked as one of the top law schools in the United States and is highly selective—registering the 8th lowest ac ...

in 2001.

Professional background

Hornfischer, a non-practicing member of the State Bar of Texas, was president of Hornfischer Literary Management, a literary agency in Austin, Texas, that represents authors of nonfiction books in a variety of subject areas, including current affairs, history, politics, biography, business, and popular science, among others. Clients include

David Bellavia David Gregory Bellavia (born November 10, 1975) is a former United States Army soldier who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Second Battle of Fallujah. Bellavia has also received the Bronze Star Medal, two Army Commendation ...

James Bradley James Bradley (1692–1762) was an English astronomer and priest who served as the third Astronomer Royal from 1742. He is best known for two fundamental discoveries in astronomy, the aberration of light (1725–1728), and the nutation of th ...

, HW Brands, Fred Burton, Susannah Charleson, Kim Cross,

Steve Forbes Malcolm Stevenson Forbes Jr. (; born July 18, 1947) is an American publishing executive and politician who is the editor-in-chief of ''Forbes'', a business magazine. He is the son of longtime ''Forbes'' publisher Malcolm Forbes and the grandso ...

George Friedman George Friedman ( hu, Friedman György, born February 1, 1949) is a Hungarian-born U.S. geopolitical forecaster, author, and strategist on international affairs. He is the founder and chairman of ''Geopolitical Futures'', an online publication t ...

William H. Goetzmann William Harry Goetzmann (July 20, 1930 – September 7, 2010) was an American historian and emeritus professor in the American Studies and American Civilization Programs at the University of Texas at Austin. He attended Yale University as a graduate ...

, Don Graham,

James L. Haley James L. Haley is an American author who has written numerous books on Texas and Western history, as well as several novels. Haley grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, attended L. D. Bell High School in Hurst, Texas, and graduated from the University ...

Woody Holton Abner Linwood Holton III, known as Woody Holton, is an American professor who is the McCausland Professor of History at the University of South Carolina. Early life Abner Linwood Holton III is the son of former Virginia Governor Linwood Holton. ...

, Annie Jacobsen,

Alex Kershaw Alex Kershaw (born 1966) is an English journalist, public speaker and the author of several best-selling books, including ''The Liberator'', ''The First Wave'', ''The Bedford Boys'' and ''The Longest Winter''. Early life Born in York, England, ...

, Governor Rick Perry,

Ron Powers Ron Powers (born November 18, 1941) is an American journalist, novelist, and non-fiction writer. His works include ''No One Cares About Crazy People: My Family and the Heartbreak of Mental Illness in America''; ''White Town Drowsing: Journeys to Ha ...

Roy Spence Roy Spence (born October 10, 1948) is the chairman and co-founder of the advertising agency GSD&M, and an author. Early life Spence was born in Brownwood, Texas, to Roy Milam Spence Sr. and Ruth Griffin. He attended Brownwood High School, where ...

, Mark K. Updegrove, and others. He was a member of the Authors Guild and the

Texas Institute of Letters The Texas Institute of Letters is a non-profit Honor Society founded by William Harvey Vann in 1936 to celebrate Texas literature and to recognize distinctive literary achievement. The TIL’s elected membership consists of the state’s most respe ...

, and served on the advisory board of the Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference, sponsored by the Mayborn School of Journalism at the

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal School, ...

. He has written for '' Smithsonian'', ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', and other periodicals. He was a board member of the

Naval Historical Foundation The Naval Historical Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1926, has a broad mission to preserve and promote the naval history of the United States by supporting official Sea Services programs and institutions, meeting the needs of the pu ...

. On 18 May 2021, he was awarded the

Navy Distinguished Public Service Award The Navy Distinguished Public Service Award, established in 1951, is an award presented by the U.S. Secretary of the Navy to civilians for specific courageous or heroic acts or exceptionally outstanding service of substantial and long-term benef ...

by the Director of the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC), RADM, USN-Ret, Samuel J Cox. On 2 June 2021, he died from

glioblastoma Glioblastoma, previously known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is one of the most aggressive types of cancer that begin within the brain. Initially, signs and symptoms of glioblastoma are nonspecific. They may include headaches, personality ...

in Austin, Texas, at age 55.

Books

* ''

The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors The nonfiction book ''The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour'' is the first full narrative account of the Battle off Samar, which the book's author, James D. Hornfischer, calls ...

: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour'' ( Bantam hardcover, 2004; Bantam trade paperback, 2005) * ''Ship of Ghosts: The Story of the USS Houston, FDR's Legendary Lost Cruiser and the Epic Saga of Her Survivors'' ( Bantam hardcover, 2006; Bantam trade paperback, 2007). * ''Neptune's Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal'' ( Bantam hardcover, 2011). * ''Service: A Navy SEAL at War'' with Marcus Luttrell (

Little Brown Little, Brown and Company is an American publishing company founded in 1837 by Charles Coffin Little and James Brown in Boston. For close to two centuries it has published fiction and nonfiction by American authors. Early lists featured Emily ...

hardcover, 2012). * ''The Fleet at Flood Tide: America at Total War in the Pacific, 1944–1945'' ( Bantam hardcover, October 25, 2016). * ''Who Can Hold the Sea: The U.S. Navy in the Cold War 1945-1960'' ( Bantam hardcover, May 3, 2022) ISBN 978-0399178641

Awards

* Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Naval Literature from the Naval Order of the United States, for ''

'' * United States Maritime Literature Award, for ''Ship of Ghosts'' * Commodore John Barry Book Award of the

Navy League of the United States The Navy League of the United States, commonly referred to as the Navy League, is a national association with nearly 50,000 members who advocate for a strong, credible United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, United States Coast Guard and ...

, for ''The Fleet at Flood Tide'' *

References

External links

Official home page of Hornfischer Literary Management, LP

Official home page of James D. Hornfischer

The U.S. Navy Professional Reading Program
*

* ttps://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703954004576090092301041646 ''Wall Street Journal'' review of ''Neptune's Inferno''
Interview with James D. Hornfischer
at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library
Hornfischer on ''Neptune's Inferno''
at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library
''Publishers Weekly'': "Writing About War: This Time It's Personal"

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hornfischer, James D. Literary agents American non-fiction writers Colgate University alumni University of Texas School of Law alumni 1965 births 2021 deaths American naval historians American male non-fiction writers Historians of World War II Texas lawyers Writers from Salem, Massachusetts Burials at Texas State Cemetery Historians from New York (state) Historians from Texas