In this accomplished, finely detailed history, Philbrook captures the bravado, adventure and politics of what was, in its day, the largest expedition ever mounted -- six vessels and 346 men on an around-the-world expedition for the United States. The zoological specimens and other booty formed the basis of the collections of the Smithsonian Institution. With excellent chapters on charting the Pacific Northwest, South Pacific and (most memorably) the Antarctic. Philbrook doesn't neglect either the enormous ego (and incompetence) of commander Lieutenant Charles Wilkes. This was the expedition that established the United States as a maritime power.  (PAC140, $16.00)