Armada: A Celebration of the Four Hundredth Anniversary of the Defeat of the Spanish Armada, 1588-1988

This book was written and compiled by a leading and distinguished authority on naval history. It would, therefore, be easy to sit back and say any book from him must be worthy of 5 stars - but it is the content which interests me and the way in which it is presented to the reader. The defeat of the Armada in 1588 was the greatest naval battle of Tudor times. The way in which the Spanish fleet were routed off the south coast of England and then left at the mercy of the winds, meant that instead of the relatively short trip back to Spain, the surviving ships had to endure a journey which included the circumnavigation of the entire British Isles. Consequently, ships were wrecked off Scotland and Ireland. This book tells the complete story from beginning to end. It is readable and clearly well researched. The author has included sufficient historic documents, photos of cannon, letters and items recovered from Armada wrecks to perfectly support the text without overwhelming it. A small number of graphics depicting, for example, the difference in size between Spanish and British ships are also included. I do believe this work will stand the test of time and become recognised as an authoritative and scholarly work. For many people this will be the only book about the Armada they will ever require. NM