The story of our navy is nothing less than the story of Britain, our culture and our empire. Much more than a parade of admirals and their battles, this is the story of how an insignificant island nation conquered the world's oceans to become its greatest trading empire. Yet, as Ben Wilson shows, there was nothing inevitable about this rise to maritime domination, nor was it ever an easy path.

This illustrated history tells the fascinating story of how the Navy was organized, how its ships were built and how the ordinary sailor lived in times of battle and of peace. The text is supported by photographs and maps.

From the Battle of the River Plate and Dunkirk to D-Day and the Pacific War, the memories of the men who took part in each campaign are vividly clear. Both the surviving naval VC holders tell their amazing stories.

This biography of John Jervis, who became Admiral Lord Vincent, makes compelling reading. It throws an oblique light on Nelson's personality. Davidson paints a vivid picture of the Royal Navy at the height of its power - in the age of Hornblower.

This title looks at Cook's naval career in detail. It contains unpublished research that explains his eventual appointment to the Pacific.

David Hepper gives a chronological listing of all British naval vessels lost through accident or enemy action from 1860 to the end of the First World War, with full descriptions of the circumstances.

After being mined on the battleship Nelson in 1939, the author served on the Prince of Wales, during the Bismarck action, witnessing the sinking of the Hood and Churchill and Roosevelt's historic meeting. Geoffrey Brooke's memoir makes for a non-stop action naval adventure.

The Enlightenment was an age of endeavours. From Johnson's Dictionary to campaigns for liberty to schemes for measuring the dimensions of the solar system, Britain was consumed by the impulse for grand projects, undertaken at speed. 'Endeavour' was also the name given to a Whitby collier bought by the Royal Navy in 1768 for an expedition to the South Seas. A commonplace, coal-carrying vessel, no one could have guessed that Endeavour would go on to...

One of four titles in Alexander Kent's stirring naval series, this book contains 'Richard Bolitho - Midshipman', 'Midshipman Bolitho and the 'Avenger'' and 'Band of Brothers'.

The term 'the phony war' is often applied to the first months of the Second World War, a term suggesting inaction or passivity. That may have been the perception of the war on land, but at sea it was very different. This new book is a superb survey of the fierce naval struggles, from 1939 up to the invasion of the Norway in April 1940.