As popular history, this succeeds; I can't speak to the errors others have found. This is a long story that moves the way Herman describes his subject, in fits and starts and in multi-directional webs. Yet it carried me along without the battle descriptions getting boring, and I learned a bit... about ships and nautical word etymologies at the very least.

The book could have used some editing for mechanics and sentence structure, though. Articles are dropped all over the place, unless it's a matter of style to refer to "French navy" rather than "the French navy," and the author's nontraditional use of commas is a little jarring. But I'm a mechanics nerd, and if such things don't distract you too much, this is a fun and informative read.

This book has more than 600 pages.
To the worst defeat of the British Navy in history, the siege of Cartagena, the author devotes exactly 6 lines.

Arthur Herman's "To Rule the Waves" is the best kind of popular history: a thrilling narrative wrapped around an interesting idea and punctuated with lots of the kind of human-size details the average reader will enjoy.

Herman's subject is the British Navy, from its origins among Elizabeathan sea dogs little removed from pirates, to the professional Navy that helped beat Napoleon and Hitler while holding together Britain's far-flung empire, to the twilight triumph in the Falklands in 1982. Herman's thesis is that the Royal Navy's control of the seas helped make possible the modern world, with its global trade ties, international order, and the survival and success of democratic government.

Herman's efforts to explain everything in terms of sea control is inevitably a little strained in places. Also inevitably, in a single volume history covering some 400 years of crowded history, some of the details get stretched or misplaced. These faults aside, this is fun history.

Herman takes an unflinching look at such successful but tough-minded mariners as John Hawkins, Francis Drake, Horatio Nelson, Jack Fisher, and Sandy Woodward. Familiar historical figures such as Queen Elizabeth and Winston Churchill appear at the appropriate moments, along with a slew of lesser-known but equally important persons. The battle vignettes, from Panama to Trafalgar to Jutland to the North Atlantic to the Falklands, are crisply and concisely written, allowing the reader to grasph the tactics and outcome, without becoming bogged down in detail.

The descriptions of life aboard ship from age to age are simply fascinating. The repeated innovations in naval architecture as the world moved from wooden walls and sails to steel hulls and coal or oil-fired engines help explain how Britain stayed in the forefront as a naval power for so long. Along the way, it turns out that the British naval establishment was just as bureaucratic as any other large institution.

This book is highly recommended as an entertaining and educational experience for the average reader with any interest in naval matters and especially in the British Royal Navy.

Chapter 1, page 1, a hurricane in the Caribbean of 1568. The author casts us upon the pitching deck of the "Jesus", a leaking old tub commanded by John Hawkins. His approved mission for queen and country? Why, theft, of course. Take your dramamine and hang on, mates. You are on an unrelenting voyage that won't end until the Falklands War. Sure, some priggish reviewers can nibble away at Mr. Herman's occasional errors. Let it go! On a 400-year voyage there are bound to be a few minor errors. Frankly, the man writes well. This isn't your college history book. It's more like a compelling sea adventure. The author at his most insightful? Herman's description of Captain Bligh and the HMS Bounty mutiny, and the story of the rise of the complex Admiral Nelson should have been part of my MBA management class. Herman at his weakest? His description of Napoleon as a terrorist. Terrorist? A Corsican-born military dictator, yes, but a terrorist? No way. Herman describes John Paul Jones as a vengeful Scot, deprived of a Royal Navy midshipman's billet, who becomes a blood thirsty U.S. Navy captain. Provocative words, but an egregious misread of history. OK, both darts and laurels for Mr. Herman. My recomendation? Buy the book. Herman goes beyond the cold facts. He provides the elusive "Why" so often lacking when reading history. Nicely done.

An interesting read for the most part, and a lot of history fairly well organized. However, I can't understand the multi-page rant about the French Revolution and the "terrorist" Napoleon. What in the world got into Herman?

The concept for the book is good--perform a historical survey that pulls together the history of the British navy and its influence on England/UKs role and presence in the world. Mr. Herman has a very readable style.

That said, there are three critical flaws that every reader should be aware of in this book:
1) There are numerous historical errors and incorrect facts sprinkled through this book.
2) Mr. Herman appears to shape, twist and manipulate the historical record to fit his interpretations of events. It isn't so much that he stretches his interpretation to match events, as that he manipulates results of events and glosses over important aspects of them so that they don't interfere with his view.
3) The most dangerous of these flaws, especially coupled with the above two issues, is that Mr. Herman uses this book as a platform to advance his particular views on politics and economics. If you want to argue against international arms control treaties, write a book or essay or article about don't. Don't place a random, unsupported sentence in a book that purports to be a history of the British Navy.

Overall, this book introduced me to a number of areas of the history of the British Navy that I had not been well acquainted with, but whatever I learned, I now have to call in question because of Herman's poor attention to historical accuracy, willingness to twist the historical record and desire to use this book as a piece of propoganda.

If you are interested in naval history, this is NOT a good starting point. This is an interesting book if you have a sufficient background to recognize where Mr. Herman makes his mistakes and takes his liberties.

Many other reviewers of this book have noted the large number of proofing errors and historical errors it contains. I noticed them myself but was willing to tolerate them because the author has a breezy narrative style I found quite readable--his description of how a ship 'warps out' from a harbor turned out to be necessary, as both my wife and daughter immediately thought in terms of 'warp speed' from Star Trek. However, I suddenly ran head-first into an egregious mistake that I nearly could not believe I'd read: Page 498, "Admiral Sir Ian Hamilton took on the Dardanelles forts", etc. No. No, no no no no no NO. Sir Ian was a general who eventually ended-up commanding the land forces at the Dardanelles, although he was relieved of this command. He was never in the Navy. Vice Admiral S.H. Carden was the first naval commander of the fleet at the Dardanelles, in a string of several.

If I am assured that Herman's history is more accurate concerning the earlier chapters of British naval development, then I am forced to say that his history and understanding of the "modern" British navy, beginning with the introduction of steam and armored warships, is very weak, and that his understanding of the naval side of World War I is even weaker. For those interested in this period of history, Robert Massie's books "Dreadnought" and "Castles of Steel" are just a readable, if not more so, and far more accurate and understanding, with a wealth of political and technical background which Herman clearly does not grasp.

Not only is Herman extremely knowledgeable about his topic, he is also an engaging writer. Probably one of the better written histories that I've read.

Bravo for Mr. Herman! His perspective on the affect of the British raj and, in particular, the navy on the development of the Western world is excellent and educational. The phenomenon of a relatively small nation exerting its influence around the globe by extending its power through a superbly constructed and manned navy is, as yet, unmatched. For fully two centuries, until World War II finally exhausted the potential, the British policy of open sea lanes and its enforcement thereof permitted the development of the New World through trade with the Old. This includes the United States, whose loss as a colony severely dented the Empire, but eventiually created the power which has succeeded Britain as world guarantor.

Mr. Herman is good on detail, but the real strength of the book is his explanation of how naval development and use affected the world as a whole. He is candid about the problems, both physical and political, and respectful of those individuals who, even in bad times, retained the foresight to keep the navy, and, thus, the Empire, on an even keel.

An excellent read for anyone interested in Western history.

Mr. Herman's paean to the British Navy overall was an interesting read. My concern was how accurate it is. Herman wrote that during the War of 1812 the British first captured Baltimore then burned Washington DC. Well Baltimore was never captured during the War of 1812. Does Herman remember the story of the Star Bangled Banner and Fort McHenry? Additionally Washington DC was burned first then the British sought to vanquish Baltimore. When I read such a gaffe in a history book it makes me question the accuracy of the entire book. I also found it disturbing that Herman minimizes the Battle of Trafalgar, and blames Japanese intervention into the war on the Americans! He seems to think that if the US had not placed an embargo on petroleum then perhaps the Japanese would not have attacked the British at Singapore or the Americans at Pearl Harbor. Herman conveniently omits the atrocities of the Japanese and their imperialistic provocations. I find the 2nd half of the book rather sketchy. I also find his summations or conclusions rather vacuous.