Conway Maritime Press - Warship 44

during the last Gladstone
Mnistry, and Iod
Roseberry's brief
Government" As the
highlight of a long political
career this period is wel,
represented among Spencer's
papers, which have only
recently been sent to the
British Library, where they
are still closed. This edition.
superbly edited, is rather
more general than naval
historians might require, but
as a study of late nineteenth
century politics it is
unrivalled. Coverage of the
naval administration, the
loss of the Victoria,
increases in construction
and the struggle for
estimates all feature. Fisher
also makes an appearance
as a forceful junior.
One area of naval interest
that is not mentioned is
Spencer's election as the
First President of the Navy
Records Society in 1893. The
support of leading political
figures gave the Society the
support it needed in the
early days. Spencer
demonstrated an
appreciation of history as
the record of experience that
contrasts favourably with
contemporary politicians. To
set an example Spencer
made the papers of the
Second Earl available to the
Society. These covered the
period 1794-1801 and were
edited in four volumes by Sir
Julian Corbett and Admiral
Herbert Richmond. Required
reading for the early stages
of the modern Royal Navy.
MAKERS OF
MODERN
STRATEGY: FROM
MACHIAVELLI TO
THE NUCLEAR AGE
Edited by Peter Paret
Oxford University Press,
235 x 155mm, 941pp
ISBN 0 19820097
8
(paperback) 972.95
This new collection uses the
title of E M Earle's epoch
making work of 1943. It is a
powerful demonstration of
the advances made in
scholarship in the past 25
years. Every essay now
deals with an existing
literature. raises a discussion
and attempts to improve our
level of understanding. For
those who wish to
understand the business of
war, from the intellectual
perspective, this is the finest
guide yet devised. As a
paperback it cannot be too
highly recommended.
THE
CONSTRUCTION
AND FITTING OF
THE SAILING MAN
oF wAR 1650-1850
Peter Goodwin
Conway Maritime kess,
295x 284mm, 288pp, 100
photographs, 300 line
drawings.
ISBN 0 851773265
f30.00
Where Boudriot provides an
exhaustive coverage of one
ship, Goodwin attempts the
more complex task of
dealing with 200 years of
development in the
construction, fitting and
machinery of the hull of the
British sailing warship. The
masts and rigging have
already been examined in
James Lees' book, Masting
and. Rigging. Ttre process of
evolution is well illustrated
by excellent drawings, and
explained in a manner that
emphasises the reasons for
change, rather than merely
noting that change had
taken place. There is a
tremendous amount of
information, much of it of
value to for the model maker
and tbchnical historian.
In one area, the same one
that all other authors on this
subject tend to neglect, the
coverage is not up to the
general standard. It has
always been assumed that
after Seppings completed his
work, in 1832, nothing
happened. This is not the
case. Much of the postwar
work of the Surveyor's
Department was taken up
with attempts to preserve
timber from dry rot.
'ncMainmast
I nloolg 4
Saxmundham, Suffolk,
lP17 1HZ, England
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