Monday, 13 April 2026

At Long Last - A ‘Grail’ Book with a Bonus!


WW1 in the Black Sea, Russian against the Turks - what’s not to like?

Many years ago, when I owned a rather nice 1:3000th WW1 Black Sea collection of both Russian and Turkish ships, the indefatigable Mr Manley mentioned a book that would be of interest called North of Gallipoli and written by George Nekrasov. This is account of the First World War as fought in the Black Sea between the Russian and Turks. Try as I might I was never able to get a copy and even when I saw it for sale it was usually eye-wateringly expensive. The 1:3000th collection has long gone - another decision that with the benefit of hindsight was a huge mistake - but I still wanted to get a copy of this modest but elusive title. 


The contents.

Lo and behold, I finally secured a copy from Australia for the princely sum of AU$10 plus another AU$20 for shipping or in GBP around £16 in all. I am really pleased to get a copy of this book and an additional suprise can be seen in the picture below.


Signed by the author and dedicated to another author - Gary Staff d.2017 - of whom I own a couple of their titles - what are the odds of that?

The book itself has an embossed stamp (bottom right of the picture) that says ‘Library of Gary Staff’. I since discovered that this book was from an estate sale, presumably that of Mr Staff although it seems to be rather a long time since his death. Normally I am not keen on books with signatures or dedications therein but I will happily make an exception in this case!

Really delighted to have scored this at last!
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6 comments:

  1. Archduke Piccolo13 April 2026 at 23:10

    David -
    That would be a very handy book to have. As part of my (currently suspended) Little Great War there will be naval activity between the great powers, the Tsar of Izumrud-Zeleniya and the Sultan of Turcowaz. I have the navies - small ones - but what is wanting at the moment is a strategy for both sides in the confined waters of the Karadeniz...
    Turcowaz has rather the more numerous navy, but the Zeleniyan have by far the most powerful unit - could be a near thing... especially if the tiny navies of Bulg--- I mean Chervenia - and Rhumbarbaria get themselves involved...
    Cheers,
    Ion

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    1. David Crook15 April 2026 at 10:33

      Hi there Ion,

      It is by no means the lengthiest tome I have read but it is chock full of good stuff. So much so that I really need to revisit the fleets again in 1:3000th. I am rather taken by Rhumbarbaria!

      All the best,

      DC

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  2. Paul O'G14 April 2026 at 22:51

    Great addition to the Library!

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    1. David Crook15 April 2026 at 10:34

      G’Day Paul,

      Hope all is well with you and the clan! It is a book I have been after for an age so am delighted to have a copy at last. The signature and dedication make it even better!

      All the best,

      DC

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  3. Toby E15 April 2026 at 09:40

    [1] The late George Nekrasov served in the Royal Australian Navy (attaining the rank of Commander), and his books draw on published (and very probably unpublished) recollections of emigres. (Apart from the Black Sea book, there's another about the battleship "Slava" [Glory] in the Baltic.) At this stage, I think it's the only book in English entirely devoted to the Black Sea war of 1914-1917, though other really useful sources include [a] a chapter in Paul Halpern's volume on WW1 at sea, [b] a substantial part of a Soviet-era official naval history of WW1, by a team of historians led by Rear-Adm. N B Pavlovich, published in translation in 1979 (originally issued in the USSR, 1964), and [c] a substantial part of Rene Greger's book on the Russian Navy of 1914-1917. (In due course I hope to publish an annotated volume containing the long and detailed reports by the Royal Navy engineer officer attached to the Black Sea Fleet in 1914-17, Engineer Cdr G W Le Page, who before WW1 had been part of the British naval mission to the Ottomans, and who thus saw both sides' fleets.)
    [2] There are also [i] Stephen McLaughlin's article on the November 1914 Cape Sarych engagement in "Warship 2001-2002", [ii] mine on the engagement off the Bosphorus in May 1915 in "Warship 2024", and [iii] my 2022 "Mariner's Mirror" article about prisoner interrogation in the Black Sea war (which is Open Access and thus free to read, as well as covering a much broader subject than its title suggests, including the successful Russian campaign of attrition, by cruisers, destroyers and submarines against the Turks' coastal coal trade).
    [3] On the ships involved, there are [a] Stephen McLaughlin's book on Russian and Soviet battleships, [b] his shortly-forthcoming companion volume on Russian cruisers, and [c] "The Ottoman steam navy". Most Russian warships (or ship classes) of the era have been the subject of Russian-language books or booklets; at least two have made it into English (a book on the cruiser class in the Baltic and Far East that included "Avrora"; and a substantial booklet on the "Imperatritsa Maria" dreadnought class in the Black Sea).

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    1. David Crook15 April 2026 at 10:38

      Hi there Toby E,

      That is very useful and quite surprisingly I have a couple of the titles mentioned - Halpern and The Ottoman Steam Navy although the latter is in a rather grainy PDF form. I recall seeing Greger’s book so will look out for it again. I also know a source for the Warship article whom I shall ask.

      Many thanks for the details - really appreciated!

      All the best,

      DC

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