"Top of the Ladder: Marine Operations in the Northern Solomons" by John C. Chapin is a commemorative book honoring the men who served in the marines during World War II. The Solomon Islands campaign was a major campaign of the Pacific War of World War II after Japanese forces extended their reach into the islands. The US armed forces worked diligently day and night to keep the Japanese at bay, but the Solomons campaign continued until the end of the war.