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A. T. Mahan

The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783 (Dover Military History, Weapons, Armor) Paperback – November 1, 1987

by A. T. Mahan (Author)

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First published almost a century ago, this classic text on the history and tactics of naval warfare had a profound effect on the imperial policies of all the major powers. Kaiser Wilhelm is said to have "devoured" this book, and it was avidly read by presidents (including both Roosevelts), kings, prime ministers, admirals, and chancellors.
This book was the work of noted U.S. naval officer and historian Alfred Mahan (1840–1914), who argued that despite great changes and scientific advances in naval weaponry, certain principle of naval strategy remain constant, and nations ignore them at their peril. Credited with stimulating the growth of modern navies in leading countries of the world, the text remains a basic authority on the strategy of naval warfare and is still used in the war colleges.
Demonstrating through historical examples that the rise and fall of seapower (and of nations) has always been linked with commercial and military command of the seas, Mahan describes successful naval strategies employed in the past — from Greek and Roman times through the Napoleonic wars. Focusing primarily on England's rise as a sea power in the 18th century, the book provides not only an overview of naval tactics, but a lucid exposition of geographical, economic, and social factors governing the maintenance of sea power.
The work is carefully written and exceptionally well-documented; moreover, the author's clear, well-thought-out text avoids technical language, making it accessible to a nonprofessional audience. In addition, four maps and a profusion of plans of naval battles help the reader grasp the strategy and tactics involved in some of the history's greatest maritime conflicts. In this inexpensive edition, the book represents an indispensable sourcebook for statesmen, diplomats, strategists, and naval commanders as well as students of history and international affairs. Although ships, weapons, and the global balance of power have altered greatly since 1890, the lessons taught here so vividly and compellingly are still applicable today. Includes 4 maps, 24 battle plans.

Print length

656 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Dover Publications
Publication date

November 1, 1987
Dimensions

5.41 x 1.35 x 8.49 inches
ISBN-10

0486255093
ISBN-13

978-0486255095
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dover Publications; Revised ed. edition (November 1, 1987)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 656 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0486255093
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0486255095
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.46 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.41 x 1.35 x 8.49 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #682,429 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,029 in Conventional Weapons & Warfare History (Books)
- #1,518 in History of Civilization & Culture
- #1,792 in Naval Military History

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280 ratings

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5 star		68%
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3 star		8%
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DaveF

Definitely a special interest book.

Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2018

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I read this book primarily because of its great influence on decision makers and strategists when it was first published in 1890. A.T. Mahan has been described as one of the most influential authors of his time. Mahan was a career naval officer (Captain), Naval Academy graduate, and lecturer at the U.S. Naval War College.
The book is not and never was written for the general interest reader (like me). The reader must have an in-depth knowledge of European Wars (particularly naval actions) of the book's time frame. Additionally, the reader needs to intimately understand square-rigger sailing and fighting. The book is dense, repetitive, and its prose is not very good. Except for descriptions of naval engagements, which I found informative, I skimmed a good deal of the book. I'm also not sure all of Mahan's broad conclusions make sense. To be fair, though I have the benefit of hindsight.
I would only recommend this book to those highly interested in Mahan or his subject. One note: the kindle version is free on Amazon.

13 people found this helpful

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Diogenes

Maybe The Single Most Influential Book of the Late 19th Century

Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2020

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This is a studied analysis of its stated subject matter that caused a worldwide sensation when published. From what I've read, Wilhelm II, Kaiser of Germany, was so influenced by it that he gave copies to others in his cabinet and armed forces to read. And, he decided that Germany needed a blue water fleet to become a great nation resulting in the early 20th century naval rivalry with Great Britain that helped precipitate WW I.
It's a highly analytical read and it makes one consider what happened in WW II when it was the US versus Japan. And, in this day and age, it makes one consider its implications when you consider China's creeping hegemony in SE Asia. Well, as Santayana said, "Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it." A sobering thought for these times.
As Churchill once said, "The terrible ifs of history accumulate", so what if this had not been published? Maybe, no GB versus Germany naval rivalry; maybe Britain stays out of a continental war in 1914 resulting in a German victory over France and Imperial Russia; maybe, no US involvement in WW I but also, maybe a 1920s or 1930s war with Japan. Yes, the terrible ifs accumulate. So, the book's subject matter is one thing, but it's implications to the world are the main things to consider even 130 years after its publication. A sobering thought.

4 people found this helpful

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Bergsy

The publisher should be hanged.

Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2020

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I seemed to have received a different book than did other reviewers who were very negative about the physical product. Unfortunately mine is awful too. Why? First, it's an 8 1/2 x 10 1/2 in paperback, so it flops all over; it's hard to hold, impossible to make notes on, etc. Second problem with this: the long lines slow the reader down considerably every time s/he comes to the end of a line and has to find the beginning of the next one. This size page should not be used for print content, and should always be in hardback regardless of the content. How much money was saved by this travesty? Second, less important but showing the bad effects of the same stinginess, the maps and illustrations, which should add so much to a book such as this, are so badly reproduced as to be almost useless.

DO NOT BUY THIS EDITION! If you want to read this famous treatise, get yourself a decent edition.

5 people found this helpful

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Gen X survivor

Classic of sea power

Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2018

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Mahan's work well deserves its reputation as a classic. While his bias towards sea power is evident (and understandable, given that he was writing with an eye to political effect), he lucidly and cogently explains how sea power is underestimated as a critical "tip the balance" force in the wars of the Baroque and Enlightenment era. His arguments about the necessary of maintaining control of the seas are still highly relevant, and his pointed rejoinders to the supporters of the school of commerce-raiding, namely, that commerce raiding will be no more than a nuisance if you maintain control of the seas through a battle fleet, still ring true. This book is also a vivid depiction of strategic thinking in the late 19th century, with its emphasis on markets, coaling stations, lines of communication and so forth. In some ways the work is dated -- Mahan could not foresee the development of aviation, for example, or long range persistent submarines, both of which have obviously forever altered naval warfare -- its core strategic insights (seek out the centre of gravity of the opposing fleet, don't be distracted by secondary objectives, etc, are still valid. The only sections that clearly are of purely historical interests are those where he dwells on tactical ship handling in the age of sail. The lack of diagrams in this Kindle version make following his decriptions of specific battles very difficult (I frankly skimmed them and went straight to the concluding remarks in each chapter). Still very worth reading to the modern naval scholar.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Great Book, Terrible Format

Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2021

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While every serious military theorist will want to read A.T. Mahan’s classic, this edition is close to unreadable. The book is 8.5 inches wide, while the font is a standard size. This results in lines of text that are extremely difficult to track and read. The text should have been printed in two columns. Instead, the reader is forced to follow along with a guiding hand on the page so as not to skip a line. To make matters worse, the maps and illustrations are not scaled to the oversize page. Rather, they are small and literally impossible to read without a magnifying glass.

One person found this helpful

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james childress

Great work. Tiny font.

Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2021

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My criticism is of the printing rather than the work itself. Want to read about sea power? Then get a magnifying glass because you're going to need see power. Bad pun, but seriously, the book is a classic on sea power yet the cover is of a wooded trail. It doesn't have to have a cover with big, wooden ships blowing each other apart on but a trail? It's like the publisher is suggesting a walk in the woods rather enduringn this edition. So get a different version you can actually read.

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gwb

Authoritative and comprehensive but not easy to read.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 14, 2019

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This is a large A 4 size book which initially gives the impression of being a just a sheaf of photocopied pages bound together.
The font used is tiny and there are few gaps to relieve the eye. Many pages are simply composed of a mass of print.
The illustrations are few and far between and comprise only of grey scale drawings and ink sketches.
Very disappointing, would suggest a completely revised edition with the above pints in mind

Denny H

The First Naval Strategist?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 25, 2013

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The major writings of A T Mahan are his two volume work on the Royal Navy and the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars. This book charts the rise of the Royal Navy from 1660 and the challenge of the Dutch and Spanish, to the end of the American War of Independence. It begins with its introduction and first chapter setting out his concepts of naval strategy before studying the rise of the Royal Navy as a projection of national power and influence upon the world. Mahan uses the writings of Jomini and his major work on Napoleonic strategy, 'The Art of War', as the basis of his study on naval power, detailing force structure as well as logistics and how sea power can affect commerce and trade. A T Mahan is credited with being one of the first major thinkers on naval strategy and deserves to be read with that caveat in mind. An easy and informative read that leads you on to his major work.

4 people found this helpful

Dsf

a classic

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 27, 2011

Verified Purchase

Mahan's work is one of the most influential histories ever written. Its impact upon the naval policy and strategy of the Great Powers in the period 1890-1914 is difficult to overstate.

Mahan provides a clear and compelling case for the primacy of naval power in the modern world using the history of the period 1660-1783 as a foundation for his theories.

Mahan remains one of the finest strategic theorists. Mahan did for seapower what Clausewitz did for war on land: he gave a doctrinal basis for future strategic decisions.

Mahan's work is a classic of naval history, but is, more importantly, a superb explanation of naval strategy.

9 people found this helpful

Carl Evans

Good content challenging presentation

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 23, 2019

Verified Purchase

This is a reprint version. The subject matter is excellent however the print version is challenging to read. This is due to the text being spread over the wide pages. The presentation could be improved by reducing the width of the publication or presenting the text in two columns on the page.

vivien cringle

SEA POWER

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 14, 2013

Verified Purchase

Influence of Sea Power upon History.
Have heard about this book for years, especially when on exchange duty with the United States Navy. Understand it is part of Officer Training Required Reading.
Have read and re-read the book, its suprising that it takes an American naval captain to encapsulate British Royal Naval history.
If you are at all interested in naval actions and battles this is a MUST.

One person found this helpful

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