The front cover - no dust jacket
The rear cover outlining the scope of the book
First part of the contents….
….and the second.
One of the maps - and there are plenty of them!
Quite simply this is a magnificent book although not without a couple of issues. There are a few typos - the author has addressed these via an Amazon review - and the maps, whilst extensive and hugely informative, are quite basic. There pictures are essentially ‘pictures of pictures’ and so suffer in terms of definition. To be fair this is a common problem unless working from originals.
For reasons too numerous to mention, I am absolutely delighted to have secured a copy of this book and I am really looking forward to reading it - all 600 odd pages!
3 comments:
Phil Thorne’s book on Trafalgar is a labour of love, drawing out more detailed information than has yet been available in print, including information from modern Russian publications that have the benefit of access to archival materials. Other works worth exploring are:
- Admiralty Intelligence Department, "The Russo-Japanese War: reports from naval attachés" (Battery Press, 2003; first pub. 1097, for official use only). Plenty of details: including e.g. that British observers on Japanese warships thought Russian gunfire was better than Japanese at the Battle of the Yellow Sea (10 August 1904); and the several premature detonations of Japanese shells, in gun barrels, in the same engagement.
- Peter Brook, “The battle of the Yalu, 17 September 1894,” in Warship 1999-2000 (Conway, 1999).
- ———, “The battle of Ulsan [14 August 1904],” in Warship 2000-2001 (Conway, 2000).
- ———, “Armstrong battleships built for Japan,” Warship International 22:3, 1985.
- N J M Campbell, “The battle of Tsushima,” in Warship II (Conway, 1978).
- Julian Stafford Corbett, "Maritime Operations in the Russo-Japanese War, 1904-1905" (2 vol.s, Naval Institute Press, 1994; first pub.1914, for official use only).
- Captain 2nd Rank Nicholas [Nikolai Lavrentievich] Klado, "Naval conflicts North Pacific 1904-1905; two Russian accounts of the Russo-Japanese War at sea: THE RUSSIAN NAVY IN THE RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR and BATTLE OF THE SEA OF JAPAN" (Leonaur, 2014; reprint of books first published, respectively in 1905 and 1906). Klado, who eventually specialised as a naval educator, seems to have been responsible for the flawed advice to send as many ships as possible with the ‘Second Pacific Squadron’ to Tsushima.
- Lt Cdr Newton A McCully USN, "The McCully report: the Russo-Japanese War 1904-05" (Naval Institute Press, 1977). McCully was sent as an observer, and his detailed reports describe not only events at sea but e.g. Russian coastal defences.
- Stephen McLaughlin, “From Riurik to Riurik: Russia’s armoured cruisers,” Warship 1999-2000 (Conway, 1999).
- ———, “The Retvizan: an American battleship for the Tsar,” Warship 2000-2001 (Conway, 2001).
- ———, Russian and Soviet battleships (Naval Institute Press, 2003).
- ———, “The Admiral Seniavin class coast defence ships,” Warship International 48:1, 2011.
- ———, “In Avrora’s shadow: the Russian cruisers of the Diana class,” Warship 2019 (Osprey, 2019).
- ———, “From Orel to Iwami,” in Warship 2024 (Osprey, 2024).
- Kathrin Milanovich, “Armoured cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy,” in Warship 2014 (Conway, 2014).
- ———, “Takasago, Kasagi & Chitose: the IJN’s first 8in-gun protected cruisers,” in Warship 2023 (Osprey, 2023).
- Piotr Olender, "Russo-Japanese naval war 1904-1905" (2 vol.s; Stratus/MMP, 2010). Concise modern account with plenty of data about the ships.
- Nicholas Papastratigakis, "Russian Imperialism and naval power: military strategy and the build-up to the Russo-Japanese War" (I B Tauris, 2011). Strategic background on the Russian side; including details of some pre-war wargames.
- Nicholas Papastratigakis and Dominic Lieven, “The Russian Far Eastern Squadron’s operational plans,” in John W Steinberg et al, ed.s, The Russo-Japanese War in global perspective: World War Zero (BRILL, 2005). Dr Papastratigakis and Prof Lieven had access to Russian archival materials.
- Constantine Pleshakov, "The Tsar’s last armada: the epic voyage to the battle of Tsushima" (Perseus Press, 2002).
- Evgeny Sigismondovich Politovsky, "From Libau to Tsushima: a narrative of the voyage of Admiral Rojdestvensky’s fleet to Eastern Seas, including a detailed account of the Dogger Bank incident" (John Murray, 1906; reprinted by the Naval & Military Press).
- J N Westwood, "Witnesses of Tsushima" (Sophia University/the Diplomatic Press, 1970).
Also, Jane’s Fighting Ships of 1905/6 and 1906/7 (both reprinted by David & Charles in 1970) include articles about the Russo-Japanese War, including by some participants.
Hi Toby,
It is an incredible achievement and I am delighted to have a copy. The list you have sent is very impressive and I will be sure to find it helpful. It is ironic that whilst I have fought umpteen hypothetical pre dreadnought style actions, for the RJW I have only managed a single game!
This will be changing for a number of reasons but for now you have certainly given me much to think about - in a good way!
All the best,
DC
For the benefit of non-UK readers, the author's corrections are on Amazon.co.UK.
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