Warrior to Dreadnought: Warship Development 1860-1905

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic case study of warship development
Review: This book is not for the faint of heart. It is very detailed and technical. However, it is not prohibitive in its presentation, and anyone interested the capital ship design and development will already have the vocabulary under his belt to tackle this book. Yet, what this book offers is much more than a simple chronology of ship development. It provides telling insights into all the research and politics which went into making these 45 years, perhaps the most fecund in ship development, ever--the ships themselves were only the final products of a convoluted design process carried out in the face of both the comfort of unchallenged-empire, and the uncertainty as to the future of naval warfare. With this book (and ideally a copy of the now out-of-print but excellent Steam Steel and Shellfire) you'll be set to intelligently explore this very exciting period in warship design.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic case study of warship development
Review: Very detailed descriptions of the naval architecture of the Royal Navy from the introduction of the ironclad through to the Dreadnought. The details will be of interest to architects and constructors rather than the general reader. The text assumes a naval architect's background and vocabulary on the part of the reader. Mostly deals with capital ships in the Royal Navy. Not enough detail on either the personalities of individuals behind the ships, ship engagements during the period, or developments in the ships of the Royal Navy's competitor nations. Interesting diagrams and photographs.

Rating:
Summary: Focuses on detailed naval architecture of the Royal Navy.
Review: Very detailed descriptions of the naval architecture of the Royal Navy from the introduction of the ironclad through to the Dreadnought. The details will be of interest to architects and constructors rather than the general reader. The text assumes a naval architect's background and vocabulary on the part of the reader. Mostly deals with capital ships in the Royal Navy. Not enough detail on either the personalities of individuals behind the ships, ship engagements during the period, or developments in the ships of the Royal Navy's competitor nations. Interesting diagrams and photographs.