Empire of the Seas: How the Navy Forged the Modern World by Brian Lavery lands on the shelves of my shop.
London: Conway, 2009, Hardback in dust wrapper.
Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Facsimiles; Colour Photographs; Maps;
From the cover: The year 1588 marked a turning point in our national story. Victory over the Armada transformed us into a seafaring nation and it sparked a myth that one day would become a reality that the nations new destiny, the source of her future wealth and power lay out on the oceans.
This book tells the story of how the navy expanded from a tiny force to become the most complex industrial enterprise on earth; how the need to organise it laid the foundations of our civil service and our economy; and how it transformed our culture, our sense of national identity and our democracy.
Exploring deeper into the themes raised by the television series, Brian Lavery documents the progress of the Royal Navy from late Tudor times to the First World War. He discusses its relationship with the state and the British people, analyses the tactics and initiative that created dramatic victories, and the failures and incompetence that lead to disaster.
Rising through the administrative brilliance of Pepys, Anson and Lord Sandwich and the inspirational leadership of Blake, Hawke and Nelson, the Royal Navy became the most powerful force in the world. But the conviction of Britains navy as undisputed ruler of the waves encouraged a sterility in strategic thinking and complacency during the long peace of the nineteenth century leading to the bruising experience of the Battle of Jutland.
Very Good in Very Good Dust Wrapper.
Red boards with Silver titling to the Spine & Upper Board. 272 pages. Index. Bibliography. 10″ x 8″.
Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!
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