Naval Warfare

Jeremy Black graduated from Cambridge University with a Starred First and did graduate work at Oxford University before teaching at the University of Durham and then at the University of Exeter, where he is professor emeritus of history. He is a 2018 Templeton Fellow of the Foreign Policy Research Institute. His recent books include Air Power: A Global History and Insurgency and Counterinsurgency: A Global History.

• AbbreviationsPrefaceChapter 1: The Age of the Ironclad, 1860-80Chapter 2: Naval Dreams and Races, 1880-1913Chapter 3: The First World War, 1914-18Chapter 4: Aftermath, 1919-31Chapter 5: Preparing for War, 1932-9Chapter 6: Naval Armageddon, 1939-45Chapter 7: Cold War: The Age of American Dominance, 1946-67Chapter 8: Cold War: America under Greater Challenge, 1967-89Chapter 9: After the Cold War, since 1990Chapter 10: Into the FutureChapter 11: ConclusionsNotesSelected Further ReadingIndex

The onset of steam powered and steel-clad naval vessels in the mid-19th century dramatically changed the character of naval warfare. The prolific Black (Univ. of Exeter), whose ability to write concise historical surveys is unparalleled, has written a succinct but robustly detailed narrative that superbly melds technological developments, industrial economics, and the geo-strategy of power projection, hallmarks of the modern sea power era. Most naval history focuses on the first half of the 19th century, but Black ushers in the era skillfully in his opening chapter and efficiently brings the story through the Cold War into contemporary analysis.... [A]s a wealth of information about modern naval wars, offered with Black’s usual eloquence and sprinkling of quirky but fascinating tidbits, this history is a compelling read.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries.