- Hardcover: 880 pages
- Publisher: Random House; 1 edition (Oct 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0679456716
- ISBN-13: 978-0679456711
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 16 x 4.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 289,094 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £5.25
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £5.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
Praise for Robert K. Massie's Dreadnought
"Dreadnought is history in the grand manner, as most people prefer it: how people shaped, or were shaped by, events." "--Time
"A classic [that] covers superbly a whole era . . . engrossing in its glittering gallery of characters." "--Chicago Sun-Times
"[Told] on a grand scale . . . Massie [is] a master of historical portraiture and anecdotage." "--The Wall Street Journal
"Brilliant on everything he writes about ships and the sea. It is Massie's eye for detail that makes his nautical set pieces so marvelously evocative." " --Los Angeles Times
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
"Dreadnought is history in the grand manner, as most people prefer it: how people shaped, or were shaped by, events." "--Time
"A classic [that] covers superbly a whole era . . . engrossing in its glittering gallery of characters." "--Chicago Sun-Times
"[Told] on a grand scale . . . Massie [is] a master of historical portraiture and anecdotage." "--The Wall Street Journal
"Brilliant on everything he writes about ships and the sea. It is Massie's eye for detail that makes his nautical set pieces so marvelously evocative." " --Los Angeles Times
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
Praise for Robert K. Massie's Dreadnought
"Dreadnought is history in the grand manner, as most people prefer it: how people shaped, or were shaped by, events." "--Time
"
"A classic [that] covers superbly a whole era . . . engrossing in its glittering gallery of characters." "--Chicago Sun-Times
"
"[Told] on a grand scale . . . Massie [is] a master of historical portraiture and anecdotage." "--The Wall Street Journal
"
"Brilliant on everything he writes about ships and the sea. It is Massie's eye for detail that makes his nautical set pieces so marvelously evocative." "--Los Angeles Times
"
"From the Hardcover edition." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
"Dreadnought is history in the grand manner, as most people prefer it: how people shaped, or were shaped by, events." "--Time
"
"A classic [that] covers superbly a whole era . . . engrossing in its glittering gallery of characters." "--Chicago Sun-Times
"
"[Told] on a grand scale . . . Massie [is] a master of historical portraiture and anecdotage." "--The Wall Street Journal
"
"Brilliant on everything he writes about ships and the sea. It is Massie's eye for detail that makes his nautical set pieces so marvelously evocative." "--Los Angeles Times
"
"From the Hardcover edition." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence
On an afternoon in early July 1914, a middle-aged man with restless, bright blue eyes and curly, iron-gray hair boarded his yacht in the German Baltic harbor of Kiel, and the following morning departed on his annual summer cruise to the fjords of Norway. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
On an afternoon in early July 1914, a middle-aged man with restless, bright blue eyes and curly, iron-gray hair boarded his yacht in the German Baltic harbor of Kiel, and the following morning departed on his annual summer cruise to the fjords of Norway. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have always had a great interest in the first world war.
This book is the most complete and ( as far as I can tell ) the most comprehensive detail about the naval war between Great-Britain and Germany during the first world war.
It is written in a style that reads just like a novel, it was an absolute page-turner for me.
This book is the most complete and ( as far as I can tell ) the most comprehensive detail about the naval war between Great-Britain and Germany during the first world war.
It is written in a style that reads just like a novel, it was an absolute page-turner for me.
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Having read Robert Massie's earlier book Dreadnought, which I enjoyed so much I read it twice, I waited impatiently for this promised sequel, and I was not disappointed. Some books you hope will never end and this is one of them. There is not a dull page in the book. Massie brings characters alive with amusing anecdotes. You have probably read other accounts of the WW1 sea battles but they are dry by comparison. His cannot be equalled for well-paced storytelling, scholarly research and balanced judgments. He uses official and unofficial publications and diaries from both the British and German sides to describe the dilemmas the opposing commanders and politicians faced and why they acted as they did, situating each battle in its strategic context. I cannot recommend this book too highly.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having never read much about European history I was completely converted many years ago after reading Dreadnought. It was a pleasure to find this book continues in the same manner and I was not disappointed in any way.
The most appealing aspect of the book is the way Massie brings to life the details of politicians/admirals and then links these events in a way that illustrates the part they played in the grand scheme.
In particular I was left fascinated and exasperated at the personalities involved and how an individual's whim could so badly affect the way important issues, as warship design or where to start a new front in the war, were decided. The description of the Jellico/Beaty debate left me frankly amazed.
However the key to the book for me is that the subject, the war at sea, is covered from such differing angles as the politicians involved to the accounts of people who played a small part in the action. Additionally it is written in such a way that even knowing who won didnt detract from the suspense.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Riveting
This is an exhaustive study - it is also an exhausting one. But bear with the near 800 pages, because you will be richly rewarded and put down the book afterwards with the feeling... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Is It Worth It?
Too many flaws
Massie is a gifted author and Castles of Steel makes a good read. He keeps your attention for almost 800 pages of non-fiction which is really an achievement. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Joost Boswijk
Superb historical content and biographies
I read prolifically and I thought that I had read the better books written by the most notable historical writers but Robert Massie stands at the pinnacle. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Jerz Jurkiewicz
Excellent book
I started reading this book as i realized that i knew remarkably little about the naval adventures in world war I and wasn't sure who really had won the battle of Jutland. Read more
Published 21 months ago by T. CHAPMAN
Worth having - but with reservations
As a rule of thumb, the usual justification for a new history book is that it either introduces important new evidence or puts forward a striking new interpretation of the events... Read more
Published on 19 Jan 2010 by birchden
Excellent, Detailed and Enjoyable
Castles of Steel by Robert K. Massie is an excellent book dealing with the Great War exploits of the British and German navies. Read more
Published on 11 Aug 2009 by HBH
A Brilliant Book
I bought this book about 2 days after finishing 'dreadnought' and found it completely enthralling,I am quite a keen history reader but have never found much covergae of WW1 naval... Read more
Published on 26 April 2009 by Mr. Paul Pimblott
Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany and the Winning of the Great War...
This book is quite simply superb. It is an excellent sequel to his earlier book, Dreadnought, and I shall be sorry when I have finished it. Read more
Published on 2 Feb 2009 by Rev. I. M. Ainsworth-smith
Impressive
A magnificent book that should be read inconjunction with Dreadnought (the prequel to this tome).
Personally I preferred this book over Dreadnought as this focuses more... Read more
Personally I preferred this book over Dreadnought as this focuses more... Read more
Published on 6 Nov 2008 by An avid reader
An excellent read
I have a family connection to the battlecruisers that play a central, if checkered, role in this book. The book is detailed, well written, and reads like a good novel. Read more
Published on 9 Nov 2007 by Pud
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > History > Britain & Ireland
- Books > History > Europe > Germany
- Books > History > Military History > Armed Forces > Naval Forces
- Books > History > Military History > World War I
- Books > History > World History
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
