Not having seen a copy of this excellent but somewhat idiosyncratic annual publication for a decade, it has been a pleasure to re-make its acquaintance. With a distinguished and very enthusiastic list of contributors from the European and North American naval and literary worlds, its essays manage to provide a very useful overview of current naval thinking and developments against a fascinating and valuably detailed historical background. The book is a valuable aid to learning from the lessons of history. It is a pity, though, given current geostrategic developments, that the Asia/Pacific region has been covered so sketchily.
Nevertheless, for those who are interested in naval history and its influences on current affairs, the book is interesting, informative and very educational. It contains well over 200 A4 pages of very well illustrated and written material. They are supported by a high quality "Gallery" of pictures of Cold War warships and several well-written reviews of recent books of naval history.
A great read for any naval, particularly naval history, enthusiast. Hopefully, it will help us to avoid the need to re-invent the naval wheel.
Editor: John Jordan
Available from Osprey Publishing, Oxford, UK
