One of the “blank spots” in the history of the Second World War for the Russian reader is the naval battle off Savo Island. The aggressive Japanese Admiral Mikawa, who had not yet fully recovered from the defeat of the Japanese at Midway Island, hastily assembled a force of ships and inflicted a brutal defeat on the Americans, which the American press rightly called “the second Pearl Harbor.” To remind readers of the "first" Pearl Harbor, Walter Lord's fascinating material is offered in an excellent authorized translation by I. Bunich.