The British Seaborne Empire Jeremy Black

Sea-power made the British Empire what it was: without sea-power there would have been no empire, or at least no empire in the form it actually took. In this masterful analysis of the role of the sea in the history of the British Empire, Jeremy Black follows in the tradition of classic works by C. R. Boxer on the Dutch and Portuguese seaborne empires and by J. H. Perry on the Spanish seaborne empire. Black considers how the ocean affected British exploration, defence, trade, commerce, and the navy, as well as the attitudes and perceptions of the British people themselves. The book covers the process of imperial expansion, the decline of the Empire, and the role of the navy in the post-imperial age. Attractively illustrated and wide in scope, the book demonstrates the profound influence that proximity to the sea has exerted on virtually every aspect of British history and culture.

Jeremy Black is professor of history at the University of Exeter. His books include Maps and History, War and the World, and Italy and the Grand Tour, all available from Yale University Press.

'Black is refreshingly unapologestic about the British Empire and this book is a valuable contribution to the debate about its merits and demerits' - The Sunday Telegraph

'The navel element is carefully tracked but this is essentially one for those who are puzzled by the concept or nostalgic for the experience of empire' - The Guardian