Most books covering naval history in the XIX century have been written by british historians and are therefore undisputedly biased towards the Royal Navy. This splendid book is an in depth study of the French Navy in the second half of the nineteenth century. Many readers shall be surprised reading how the ships, ordnance and munitions were scientifically developed and how the french naval institutions were responsible of an outstanding technological effort which kept the French Navy ahead of the Royal Navy in quality terms for a long time. This book is essential for anybody interested in the naval history of the XIX century.

War In The Modern World is a seminal, comprehensive survey of the social, political, military, and technological aspects of modern warfare from the Renaissance to the Cold War. This superbly written and presented, insightful informative, meticulously researched and scholarly work by historian and professor of history emeritus at Duke University Theodore Ropp is an outstanding contribution to any personal or academic military history collection, and is a very highly recommended addition to history and military studies reading lists.