The "acclaimed naval historian . . . takes the reader through the intricacies of warship design and construction in both French and British navies." — Historical Novel SocietyIn the series of wars that raged between France and Britain from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries, seapower was of absolute vital importance. Not only was each nation's navy a key to victory, but was a prerequisite for imperial dominance. These ongoing struggles for overseas...

It had been hundreds of years since humanity and their Witch allies had been forced to retreat to the fortress cities after the disastrous war to eliminate the Magi Clans.Nuclear weapons had burned the skies, and Grand Magic pulled entire continents beneath the seas before the end, but the victory was secured, no Magi was left alive in their slowly recovering world.Or so they thought.Wolfe Noxus was born on the lower levels of a fortress city run by the Morgana Cove...

Although American independence was no miracle, the timing of the country’s independence and its huge scope, both political and territorial, do seem miraculous. In The Miracle of American Independence Jonathan R. Dull reconstructs significant events before, during, and after the Revolutionary War that had dramatic consequences for the future as the colonies sought independence from Great Britain. Without these surprising and unexpected results, Dull maintains, the country would hav...

The inventor, the ladies’ man, the affable diplomat, and the purveyor of pithy homespun wisdom: we all know the charming, resourceful Benjamin Franklin. What is less appreciated is the importance of Franklin’s part in the American Revolution: except for Washington he was its most irreplaceable leader. Although aged and in ill health, Franklin served the cause with unsurpassed zeal and dedication. Jonathan R. Dull, whose decades of work on The Papers of Benjamin Franklin have given...

This book focuses on the gradual deterioration of the British-American relationship that led to the American Revolution.Starting in 1721, the author explores how the relationship between Britain and America changed from one of reciprocal trust to one of mutual misunderstanding and suspicion. It analyses the impact of Britain’s changing relationship with the other great powers of Europe and discusses such matters as British concern about the national debt and French unease about Ang...

The Seven Years' War (1754–1763) was a pivotal event in the history of the Atlantic world. Perspectives on the significance of the war and its aftermath varied considerably from different cultural vantage points. Northern and western Indians, European imperial authorities, and their colonial counterparts understood and experienced the war (known in the United States as the French and Indian War) in various ways. In many instances the progress of the conflict was charted by cultural differe...

The acclaimed naval historian presents an authoritative study of how the 1930 Treaty of London influenced warship design in the years before WW2.After the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 put a cap on the construction of capital ships and aircraft carriers, the major navies of the world began building 'treaty cruisers' and other warships that maximized power while abiding the restrictions. As the French and Japanese excelled in this arena, Britain and the United Stat...

The little-known story of a fierce rebellion against the Romans: " A very good read for anyone interested in ancient military history and historiography." — The NYMAS ReviewIn the year AD 9, three Roman legions were crushed by the German warlord Arminius in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. This event is well known, but there was another uprising that Rome faced shortly before, which lasted from AD 6 to 9, and was just a...

The work of explorers, surveyors and spies in the race to conquer Southern Asia is vividly recounted in this history of British imperial cartography.In the 19th century, the British and Russian empires were engaged in bitter rivalry for the acquisition of Southern Asian. Although India was the ultimate prize, most of the intrigue and action took place along its northern frontier in Afghanistan, Turkestan and Tibet. Mapping the region and gaining knowledge of the ene...

Thirteen sensational tales of sex, lies, violence, and murder from the early decades of Hollywood.The dawning of the nineteenth century brought with it a new era for entertainment. Vaudeville was the preferred form of entertainment, until the popularization of the silent film. This new medium proved to be a draw for many of the stars of the Vaudevillian stage and soon they migrated to the exciting possibilities that the movies had to offer. Audiences were instantly ...

"A great book to introduce you to three fascinating sisters whose marriages during the reign of the infamous Edward II transformed England." — Adventures of a Tudor NerdThe de Clare sisters Eleanor, Margaret and Elizabeth were born in the 1290s as the eldest granddaughters of King Edward I of England and his Spanish queen Eleanor of Castile, and were the daughters of the greatest nobleman in England, Gilbert "the Red" de Clare, Earl of Gloucester. They grew...

A history of the development of navigation at sea throughout the ages, including the challenges faced and the advancements in technology."A concise overview of navigation at sea. Pike, a maritime writer with a lengthy maritime career, examines many aspects of ocean travel, including weather, oceanography, charting, routing, and buoyage, as well as various methods for marine navigation, such as celestial, electronic, terrestrial, and satellite. . . . Overall...