Customer Reviews

The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present (7 Volumes)

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This book is a most impressive account of the 18th century Royal Navy I have read. Althought it was written at the end of the 19th century it is written in a modern style which is surprisingly easy to read. This book is a must for any serious Naval Historian and will capture the imagination of all with any interest in Naval history. The authors commentries are based on an obvious extensive research and his opinions are based on facts not speculation. I consider this book to be a authorative tome which provides detailed accounts of all fleet and single ship actions of the period.

This book was originally published in 1900. Clowes was the naval correspondent for The Times. While he wrote much of the book, other sections were written by Sir Clements Markham, a retired admiral and President of the Royal Geographical Society; Alfred Thayer Mahan, author of the seminal "Influence of Seapower Upon History"; and Theodore Roosevelt, who wrote what is still considered one of the best histories of the War of 1812; among others.

Unusually for military histories, the book looks at other aspects of the Royal Navy besides naval operations. There are several long discussions of naval administration, shipbuilding, and even social life and customs of the sea. Markham's sections are concerned with exploration, which involved more than James Cook's voyages.

Written in modern English, this hundred-plus year old book is readable and still relevant. My only regret upon finishing it was that Clowes didn't live in the present time, so he could have brought the book up to date.