Empire of the Seas: How the Navy Forged the Modern World

by Brian Lavery

For four centuries the Royal Navy made Britain the most powerful nation on earththe true ruler of the waves. But its impact goes far beyond battles on the high seas. This lavishly illustrated tie-in to a major BBC series follows the progress of the Royal Navy from the defeat of the Spanish Armada to World War I. Noted historian Brian Lavery reveals how the Royal Navy shaped British industry, innovation, and identity, and eventually how that naval leadership, initiative and courage began to stagnate in the nineteenth century.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Nautical, Military History

373 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Brian Lavery is a British naval historian, author, and Curator Emeritus at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A broad brush history of the navy, a good overview though

[Luke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps I am simply not a fan of summaries for history, but this didn't excite for me - it felt like a grind going through. It felt politically charged throughout - comparisons between the diversity of trade and our now diverse population have no place other than to garner acceptance for something still bitter for most, and are very much out of place. This was but one of the few comparisons made througout the summary, and indeed, I find the documentary much superior to this, and given it is an accompaminent to the documentary rather than a documentary based upon something of this nature tells you something about the quality, but it is projected much better on film than here. There were positives - it presented some beautiful pictures, and the biographies generally painted a faithful picture of the men who shaped the Navy. In all, it is an OK narrative - it is a shame it constantly strayed away from performing that role, given it is a summary and there was scant details on controversial issues for amateurs, like myself, to form views upon.

I'll keep myself away from summaries now unless I can help it.

[Les Hopper · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview history of the Royal Navy, with just the right balance of detail and broad narrative for me. Also, while I enjoyed the TV show with Dan Snow that this book accompanies, it's worth noting that this book is it's own thing and is written by a naval history specialist. My only gripe would be that it stopped quite abruptly after WWI with only a tantalising mention of WWII and nothing of the rest of the last century. Still, I shall be looking for more books by Brian Lavery. Highly recommended!

[Paul Mamani · Rating 5 out of 5]

This new book, a tie-in to a major BBC TV series presented by Dan Snow, is written by one of the nation's foremost naval historians, and tells the story of how the Royal Navy shaped the politics, culture and economy of Britain, leaving its imprint on everything from our landscape, to our democracy and even our very identity. At its peak, it became the driving force behind the spread of a system of values which would change the world forever. And then it lost it all. In "Empire of the Seas", Brian Lavery re-injects the romance into Britain's seafaring past. He discusses the hidden human stories behind the celebrated sea-battles and also provides a warts-and-all expose of the darker chapters in the Navy's past, including its role in slavery and the spread of disease. The book is illustrated with a superlative collection of artworks and photographs from the National Maritime Museum, the Royal Naval Museum and private collections.

[Calvin Turton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The parts concerning the age of sail and the transition to steam are very interesting. Latter third of the book feels rushed (even for pop-history) and the ending on WW1 seems a bit abrupt and not really as fleshed out as the rest of the focus points.

Four stars granted for the chapters on the age of sail.

[Jacob Riches · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good overview if looking for a good understanding of the history of the Navy

[Roz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only looked at the pictures

[Sue Law · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather a disappointment after the TV series. That was a look at how the Navy drove industrial development and influenced public attitudes. The book is just a simplistic naval history.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just had to read a few chapters for a class in university. so far it was really interesting :)