An interesting view of history and the effect that the Navy had on it since the very beginning. He who rules the sea, rules the world.

Fascinating. His writing style and storytelling keep you informed and entertained at the same time. ( )

3958. To Rule the Waves: How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World, by Arthur Herman (read Nov 30, 2004) This is not a scholarly book but it tells well the fascinating story of the role the British Navy played from Elizabeth I's time till the end of the first World War. The author has a thesis to uphold, reflected in the title, and I think he does a good job showing that the British Navy was crucial to the world during the years of its heyday. The author, though a history professor at American universities, is pro-British, but not bothersomely so. He makes little mistakes, such as saying Mussolini invaded Yugoslavia in 1940 (rather than Greece) and that Wilson asked Congress to declare war on April 6, 1917, rather then than on Apr 2, 1917, and the book has no bibliography as such and not very good footnoting, but it was still a great book to read. ( )

Interesting. I learned a ton about early naval history. Francis Drake was amazing. The Spanish got a lot of treasure, for centuries. ( )

12/4/22