BRITISH BATTLESHIPS, "WARRIOR" (1860) TO "VANGUARD" (1950): A HISTORY OF DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND ARMAMENT Review

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(More customer reviews)I first became aware of this magnificent work as an undergraduate in the early 1960's. I was writing a term paper on warship design, and the professor had permanently checked Parkes out of the university's library and was not about to let a mere undergraduate touch it. Luckily, the public library had a copy--but on reserve, so one could not check it out. So I remember the hours spent at that library poring over the diagrams and text--that was the 1956 edition. Later, when the 1966 edition came out I was able to get my own copy, which I have treasured ever since.
Don't be fooled by the title: there's a wealth of detail about non-British battleships to illustrate the design ideas of other nations and their impact on British design. You get photographs, side and overhead diagrams, design detail drawings showing, for example, blast radius, bulkhead compartmentalization and the like. Parkes has made everything very readable: you don't have to be a naval engineer to appreciate this work. Parkes writes with both wit and flair: he provides narrative histories, and is never hesitant to point out serious design flaws.
Looking at prices on Amazon (and elsewhere), a used copy can be pricey indeed. But the quality of this book is such that I would have no hesitation at all in paying $200 for a copy. This book is the epitome of what a warship design/history book should be--I have never seen anything else that comes close to matching it. Superb!

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