To Rule the Waves [Paperback]

Arthur Herman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2005

This is the story of an institution in which courage in battle and bravery in death were a byword, from Nelson's death at Trafalgar to Commander Robert Scott's death in the icy wastes of Antarctica. It is also the story of a military force very different from any other, with a cast of individual personalities, from Sir Frances Drake and Captain James Cook to Charles Darwin and Sir Winston Churchill. But above all, the Royal Navy is part of the story of how one nation rose to global dominance without precedent and without equal, even today. But it also facilitated trade and communication with every other part of the planet. Thanks to its navy, the British Empire became the first truly global community, bound together by law, language, and commerce - and by the 'hearts of oak' of British ships and sailors. It created the first balance of power in Europe and helped to free the Continent from a succession of dictators, from Philip II of Spain and Louis XIV of France to Napoleon and Hitler. It ended the African slave trade, opened the Pacific Rim to international commerce, and established the bonds that hold together today's world.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Arthur Herman manages to tell the extraordinary story of the Royal Navy and its impact on modern history in a single compelling volume. Herman has written a marvellous book.' -- Saul David, Daily Telegraph 'TO RULE THE WAVES is a long and generous book. It is readable, vigorous and well-informed.' -- Spectator 'He's certainly written a rattling good book. He is one of those historians who know how to pile on the information and keep their readers turning the page.' -- Sunday Herald 'TO RULE THE WAVES is a riveting story told by a masterful historian.' -- Los Angeles Times

About the Author

Arthur Herman is the author of HOW THE SCOTS INVENTED THE MODERN WORLD, a New York Times bestseller, as well as THE IDEA OF DECLINE IN WESTERN HISTORY, and JOSEPH MCCARTHY. He has been a professor of history at Georgetown University, Catholic University, George Mason University, and the University of the South. He served as the coordinator of the Western Heritage Program at the Smithsonian and has been the recipient of Fulbright, Mellon, and Newcombe Foundation grants. He lives in Virginia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 672 pages
• Publisher: Hodder Pb (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340734191
• ISBN-13: 978-0340734193
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.9 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,519,994 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Almost perfect, August 9, 2006

By 

Lakan Kildap (Miami, Florida United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To Rule the Waves (Paperback)

This book is hard to put down, which is an enormous feat for a history book. It's NOT perfect, but since 4 stars isn't going to be fair, I have to give it a 5.

The book tells us the story of the British Navy from the days of Hawkins and Drake, to Robert Blake, to Vernon, Anson and Nelson, to Fisher and Jutland, to its decline post WW2, and to its mini-revival in the Falklands War. Through this book, we know, for example, that Britain didn't immediately become Mistress of the Sea after their defeat of the Spanish Armada. The Dutch did, ruling the sea for more than half a century. We also learn that while Spain declined after Armada, it was a l-o-n-g decline, the flow of silver from Latin America actually increased 100 years after 1588.

We learn about the so many near disasters during the long rivalry with France, from Louis XIV to Napoleon. That the demands of keeping the Navy may have led to the American Revolution. We learn about Dreadnought, and how it may have triggered WW1, which of course led to a lot of other terrible things. (TIME magazine called Gavrilo Princip the triggerman of the 20th century, this book tells us Dreadnought played a heavier hand than we realize.)

Churchill also takes a beating here, in both World Wars, but even a Churchill fan would welcome this other look at his hero, who was clearly a flawed great man.

Above all, we learn that the Navy earned its place of honor because of the courage, skill and determination of its officers and men, and because it had the fierce support of its politicians and its people. When the latter disappeared, when priorities shifted elsewhere, the Navy declined, but happily, the skill and courage of the men remained.

The storytelling is riveting, from beginning up to the time of Jutland. However, it suddenly drops off after that. Compared to the rest of the work, the author practically passes over WW2, when the Navy clearly was in decline. The British feat of breaking the German Enigma is credited almost solely to the codebreakers at Bletchley Park, even though it was also a Navy effort. It was the listening stations at Scapa Flow that picked up transmissions, and it was the men of the Royal Navy who seized the enigma machines from U-boats. One of them even died, sinking with the sub. Basically, the storytelling got thinner with the declining fortunes of the subject.

There were also confusing spellings of names. Boscawen's name appears in at least two versions, sometimes within two pages of one another. And in one battle with the French, the French flagship is first identified as the "Orient", then in subsequent paragraphs it becomes the "Orion". No small matter, especially because the "Orion" happens to be a British ship also fighting in the same battle.

Again, while that seems like a load of complaints, the book still rates a 5-star because:

"This book is hard to put down, which is an enormous feat for a history book."

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Readable Account Of a Vast Topic, July 18, 2008

By 

R. J. Marsella (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: To Rule the Waves (Paperback)

Arthur Herman has written a very balanced popular history of the British navy and it's importance to the development of world history over a period of 500 years. A topic this vast requires a monumental task of synthesis and his account is accessible and entertaining as well as enlightening to the general reader. With the added bonus of occasionally shedding light on the origins of certain terms that are used in every day speech that have nautical roots, the exploration of the amazing parade of historical characters that made the Royal Navy what it was ,To Rule The Waves is a wonderful read for anyone with an interest in European or Colonial history and especially for those with an interest in British history.

Characters from Drake to Raleigh to Cook to Nelson to Darwin and more populate this history and in Herman's account the historical threads that unite them all are clear if sometimes somewhat simplified to facilitate the narrative.

Some reviewers have pointed out some inaccuracies but I would say that for a subject of this scope he has done an admirable job of presenting a one volume history.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent History of the British Navy, June 18, 2008

By 

William J. Romanos "Bill Romanos, III" (Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: To Rule the Waves (Paperback)

This book was an excellent history of the British Navy. It has the great battles like Trafalgar - I especially learned a great deal about Nelson and his impact on the British Navy - as well as Winston Churchill's role in shaping the British Navy. I also learned a great deal about Elizabeth's response to the Spanish Armada and her mistreatment of her own seamen upon their return (or attempted return) to safety, as well as piracy and the British responses to it.

I really enjoyed this book. It's very comprehensive and thorough. All the stories within it are very interesting and the book is extremely well written.

If you like this book, you may also want to read the influential and very important book the Influence of Sea Power Upon History by Alfred Thayer Mahan written around 1890. Many of the leaders of the world's navies read it and it had a very big influence on them and their shaping of their navies and the commensurate Naval arms race that developed in the first half of the twentieth century (especially after World War I and prior to World War II).