This book, first published in 1977, presents a comprehensive survey of the upheavals experienced in warfare from 1793 to the end of the twentieth century, a period that saw many fundamental changes - from the Napoleonic wars to the advent of total war, guerrilla and nuclear warfare. It discusses in detail the main aspects of warfare - battles, weapons, and people. It concentrates equally on all three, not emphasising one aspect at the expense of the others, and allowing cross-references between them so as to fit them into the general pattern of development. Also included are other factors essential to an understanding of modern warfare, such as technological items, and conceptual entries such as basic strategy and tactics, and various military theories and principles.

A reappraisal of the late Victorian Navy, the so-called `Dark Ages', showing how the period was crucial to the emergence of new technology defined by steel and electricity. In purely naval terms, the period from 1889 to 1906 is often referred to (and indeed passed over) as the `pre-Dreadnought era', merely a prelude to the lead-up to the First World War, and thus of relatively little importance; it has therefore received little consideration from historians, a gap which this book remedies by reviewing the late Victorian Navy from a radically new perspective. It starts with the Great Near East crisis of 1878 and shows how itsaftermath in the Carnarvon Commission and its evidence produced a profound shift in strategic thinking, culminating in the Naval Defence Act of 1889; this evidence, from the ship owners, provides the definitive explanation of whythe Victorian Navy gave up on convoy as the primary means of trade protection in wartime, a fundamental question at the time. The book also overturns many assumptions about the era, especially the perception that the navy was weak, and clearly shows that the 1870s and early 1880s brought in crucial technological developments that made the Dreadnought possible.

This book, first published in 1977, presents a comprehensive survey of the upheavals experienced in warfare from 1793 to the end of the twentieth century, a period that saw many fundamental changes - from the Napoleonic wars to the advent of total war, guerrilla and nuclear warfare. It discusses in detail the main aspects of warfare - battles, weapons, and people. It concentrates equally on all three, not emphasising one aspect at the expense of the others, and allowing cross-references between them so as to fit them into the general pattern of development. Also included are other factors essential to an understanding of modern warfare, such as technological items, and conceptual entries such as basic strategy and tactics, and various military theories and principles.

Carl Phillip Gottleib von Clausewitz (1780-1831), Prussian general and military theorist, is most famous for his book On War, a work that has influenced numerous wartime leaders from Lenin to Henry Kissinger. Parkinson's biography of Clausewitz provides detailed examinations of the Napoleonic battles in which he participated and which shaped his theories of warfare. Parkinson describes Clausewitz's first experiences in combat as a twelve-year-old cadet in battles with France along the Rhine. The biography follows Clausewitz during the years of Napoleon's rise, when, disgusted with the Prussian King's refusal to fight, he joined the Russian army and witnessed Napoleon's defeat following the destruction of Moscow and several harrowing months of battle. The book also includes in-depth descriptions of the battles following Napoleon's return, in which Clausewitz put his theories into practice against Napoleon's marshals.

The years leading to World War I were the 'Age of the Dreadnought'. The monumental battleship design, first introduced by Admiral Fisher to the Royal Navy in 1906, was quickly adopted around the world and led to a new era of naval warfare and policy. In this book, Roger Parkinson provides a re-writing of the naval history of Britain and the other leading naval powers from the 1880s to the early years of World War I. The years before 1914 were characterised by intensifying Anglo-German naval competition, with an often forgotten element beyond Europe in the form of the rapidly developing navies of the United States and Japan. Parkinson shows that, although the advent of the dreadnought was the pivotal turning-point in naval policy, in fact much of the technology that enabled the dreadnought to be launched was a continuity from the pre-dreadnought era. In the annals of the Royal Navy two names will always be linked: those of Admiral Sir John 'Jacky' Fisher and the ship he created, HMS Dreadnought. This book shows how the dreadnought enabled the Royal Navy to develop from being primarily the navy of the 'Pax Britannica' in the Victorian era to being a war-ready fighting force in the early years of the twentieth century. The ensuing era of intensifying naval competition rapidly became a full-blooded naval arms race, leading to the development of super-dreadnoughts and escalating tensions between the European powers. Providing a truly international perspective on the dreadnought phenomenon, this book will be essential reading for all naval history enthusiasts and anyone interested in World War I.

High Resolution Site Surveys brings together the full range of site surveying techniques for the first time, to provide a unified approach to marine and land-based resolution surveying. Detailed descriptions are given of digital seismic survey methods, hydrographic 'analogue' search and survey tools, non-seismic survey techniques, and positioning systems, including GPS. 'Brite Spot' analysis, and Health and Safety considerations for site surveys are also discussed. Well-illustrated, and with numerous case studies showing the application of theory in everyday situations, High Resolution Site Surveys is an indispensable guide for the student and practitioner alike.