Classic & Recent Books
Brian is the author of more than thirty books on many different aspects of British and world maritime history.
The Ship of the Line
(2 vols, 1983-4)
Nelson's Navy
1989
A complete guide to the most successful fleet of its day. Constantly in print for more than 30 years.
Nelson and the Nile
1997
Ship
2004
A highly illustrated guide to the ships of the world throughout history. Translated into many languages.
Churchill goes to War
2007
Empire of the Seas
2010
Which spent four weeks in the Sunday Times best sellers list in 2010.
The Conquest of the Ocean
2010
This book gives us an enormous amount of information about exploration, trade and war during the last 5,000 years of travelling our planet’s mass of water known as “The Oceans”.
Haynes Manual
SS Great Britain
2017
Using the format of the classic car manuals, it explains Brunel’s historic ship from the point of view of the builders, the sailors, the engineers and the passengers. It is a meticulously detailed, and beautifully and profusely illustrated study of one of the technically most important ships ever built in Britain, covering its history, construction, equipment, engineering, people, navigation and career.
Nelson's Victory
2015
Covering much more than the conventional story of the ship at Trafalgar under Nelson, this book breaks new ground in exploring the whole 250 year story of the ship using documentary sources and personal experience.
Haynes Manual
Mary Rose
2017
The Last Big Gun, at War and at Sea with HMS Belfast
2010
The story of Britain’s last surviving cruiser, her design and building, and service including the sinking of the Scharnhorst, the Normandy invasion and the Korean War, using accounts by those who served on board.
Wooden Warship Construction; A History in Ship Models
2017
Using ship models of the time, this book gives a detailed description of the construction methods of warships of the eighteenth century. Valuable for historians and modelmakers.
Churchill Warrior
2017
How a Military Life Guided Winston’s Finest Hours.
Anson’s Navy
2021
This book gives attention to a multitude of factors that affected the development of the Royal Navy: the workings of Parliament and the British cabinet, cooperation and competition between the Admiralty and navy boards, the state of British colonies worldwide, and (naturally) the ships and men of the service itself.
Royal Yachts
2022
The story of Royal yachts from the time when Charles II encountered them in 1660 at the end of his exile in Holland, until queen Victoria discovered the advantages of steam. Much on the uses of the yachts, including regime change and diplomatic and military missions.
Two Navies Divided
2023
A comparison between the United States and the British navies at the time of the Second World War. They started with common origins but often interpreted them differently. Much on the culture and personnel, as well as ships and tactics.
The Royal Navy Officer's Pocket-Book
2023
The Officer’s Handbook gathers together useful advice and instruction for those naval officers fighting the Second World War on all aspects of their job, expressed in the benevolent language of the day, when authority was respected.