Battleship Books

[Mike Malanaphy]

Hi Guys,

Just thought I would start a list of battleship references that I have and you can add others that might be useful as well. Most of these are technical, but I have a number of operational hisories as well.

Raven and Roberts: "British Batttleships of World War II"
Burt, R.A.: "Britsh Battleships 1886-1904"
Burt, R.A.: "British Battleships of World War I"
Burt, R.A.: "British Battleships 1919-1939"
Weyer, Seigfried: "Battleships and Battlecruisers 1905-1970"
Weyer, Seigfried: "Battleships of the World 1905-1970"
Brown, D.K.: "Warrior to Dreadnought"
Brown, D. K.: "The Grand Fleet"
Brown, D.K.: "Nelson to Vanguard"
Friedman, Norman: Battleship Design and Development 1905-1945"
Friedman, Norman: "US Battleships An Illustrated Design History"
Friedman, Norman: "Firepower - Battleship Gunnery"
Hodges. Peter: "The Big Gun"
Muir, Malcom: "he Iowa Class Battleships"
Sumrall, Robert: "Iowa Class battleships"
Dulin and Garzke: "US Battleships" 1st and 2nd Editions
Dulin and Garzke: "Allied battleships"
Dulin and Garzke: "Axis and Allied battleships"
Tarrant, V.E.: "Battleship Warspite"
Tarrant, V.E.: "The King George V Battleships"
Hough, Richard: "Dreadnought"
Parkes, Oscar: "British Battleships"
Anatomy of the Ship: "Dreadnought"
Anatomy of the Ship: "Bismarck"
Anatomy of the Ship: "Battleship Yamato"
Anatomy of the Ship: "Warspite"
Whitley, M. J.: "German Capital Ships of WW II"
Whitley, M. J.: "Battleships of WW II"
Roberts, Allan: "Battlecruisers"
Johnston: "Battleships"
Preston, Anthony: "Battleship"
Gibbons, Tony: "Battleships"
Humble, Richard: "Battleships and Battlecruisers"
Sturton, Ian: "Conway's All the World's Battleships"
Ireland, Bernard: "Janes Battleships of the 20th Century"
Taylor, Bruce: "HMS Hood: An Illustrated Biography"
Chesneau, Roger: "Hood"
Preston, Anthony: "Battleships of World War I"
Reilly, John: "Operational History of Fast Battleships"
Reilly and Scheina: "American Battleships 1886-1923"
Greger, Rene: "Battleships of the World"
Gerhard and Koop: "Battleships of the Bismarck Class"
Gerhard and Koop: "Battleships of the Scharnhorst Class"
Gerhard and Koop: "Pocket Battleships of the Deucshland Class"
Herzog and Elfrath" "The Battleship Bismarck"
McLaughlin, Stephen: "Russian and Soviet battleships"
Buxton, Ian: "Big Gun Monitors"
Brooks, John: "Dreadnought Gunnery"
Sumida, Jon: "In Defense of Naval Supremacy"
Jordan, John: "French battleships 1922-1956"
Doubleday "Navies of the Second World War"
Doubleday and Allen: Navies of World War I and World War II series
Various Ensign and Man O'War monographs
Bagnasco: "Regia Marina Italian Battleships"

I started collecting when I was 13 or 14 with the Double Day volumes and Hough's "Dreadnought" really fired my imagination. The quality and detail of information has vastly improved over the years starting in the mid 70s. The advent of the internet was a boon as I could search for those books I saw listed in other reference's bibliographies.

[Vince O'Hara]

Quite a list, Mike, and up to date. You even have Jordan's French Battleships. The only gap I immediately see is Whitney's Battleships of WWII and German Battleships of WWII. Bagnasco's Le navi da battaglia, classe Littorio can also be mentioned. What did you think of Brooks?
Vince

[Ed Rotondaro]

Hi Guys,

Just thought I would start a list of battleship references that I have and you can add others that might be useful as well. Most of these are technical, but I have a number of operational hisories as well.

Raven and Roberts: "British Batttleships of World War II"
Burt, R.A.: "Britsh Battleships 1886-1904"
Burt, R.A.: "British Battleships of World War I"
Burt, R.A.: "British Battleships 1919-1939"
Weyer, Seigfried: "Battleships and Battlecruisers 1905-1970"
Weyer, Seigfried: "Battleships of the World 1905-1970"
Brown, D.K.: "Warrior to Dreadnought"
Brown, D. K.: "The Grand Fleet"
Brown, D.K.: "Nelson to Vanguard"
Friedman, Norman: Battleship Design and Development 1905-1945"
Friedman, Norman: "US Battleships An Illustrated Design History"
Friedman, Norman: "Firepower - Battleship Gunnery"
Hodges. Peter: "The Big Gun"
Muir, Malcom: "he Iowa Class Battleships"
Sumrall, Robert: "Iowa Class battleships"
Dulin and Garzke: "US Battleships" 1st and 2nd Editions
Dulin and Garzke: "Allied battleships"
Dulin and Garzke: "Axis and Allied battleships"
Tarrant, V.E.: "Battleship Warspite"
Tarrant, V.E.: "The King George V Battleships"
Hough, Richard: "Dreadnought"
Parkes, Oscar: "British Battleships"
Anatomy of the Ship: "Dreadnought"
Anatomy of the Ship: "Bismarck"
Anatomy of the Ship: "Battleship Yamato"
Anatomy of the Ship: "Warspite"
Whitley, M. J.: "German Capital Ships of WW II"
Whitley, M. J.: "Battleships of WW II"
Roberts, Allan: "Battlecruisers"
Johnston: "Battleships"
Preston, Anthony: "Battleship"
Gibbons, Tony: "Battleships"
Humble, Richard: "Battleships and Battlecruisers"
Sturton, Ian: "Conway's All the World's Battleships"
Ireland, Bernard: "Janes Battleships of the 20th Century"
Taylor, Bruce: "HMS Hood: An Illustrated Biography"
Chesneau, Roger: "Hood"
Preston, Anthony: "Battleships of World War I"
Reilly, John: "Operational History of Fast Battleships"
Reilly and Scheina: "American Battleships 1886-1923"
Greger, Rene: "Battleships of the World"
Gerhard and Koop: "Battleships of the Bismarck Class"
Gerhard and Koop: "Battleships of the Scharnhorst Class"
Gerhard and Koop: "Pocket Battleships of the Deucshland Class"
Herzog and Elfrath" "The Battleship Bismarck"
McLaughlin, Stephen: "Russian and Soviet battleships"
Buxton, Ian: "Big Gun Monitors"
Brooks, John: "Dreadnought Gunnery"
Sumida, Jon: "In Defense of Naval Supremacy"
Jordan, John: "French battleships 1922-1956"
Doubleday "Navies of the Second World War"
Doubleday and Allen: Navies of World War I and World War II series
Various Ensign and Man O'War monographs
Bagnasco: "Regia Marina Italian Battleships"

I started collecting when I was 13 or 14 with the Double Day volumes and Hough's "Dreadnought" really fired my imagination. The quality and detail of information has vastly improved over the years starting in the mid 70s. The advent of the internet was a boon as I could search for those books I saw listed in other reference's bibliographies.

Mike:

Quite a library. It's scary to think of how many of those titles I have acquired since 2003 when I started posting on the forums. My wife groans whenever she sees a new book arrive.:D

[Mike Malanaphy]

Quite a list, Mike, and up to date. You even have Jordan's French Battleships. The only gap I immediately see is Whitney's Battleships of WWII and German Battleships of WWII. Bagnasco's Le navi da battaglia, classe Littorio can also be mentioned. What did you think of Brooks?
Vince

Hi Vince,

It's been a longtime hobby starting at 14 with those Doubleday "Navies of the Second World War" volumes. I haven't tried to look for the Italian volumes, though I have a 10 year old paper English language volume on Italian Battleships of WW II by Bagnasco. Are you referring to Whitley rather than Whitney, as I have both of his volumes by those titles.


I enjoyed Brook's book. His primary thesis was to dispute Sumida's contention that Dreyer stole from Pollen and aced him out of his contract with his RN connections. He argues that the post war government settlement with Dreyer was not necessary as the machines are not the same. The point of contention if I remember was the mechanical means used as an "integrator" or differetial calculator. Even so, the post war Admiralty Fire Control Tables used a large amount of Pollen's ideas. He is a mechanical engineer so he may know of where he speaks. Brooks details that the Dreyer machine was pretty well designed prior to Pollen having a full scale working device. Pollen also demanded payments for work not done and threatened to sell his device to foreign powers if his price was not met.

I had problems with his language in describing the differences between "true course", virtual, and range plotting, but fortunately Friedman's book on fire control covers that in a format even I can understand. : ) Of special interest is Brook's coverage of the tables in combat. The 12" BCs of the 2nd and 3rd BCSs had no tables and used manual plotting for fire control at Jutland. He compares the results between the Dreyer equipped Big Cats and Queen Mary which had a Pollen clock fitted. His conclusion is that Beatty's poor tactics were more a hamper to the BCs gunnery than the fire control tables. While he does not address Hood specifically, Brooks claimed that the Dreyer table was able to deal with large range change rates, an argument used against Hood's MK V Dreyer table she fought Bismarck with. An unremarked upon Pollen contribution was his gyro stabilization mounts used on all RN battleship rangefinders in the war. The gyros stabilized the mount in the horizontal plane so the yaw of maneuvering would not slow down the number of range cuts taken.

[thevanderploegs]

(wipes up drool...) I have a few of those. (turns green again with envy...) Hmmm...book envy...what would Freud say about that?

Gary

[Vince O'Hara]

[quote=Mike Malanaphy;36793]Hi Vince,

Are you referring to Whitley rather than Whitney, as I have both of his volumes by those titles. quote]

Yes, I was. I missed them when I scanned your list. Shows how long it was.

I think Brooks had a firm grasp on his subject and for a non-trivial treatment of a complicated subject (well, complicated for me, anyway) he did a great job. I think Friedman tried to cover too much. I also didn't like the organization where so much of the content was in lengthy notes and captions. Still, his book is indispensible.

Vince

[Mike Malanaphy]

[quote=Mike Malanaphy;36793]Hi Vince,

Are you referring to Whitley rather than Whitney, as I have both of his volumes by those titles. quote]

Yes, I was. I missed them when I scanned your list. Shows how long it was.

I think Brooks had a firm grasp on his subject and for a non-trivial treatment of a complicated subject (well, complicated for me, anyway) he did a great job. I think Friedman tried to cover too much. I also didn't like the organization where so much of the content was in lengthy notes and captions. Still, his book is indispensible.

Vince

Hi Vince,

Fortunately, they complement each other for a layman like me. He had an explanation of the types of plotting accompanied by a small diagram of the three types and voila. I had read that section in Brooks a number of times and was still puzzled. I'm still a little cloudy on "helm free". : ) I often tout his volume on "Battleship Design and Developement 1905-1945" as a primer on battleships and if you could only have one battleship book that would be the one to have. It's a shame it hasn't been reprinted. His photo captions often contain more information than a lot of books. His book on "Naval Radar" is another classic I refer to a lot.

This era has always been fascinating to me as it represents the start of the steep upwards curve of technology on naval ship design and warfare. Marine propulsion, gunnery control, the mountings themselves and ammunition, sonar, SIGINT, and radar. I have read descriptions of how an Elizabethan sailor would not have difficulty serving on a a 1860 steam ship of the line, but a mere 30 years later would be in an entirely world for him.

[Ed Rotondaro]

(wipes up drool...) I have a few of those. (turns green again with envy...) Hmmm...book envy...what would Freud say about that?

Gary

Gary:

Freud would have prescribed more bookshelves!:)

[Ed Rotondaro]

[QUOTE=Vince O'Hara;36798]

Hi Vince,

Fortunately, they complement each other for a layman like me. He had an explanation of the types of plotting accompanied by a small diagram of the three types and voila. I had read that section in Brooks a number of times and was still puzzled. I'm still a little cloudy on "helm free". : ) I often tout his volume on "Battleship Design and Developement 1905-1945" as a primer on battleships and if you could only have one battleship book that would be the one to have. It's a shame it hasn't been reprinted. His photo captions often contain more information than a lot of books. His book on "Naval Radar" is another classic I refer to a lot.

This era has always been fascinating to me as it represents the start of the steep upwards curve of technology on naval ship design and warfare. Marine propulsion, gunnery control, the mountings themselves and ammunition, sonar, SIGINT, and radar. I have read descriptions of how an Elizabethan sailor would not have difficulty serving on a a 1860 steam ship of the line, but a mere 30 years later would be in an entirely world for him.

Mike:

I agree. Friedman's book should be updated and reprinted for sure. I can't believe he can't convince the Naval Institute Press to do this. Unless of course it would be a lot of work on his part. After seeing his book on British DDs and Frigates, it makes me wonder if he plans on a series of warship books on the Royal Navy.

[old_pop2000]

[quote=Mike Malanaphy;36816]

Mike:

I agree. Friedman's book should be updated and reprinted for sure. I can't believe he can't convince the Naval Institute Press to do this. Unless of course it would be a lot of work on his part. After seeing his book on British DDs and Frigates, it makes me wonder if he plans on a series of warship books on the Royal Navy.

Let's see, the last battleship commissioned was in 1946... HMS Vanguard. Hmmmm! Think anything has really changed since Friedman's last book? There are soooooo many different naval subjects to write about that are more germane to today's world, than those dinosaurs....and we all know what happened to the dinosaurs. Poof!!

[Ed Rotondaro]

[quote=Ed Rotondaro;36880]

Let's see, the last battleship commissioned was in 1946... HMS Vanguard. Hmmmm! Think anything has really changed since Friedman's last book? There are soooooo many different naval subjects to write about that are more germane to today's world, than those dinosaurs....and we all know what happened to the dinosaurs. Poof!!

Dennis:

Perhaps you don't understand what the book's about? Do you have a copy? It covers battleship design and what trades are made to achieve the end result. There are certainly things to be added to that book and it certainly belongs back in print. So if a ship is obsolete we don't write baout it any more? Nothing about frigates or ships of the line? Nothing about anything that's not modern? Even though we have zap experience with them in combat? Just curious old friend. :rolleyes:

[old_pop2000]

[quote=old_pop2000;36881]

Dennis:

Perhaps you don't understand what the book's about? Do you have a copy? It covers battleship design and what trades are made to achieve the end result. There are certainly things to be added to that book and it certainly belongs back in print. So if a ship is obsolete we don't write baout it any more? Nothing about frigates or ships of the line? Nothing about anything that's not modern? Even though we have zap experience with them in combat? Just curious old friend. :rolleyes:

Ed:
I know the subject matter, the book covers. It costs over $100 for a used copy, so I probably won't buy it. I have his US Battleships, Naval Firepower and others, which give me more information than I will ever need about battleships. Money is not the problem. I applaud those of you who have thousands of books. I believe that there is more to learn about many subjects in naval history. However, I do not believe that more information is really necessary about battleship design.

BTW, I assume you know that Dr. Friedman is a theoretical Physicist by training. I suspect that he has simply moved on to other avenues of research like network centric warfare. I intend to purchase his book on network centric warfare, in the future. His book on British destroyers and Frigates should be a great book.

[Mike Malanaphy]

[quote=Ed Rotondaro;36889]

Ed:
I know the subject matter, the book covers. It costs over $100 for a used copy, so I probably won't buy it. I have his US Battleships, Naval Firepower and others, which give me more information than I will ever need about battleships. Money is not the problem. I applaud those of you who have thousands of books. I believe that there is more to learn about many subjects in naval history. However, I do not believe that more information is really necessary about battleship design.

BTW, I assume you know that Dr. Friedman is a theoretical Physicist by training. I suspect that he has simply moved on to other avenues of research like network centric warfare. I intend to purchase his book on network centric warfare, in the future. His book on British destroyers and Frigates should be a great book.

Hi Guys,

The benefit to this volume by Friedman for layman like me is his discussion of the design practices and the real world tradeoffs that need to be made are all explained in one well written volume. I have always lauded the book as a primer and would suggest it as a basic, but essential reference to any naval buff's library no matter how limited it is. Compared to his other works, the volume is small but an excellent example of how effectively he can concentrate tons of information in text and picture captions. Especially useful are the same scale drawings of varous types of protection schemes and comparisons between like ships. You can see Bismarck, KG V, Yamato, North Carolina, South Dakota, and Iowa next to each other and absorb the information easily.

Since it was written, there is more design information available through declassification and other author's research, but it would not necessarily improve his book. I would suggest a section on gunnery and sensors ala his companion volume on "Modern Warships" to add a little more to the volume. This could be easily condensed from his other works if necessary. Friedman has been writing for almost 30 years so he may be wanting to retire or as Dennis mentions tackle new subjects.

I have Friedman's and D.K. Brown's works on RN ships and they make for interesting comparisions. Brown has the access, the inside story, and work experience over many years as a ship designer where Friedman has a more academic approach and as always his books are chock full of information. They complement each other, but I would give the edge to Friedman in terms of information value.

Perhaps google books will be a source of access for these out of print classics that may not be in your local library.

[old_pop2000]

[quote=old_pop2000;36895]

Hi Guys,

The benefit to this volume by Friedman for layman like me is his discussion of the design practices and the real world tradeoffs that need to be made are all explained in one well written volume. I have always lauded the book as a primer and would suggest it as a basic, but essential reference to any naval buff's library no matter how limited it is. Compared to his other works, the volume is small but an excellent example of how effectively he can concentrate tons of information in text and picture captions. Especially useful are the same scale drawings of varous types of protection schemes and comparisons between like ships. You can see Bismarck, KG V, Yamato, North Carolina, South Dakota, and Iowa next to each other and absorb the information easily.

Since it was written, there is more design information available through declassification and other author's research, but it would not necessarily improve his book. I would suggest a section on gunnery and sensors ala his companion volume on "Modern Warships" to add a little more to the volume. This could be easily condensed from his other works if necessary. Friedman has been writing for almost 30 years so he may be wanting to retire or as Dennis mentions tackle new subjects.

I have Friedman's and D.K. Brown's works on RN ships and they make for interesting comparisions. Brown has the access, the inside story, and work experience over many years as a ship designer where Friedman has a more academic approach and as always his books are chock full of information. They complement each other, but I would give the edge to Friedman in terms of information value.

Perhaps google books will be a source of access for these out of print classics that may not be in your local library.

Hi Mike:
What I would like to see, is another printing by Naval Institute press at a lower price. I would buy it then, but not at $100. I doubt that will happen, but maybe he can get another press to sign on to that.

[Mike Malanaphy]

[quote=Mike Malanaphy;36921]

Hi Mike:
What I would like to see, is another printing by Naval Institute press at a lower price. I would buy it then, but not at $100. I doubt that will happen, but maybe he can get another press to sign on to that.

Hi Dennis,

That would be nice, I would certainly think the book could be made available for $30-35 dollars. It would be on of the few naval reference books that would be kindle or Sony digital reader friendly due to it's format and size.

I peeked at that used book site and there is a copy there for $70.00. I also saw several copies of Sumrall's great book on the Iowa's for under $40.00. There is quite certainly a price spread between volumes of about the same quality, so look close. : )

[Ed Rotondaro]

[quote=Ed Rotondaro;36889]

Ed:
I know the subject matter, the book covers. It costs over $100 for a used copy, so I probably won't buy it. I have his US Battleships, Naval Firepower and others, which give me more information than I will ever need about battleships. Money is not the problem. I applaud those of you who have thousands of books. I believe that there is more to learn about many subjects in naval history. However, I do not believe that more information is really necessary about battleship design.

BTW, I assume you know that Dr. Friedman is a theoretical Physicist by training. I suspect that he has simply moved on to other avenues of research like network centric warfare. I intend to purchase his book on network centric warfare, in the future. His book on British destroyers and Frigates should be a great book.

Dennis:

I deplore the cost of the book (I got lucky and snagged a copy several years back for under $40). The fact that it costs that much demonstrates the interest in it. Recently the book "Big Gun Monitors" by Ian Buxton was republished. That was a book that used go for over $100 and it's on a subject so esoteric that only a true naval nut would want a copy. (I got mine!)

Considering that the Naval Institute Press has re-issued the long out of print books by H.P. Willmott on the war in the Pacific, I could see a market for a new edition of Friedman's classic. It covers a lot more than his specific books on US Battleships or Fire Control. And I'm sure that he could enhance it with details from the post WWII era (specifically the refits of the Iowa class and how they filled a niche in the late 20th century.)

We see new books each year on ships like the Tirpitz or the Yamato. Do we really need them? Somebody thinks so or they wouldn't be published. There are certainly enough people out there who would welcome a re-print of Friedman's book even if it contains no new data. Conway's All the Worlds Battleships was recently re-printed and expanded and if possible is even better than the original edition (I know I have both editions).

I would hope that you don't think we know everything possible on any given topic. Of course it depends on one's interests. You pays your money you takes your chances as they say.

[old_pop2000]

[quote=old_pop2000;36895]
.....
I would hope that you don't think we know everything possible on any given topic. Of course it depends on one's interests. You pays your money you takes your chances as they say.

No, I don't think we know everything, but what is left to know and understand is just not as important to the general overall understanding of the subject. There is far more to know about naval sea power and how it relates to history. I am a technologist. I enjoy it but Also realize the importance of understanding how navies and naval power relates to history. After reading many of the posts on this forum, trust me, we need to focus more on the strategies and doctrinal issues and less on the how. The reason we do that is because it is easier. The books tell us everything we need to know to discuss the subject. This is not true of national strategies, naval strategies and naval doctrine. It is subjective. We can discuss the how of Midway all day, but discussing why and what prompted the strategy is much harder.

I guess the difference is that I've spent the last forty years in naval technology and now I want to move to the next higher level. The how is easy for me to understand, but I want to know why.

[Mike Malanaphy]

[QUOTE=old_pop2000;36895]

Dennis:

I deplore the cost of the book (I got lucky and snagged a copy several years back for under $40). The fact that it costs that much demonstrates the interest in it. Recently the book "Big Gun Monitors" by Ian Buxton was republished. That was a book that used go for over $100 and it's on a subject so esoteric that only a true naval nut would want a copy. (I got mine!)

Considering that the Naval Institute Press has re-issued the long out of print books by H.P. Willmott on the war in the Pacific, I could see a market for a new edition of Friedman's classic. It covers a lot more than his specific books on US Battleships or Fire Control. And I'm sure that he could enhance it with details from the post WWII era (specifically the refits of the Iowa class and how they filled a niche in the late 20th century.)

We see new books each year on ships like the Tirpitz or the Yamato. Do we really need them? Somebody thinks so or they wouldn't be published. There are certainly enough people out there who would welcome a re-print of Friedman's book even if it contains no new data. Conway's All the Worlds Battleships was recently re-printed and expanded and if possible is even better than the original edition (I know I have both editions).

I would hope that you don't think we know everything possible on any given topic. Of course it depends on one's interests. You pays your money you takes your chances as they say.

Hi Ed,

I have the original Conway's and was curious about the revised edition. So is htere enough stuff to be worth purchasing? You have to be careful, a lot of the Anatomy of the Ships are being republished as revised editions which is nice so you can get them at a good price, but the only new information is the color profile on teh back of the dust cover. Nice if your just buying it, but not enough to buy a new one for me. Another excellent one volume reference is Peter Padfield's "Battlehsip Era", which is a highly readable account of battleship evolution from Warrior to Vanguard. Published in the 70's, it was republished as an updated version under the title "Battleship" in the 90s. I got a copy a few years back and was disappointed as the only new information seemed to be a new forward. However, either is a great reference to start with.

[Ed Rotondaro]

[QUOTE=Ed Rotondaro;36924]

Hi Ed,

I have the original Conway's and was curious about the revised edition. So is htere enough stuff to be worth purchasing? You have to be careful, a lot of the Anatomy of the Ships are being republished as revised editions which is nice so you can get them at a good price, but the only new information is the color profile on teh back of the dust cover. Nice if your just buying it, but not enough to buy a new one for me. Another excellent one volume reference is Peter Padfield's "Battlehsip Era", which is a highly readable account of battleship evolution from Warrior to Vanguard. Published in the 70's, it was republished as an updated version under the title "Battleship" in the 90s. I got a copy a few years back and was disappointed as the only new information seemed to be a new forward. However, either is a great reference to start with.

Mike:

I am at work, but the new volume has tons of new illustrations, plus it divides the battleship era into sectors. You get the initial specs on the ships and if they end up serving into the Second World War you get another listing on them detailing their modifications. Personally I plan on ditching my original copy and just keeping the newer book.

Is it Padfield's book that has been republished in three parts or some other author's?

[Mike Malanaphy]

[QUOTE=Mike Malanaphy;36934]

Mike:

I am at work, but the new volume has tons of new illustrations, plus it divides the battleship era into sectors. You get the initial specs on the ships and if they end up serving into the Second World War you get another listing on them detailing their modifications. Personally I plan on ditching my original copy and just keeping the newer book.

Is it Padfield's book that has been republished in three parts or some other author's?


Hi Ed,

I may have to look at a copy, new photos and drawings are always nice to have. Padfield's book is a single volume. I got the second one as a trade paper as I was unable to find a hardback copy. I would highly recommend his book for anyone wanting a highly readable and informative book on battleship history. He deftly weaves the technical, political and battle aspects of the period from 1860 to 1945. His book still holds up well even today. Another sought after book of his is "Guns at Sea" published in the early 70s about naval gunnery. Lavishly illustrated it covers naval gunnery through the age of sail, guns, and gunnnery into the dreadnought era, though coverage of dreadnoughts is thin. It took me several years to find one on the internet.

When I was in Germany in the early 80s, ship books were very expensive and volumes such as Breyer, Raven and Roberts, Burt, and Gulin and Garzke which were a single volume in english were multiple volumes in German. Yikes.

I am a little quirky about books and remember ordering a set of Roskill's RN official history. It comes in three volumes, but one is two seperate books for some reason. One volume came as a trade paper, argghh! I found a local bookbinder in town and had it hardbound to match the others for $20.00. : )

[Mike Malanaphy]

Hi Guys,

Over the last week or so I have re read Padfield's "The battleship Era". I highly recommend it to those looking for an accurate, detailed, and very readable account about battleship development. He well describes the major technical, doctrinal, and political aspects of the period between 1860 to 1945. He published a "revised" addition called "Battleship" in the 90s. With the exception of two paragraphs substituted on page 184 about Sumida's research on Pollen, there is nothing new in the book....not even battleship use post WW II.

Neither are in print but can be found cheaply used. Either would be a great one volume resourse for the naval buff with limited shelf space or budget. Padfield has also authored a great volume on WW II submarine operations called "War beneath the Sea". Highly recommended as well as he covers the major navies sub operations.

[Ed Rotondaro]

Hi Guys,

Over the last week or so I have re read Padfield's "The battleship Era". I highly recommend it to those looking for an accurate, detailed, and very readable account about battleship development. He well describes the major technical, doctrinal, and political aspects of the period between 1860 to 1945. He published a "revised" addition called "Battleship" in the 90s. With the exception of two paragraphs substituted on page 184 about Sumida's research on Pollen, there is nothing new in the book....not even battleship use post WW II.

Neither are in print but can be found cheaply used. Either would be a great one volume resourse for the naval buff with limited shelf space or budget. Padfield has also authored a great volume on WW II submarine operations called "War beneath the Sea". Highly recommended as well as he covers the major navies sub operations.

Mike:

Sounds good to me. I'm not sure if I have his book in my library. I went through a spell of buying like crazy and have to inventory my books again.

[Mike Malanaphy]

Mike:

Sounds good to me. I'm not sure if I have his book in my library. I went through a spell of buying like crazy and have to inventory my books again.


Hi Ed,

One of the few things I have a good memory about is my books. Never have bought a duplicate. Luckily since when I see one, I pounce. : ) For just a naval buff, his book and Sturton's volume from Conway's would be a perfect pair to have for most of your information on battlehips and a great basis for further research. There have been a been a number of good one volume battleships books published. In addition to Padfield's book, Ian Johnson's "Battleships" and "Jane's 20th Century battleships" are also excellent with great text, art, maps, and photographs as is Hough's older The problem of course is most of them are out of print.

I know about the buying spurts as they are often published in spurts it seems. Also, while on a trip, you never never what you'll find in a used book store.