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History in Focus

the guide to historical resources • Issue 9: The Sea •


The Sea

A satirical image of French and British sea power from the nineteenth century

A nineteenth-century cartoon depicting French and British sea power.

Image courtesy of the Royal Naval Museum, Portsmouth

Book reviews

Reviews in History is an electronic publication which reviews and reappraises significant work in all fields of historical interest, covering the principal areas of the subject as taught in institutions of higher education. Each of the reviews listed below relates, to a greater of lesser degree, to the study of the Sea in history. Many more reviews on a wider range of subjects can be found on the Reviews in History website.

As 2005 is the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, History in Focus has commissioned a special review article by Dr Roger Morriss of some of the recent biographical publications about Nelson. Dr Morriss considered Horatio Nelson: a Controversial Hero by Marianne Czisnik, The Pursuit of Victory: the Life and Achievement of Horatio Nelson by Roger Knight, Nelson: Britannia's God of War by Andrew Lambert, Nelson: a Dream of Glory by John Sugden and Nelson: the New Letters by Colin White.


Naval History

The Safeguard of the Sea: a Naval History of Britain, 660–1649
The Command of the Ocean: a Naval History of Britain, 1649–1815

by N. A. M. Rodger
Review by Andrew Lambert

Representing the Royal Navy. British Sea Power, 1750–1815

by Margarette Lincoln
Review by Cindy McCreery
Margarette Lincoln's Response

Naval Power and British Culture, 1760–1850: Public Trust and Government Ideology

by Roger Morriss
Review by Barry Gough

Frigates of the Napoleonic Wars

by Robert Gardiner
Review by Andrew Lambert

Seapower Ashore: 200 Years of Royal Navy Operations on Land

by Peter Hore
Review by Richard Harding
Peter Hore's Response

The Foundations of Naval History: John Knox Laughton, the Royal Navy and the Historical Profession

by Andrew Lambert
Review by Roger Knight
Andrew Lambert's Response

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The seaside

The Seaside, Health and the Environment in England and Wales since 1800

by John Hassan
Review by Gareth Shaw

The British Seaside: Holidays and Resorts in the Twentieth Century

by John K. Walton
Review by Barry Doyle
John K. Walton's Response

Working-Class Organisations and Popular Tourism, 1840–1970

by Susan Barton
Review by John K. Walton

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Travel and exploration

Exploring European Frontiers: British Travellers in the Age of the Enlightenment

by Brian Dolan
Review by Jeffrey Brautigam
Brian Dolan's Response

Travel and Ethnology in the Renaissance: South India through European Eyes, 1250–1625

by Joan-Pau Rubiés
Review by Daud Ali
Joan-Pau Rubiés's Response

The Rise of Oriental Travel: English Visitors to the Ottoman Empire, 1580–1720

by Gerald MacLean
Review by Jonathan Burton
Gerald MacLean's Response

Prince Henry 'the Navigator'. A Life

by Peter Russell
Review by David Abulafia

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Empire and trade

Canada and the North Pacific. Maritime Enterprise and Dominion, 1778–1914

by Barry M. Gough
Review by Jane Samson
Barry M. Gough's response

The Rise of Commercial Empires: England and the Netherlands in the Age of Mercantilism, 1650–1770

by David Ormrod
Review by P. C. Emmer

Slavery, Atlantic Trade and the British Economy, 1660–1800

by Kenneth Morgan
Review by David Richardson

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