Author:N A M Rodger
The Command of the Ocean describes with unprecedented authority and scholarship the rise of Britain to naval greatness, and the central place of the Navy and naval activity in the life of the nation and government. It describes not just battles, voyages and cruises but how the Navy was manned, how it was supplied with timber, hemp and iron, how its men (and sometimes women) were fed, and above all how it was financed and directed. It was during the century and a half covered by this book that the successful organizing of these last three - victualling, money and management - took the Navy to the heart of the British state. It is the great achievement of the book to show how completely integrated and mutually dependent Britain and the Navy then became.
This is the most accurate and insightful account of the Gulf War I have read
—— Norman SchwarzkopfA gripping account...told with insight, a keen sense of drama and the benefit of a good deal of fresh interview material
—— Avi Shlaim, Professor of International Relations, Oxford UniversityPeter and Dan Snow have written a vivid account of one of the most important battles in the history of the British army. The forgotten victory at Amiens is given the recognition it deserves.
—— Hew Strachan, Professor of History of War, Oxford UniversityAn unashamed nostalgia fest . . . comic gold.
—— Time OutWarm moments . . . thanks to the author's grasp of the anecdote.
—— WordAn explosive read... powerful,compelling and questioning- a true reflection of the journalist himself
—— Birmingham PostCompelling... provocative, argumentative and essential reading for those who wish to challenge their assumptions
—— Waterstone's Books QuarterlyWorld-class journalism
—— Johann Hari , IndependentWhat makes John Pilger a truly great journalist is his conscience and bravery
—— Martha GellhornPilger's work has truly been a beacon of light in dark times
—— Noam ChomskyJohn Pilger's determination to swim against the tide of 'mainstream' media reportage prompts him to dig deep. Freedom Next Time is no exception
—— MetroImpresses with its scholarship and literary craft
—— ObserverTruly, he has written London’s biography. I began rereading it as soon as I finished, and I urge you to read it as soon as possible, so that you can begin rereading it as well
—— Will Self , New StatesmanA fat and filling feast: pretty much everything of interest about the capital is crammed into the eight-hundred pages. One cannot but marvel at Ackroyd’s erudition, his energy in marshalling minutiae, his ear for quotation, his flair for dazzling juxtapositions, his vibrant imagination and sheer exuberance
—— The TimesAn erudite labour of love, a fan-letter to a fabulous city, and a book one suspects Ackroyd was destined to write. It illuminates the English character, and is darkly humorous in its detail, tumbling through centuries crowded with legendary events and eccentric observations, as exuberant, energetic and alarming as the city itself
—— Independent on SundayA masterpiece
—— Evening StandardSpellbinding
—— Express on SundayA sharp, beautifully written but above all truthful account of London…This is the kind of writing that gives intellectuals a good name
—— Sunday Tribune