The Encyclopedia of Sea Warfare: From the First Ironclads to the Present Day

Sea Warfare is a detailed account of World War 1 and World War 2 naval warfare from a British perspective, book-ended by more general sections on the evolution of battleships from the ironclad to the Dreadnought, and looking towards the 1975 future of guided missiles and anti-submarine warfare. The book is one of those oddly nostalgic British Empire projects, organized by a bunch of men who grew up thinking they’d rule the world, and instead the best they can manage is caretaking a legacy. For all that, it’s comprehensive on what it covers, and while I wished for a little more context on shipbuilding during the Dreadnought race and interwar period, and the use of radar as a revolutionary technology, there’s a lot here. The best feature by far is the artwork; over 250 large photos, paintings, and elevation drawings of warships.