I read this book for research purposes. It's a very nice reference book with full color pages throughout of high quality, utilizing many period paintings and schematics depicting battles and the major players in fights. It does assume some basic knowledge--some terms are never defined, and there's no glossary in the back. The marginalia is especially nice, as the facts there often accompany pictures and bring in nice details. I wish there'd been more 'how did they do this' content like depictions of battle flags and their meanings, how ships communicated when underway, how weaponry was used and stored, etc. Still, quite informative. ( )

Fascinating history, but the writing could be better. Every so often, the author grasps for the appropriate word, and misses. The occasional paeans to various commanders and other deserving worthies would be improved by being rewritten as Hallmark cards or cribbing from the plaques on statues. Fortunately, that's the least part of the book. ( )

I picked this up as a companion book to the Aubrey-Maturin series, trying to get a little more background. Contains a good amount of useful/helpful data, great graphics, nice analysis of the place and role of naval strength during this period. Recommended. ( )

Great little reference book. Picked this up while reading Neil Stephenson's Baroque Cycle so I could follow the sea battles between the Dutch and England in late 1600's. ( )