| 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:
 Excellent and Well Written November 29, 2005
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Written by the highly regarded author Arthur Herman, this book was just recently published by Harper Collins. As a general comment this is not a narrow navy history book. In fact this is an impressive general interest history book that it will likely become a best seller. It manages to be comprehensive and well written, informative but entertaining. It does what a good book should do for the general reader - fill in many historical details since around 1500 and the time of the Tudors and Henry VIII to the present day. This was when the new world was discovered first by Columbus and others. The Royal Navy had its fitst growth spurt from 5 to 50 ships under the rule of Henry VIII. The author does all of this in an easy to read fashion.
In some places the book is written in an easy flowing style almost like a novel, such as a Hornblower book or similar. Often he takes us through hurricanes, Atlantic storms and other adventures describing the scenes blow by blow with quotes from the participants. Other parts of the book contain reviews and discussions of historical developments and English politics. There are numerous references at the back of the book to support the quotations and details - about 50 pages of source notes.
It is approximately 600 pages long and contains about eleven maps showing naval actions. It covers the history of the Royal Navy and its role in stopping Napoleon and projecting British power and helping colonial expansion around the world. It is very broad and wide ranging covering twenty two different topics in chronological order.
The book starts with a dramatic description of John Hawkins an early English sailor and his group of five ships making their way through a tropical hurricane in the Caribbean in 1568 and their battle with Spanish treasure ships at San Juan de Ulloa. He goes to provide background information on England and the build up of the navy starting with Henry VIII, and its challenge to the large Spanish empire stretching from Tunisia to Manilla. Spain at that time received much wealth from silver mines in Peru and Mexico and was vulnerable on the open seas and small ports where the goods were transported.
We read of Frobisher in the North Atlantic, Drake and his ship the Pelican in the Pacific, his secret around the world voyage, Elizabeth and the defeat of the Spanish Armada in the channel in 1588, English pirate ships (privateers), Cromwell and the 133 ship navy, and the consolidation of Scotland, Ireland, and England as a single political entity.
We read of Anson and his many management changes to the navy in the mid 1700's, then a breakdown and loss of control of the seas in 1780 including simultaneous troubles in Gibraltar, America, and the West Indies with a land war in America. America was lost but Rodney stopped the French in Martinique and reversed the downward trend of the Royal Navy. We learn of new ship technology, political and historical changes, and more.
The book continues and takes us through the Napoleonic era and World War I. that takes to approximately page 520. The rest of the book - about 50 pages or so describes the end of the dominance by the Royal Navy, then briefly the second World War and some information albeit brief on the Falkland crisis.
This is a very well written book that is informative and easy to read. An obvious 5 stars.
Good Overview of the Royal Navy November 8, 2005
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I thought this was a well-written work that described how the Royal Navy developed, changed and finally went into decline. Troublesome were the small errors I found in areas I knew something about. That led me to believe that in areas I was not familiar with there were additional errors. None of the errors were critical to the story, but annoying nevertheless. For example, Theodore Roosevelt was never Secretary of the Navy; he was the assistant secretary. Good fact checking would have caught this error.
Brilliant and accessible October 26, 2005
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
One of the best history books I have ever read, filled with fascinating asides explaining how much we take for granted came to be. Absolutely fantastic! I couldn't put it down.
 How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World October 21, 2005
1 out of 29 found this review helpful
I had received this book, (and is not the first time), with
the paper cut as with and hand saw.
One of the most one-sided, biased books ever. October 14, 2005
10 out of 33 found this review helpful
I am disappointed, Mr Herman's book is one of the most one-sided, very anglo-centric books I have ever came across.
In the introduction Mr Herman wrote: "Other nations might have built a modern unified world, but they probably would not have done it as quickly, efficiently, elegantly - or as humanely"
Elegantly ?
Humanely ?
So the multi-century naval warfare, all the conquests around the world, economic exploatation, all the slavery, the blood, the famine in India, the Opium Wars in China, the colonies etc. - all this is humane and elegant ??
Mr Herman described the British in XIX century as:
"...an orderly state system that prefers peace to war..."
Prefers peace to war ? Who ? Surely not the British, it seems like the continuous wars benefited Britain very well:
1751-1763 Conquest of India
1756-1763 War in West Indies
1762 Philippines
1767-1771 First Mysore War
1775-1783 American War of Independence
1778-1783 War with France and Spain
1776-1782 First Mahratta War
1793-1799 and 1813-1814 Netherlands Campaigns
1795 and 1806 Cape of Good Hope
1793-1800 Mediterranean Campaigns
1795-1796 and 1814-1818 Ceylon
1798 Irish Rebellion
1801 and 1807 Denmark
1801 and 1807 Egypt Campaign
1803-1805 and 1809-1815 West Indies Campaign
1806-1812 Italy and Mediterranean
1806-1807 South American War (Argentine, Chile)
1808-1814 War in Spain and Portugal
1809 Walcheren
1809 and 1819-1821 Arabia
1814-1816 Nepal Campaign
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