An Encyclopedia of Naval History - Softcover

Bruce, Anthony; Cogar, William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0816040680 ISBN 13: 9780816040681

Publisher: Checkmark Books, 1999

Synopsis

An Encyclopedia of Naval History details the evolution of naval history over the last five centuries. International in scope with a focus on the United States and Britain, the book provides descriptions of every notable naval engagement from 1571 onward, meticulously documenting background, main events, participants, and outcomes. Over 1,000 entries cover major sea battles, principal commanders, histories of individual ships and the development of warship technology from the sixteenth through the twentieth centuries, weapons and strategies, and naval tactics and organizations.

About this title

From Booklist

Anthony Bruce is the director of policy at the Committee of Vice Chancellors in England, and William Cogar is professor of naval history at the U.S. Naval Academy and director of the U.S. Naval Academy Museum. Both have authored several works on military history. Their latest effort is a comprehensive world naval history from approximately the beginning of the sixteenth century to the present. Arranged in an alphabetical two-column format, this work surveys technological advances, key battles, wars, commanders, navies, and ships. In addition there is some limited coverage of explorations, scientific discoveries, and research efforts.

The more than 1,000 entries range in length from a quarter of a page to several pages. Throughout the text, words in small capital letters designate see also references. Also, there are occasional see references, for example, Graf Spee see Admiral Graf Spee. Approximately one-third of the entries include bibliographic citations of one to five titles. Appropriately placed throughout the text are around 122 illustrations of black-and-white photographs and drawings. There are no maps or diagrams. Biographical entries provide birth and death years and information on careers and participation in conflicts. Entries on ships give years launched and taken out of service, weapons, ship length, displacement, crew size, and speed. Entries on wars include chronologies.

Assisting users are a thematic and a general index. A random check determined the indexes to be accurate. One significant error in the text and index was noted under the entry for Battle of the Java Sea in World War II. References are made to the cruiser Hasten, which, in fact, should be the cruiser Houston.

There are many outstanding naval histories for particular countries, but only a few general works that are comparable to this one. It is more current than A History of War and Sea by Helmut Pemsel (Naval Institute, 1989), which covers naval history from ancient times to the Vietnam era. An Encyclopedia of Naval History is well organized, current, and broad in coverage and should be considered for academic and public-library collections.

Review

" . . . an up-to-date and informative reference . . . The design of the book is elegant and the layout is user-friendly." -- Sea Power

"An all-you-really-need-to-know summary of the subject. . . . Should enjoy a busy life on the coffee tables of armchair adventurers." -- Lafayette Daily Advertiser, November 26, 1999

"In all, this will be a well-thumbed addition to the library of anyone pursuing naval studies, and a useful reference work for general readers whose reading takes them seaward from time to time." -- Sea History

About this edition

• Publisher: Checkmark Books
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0816040680
• ISBN 13: 9780816040681
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 448