| To Rule the Waves: How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World (P.S.) | 
 enlarge | Author: Arthur Herman
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Category: Book
List Price: $15.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  54 reviews
Sales Rank: 52471
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 688
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.4 x 1.5
ISBN: 0060534257
Dewey Decimal Number: 941
EAN: 9780060534257
ASIN: 0060534257
Publication Date: November 1, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Iam not a historian February 6, 2007
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
Good introduction to British navy exploits
I learned more from reading a book about Tea and Cotton than this book and it was a lot smaller also
The ship building race was a bit interesting though overall I think it was a good read, learn how they cured scurvy and all
But whatever
 Lively explanation for English exceptionalism January 10, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Recommended to me by an Anglophile, I was leery of this history book. But it was great fun to read, and put into context much of the British success as colonialists. It also recalled the amazing days of the wooden fighting ship, and highlighted the devastating effect of the submarine on modern naval warfare. While some reviewers have quibbled over details, these hardly matter to the sweeping story.
Great history of an interesting force December 20, 2006
The history of the British Navy is a fascinating subject and this book is an excellent start. NAM Rodger is doing the masterpiece work but it is still not complete and only two volumes are out so this book fills in during the meantime. The writing is very good and it covers Britain from the days of the Vikings through the Falklands. Drakes raids are very well covered and make for one of the most interesting parts of the book. For a one book summary of British Naval History this cannot be beat.
Outstanging Perspective and Reads Easy November 10, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is an excellent history of the British Navy and reads like an adventure novel in most places. I didn't expect to have a history book read as a 'page-turner' and really enjoyed the time. There are a few areas in the book where I admittedly found it hard to be enthused. These coensided with the periods in the British Navy when things were slow.
I have a different perspective on the importance of the domination of the British Navy and their role in shaping the modern world. It's also an important perspective to have on the relevance of superpower(s) today and their role. I recommend.
 Interesting but VERY flawed June 3, 2006
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
The concept for the book is good--perform a historical survey that pulls together the history of the British navy and its influence on England/UKs role and presence in the world. Mr. Herman has a very readable style.
That said, there are three critical flaws that every reader should be aware of in this book:
1) There are numerous historical errors and incorrect facts sprinkled through this book.
2) Mr. Herman appears to shape, twist and manipulate the historical record to fit his interpretations of events. It isn't so much that he stretches his interpretation to match events, as that he manipulates results of events and glosses over important aspects of them so that they don't interfere with his view.
3) The most dangerous of these flaws, especially coupled with the above two issues, is that Mr. Herman uses this book as a platform to advance his particular views on politics and economics. If you want to argue against international arms control treaties, write a book or essay or article about don't. Don't place a random, unsupported sentence in a book that purports to be a history of the British Navy.
Overall, this book introduced me to a number of areas of the history of the British Navy that I had not been well acquainted with, but whatever I learned, I now have to call in question because of Herman's poor attention to historical accuracy, willingness to twist the historical record and desire to use this book as a piece of propoganda.
If you are interested in naval history, this is NOT a good starting point. This is an interesting book if you have a sufficient background to recognize where Mr. Herman makes his mistakes and takes his liberties.
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