cover image The British Seaborne Empire

The British Seaborne Empire

Jeremy Black. Yale University Press, $50 (432pp) ISBN 978-0-300-10386-1

In this ambitious study, British historian Black reminds an academic and general readership that ""Britannia rules the waves"" was not only a touchstone of national identity but also a statement of economic policy. Examining the British Empire from its origins until the present day, and carefully situating his argument within the broader context of post-colonial scholarship, Black outlines the fundamental economic motivations behind the expansion of the empire. The result is a nuanced, well-researched history of the ways in which Britain's maritime industry influenced its foreign policy and public culture. Black proposes that in order to appreciate the continuing relevance empire has today, a broader understanding of the idea of ""empire"" is needed, one that takes into account the different forms empire takes in different historical periods, rather than viewing these histories as self-contained and finished. Sea power may seem an anachronistic way of viewing empire in the 20th century--it seems to represent the epitome of a finished history--but, as Black argues in the final chapter of the book, these histories leave a ""residue"" on our own period and contribute to our own culture and policy decisions. What he gains in comprehensiveness Black does not lose in thoughtfulness; the result is not only an important contribution to military history, but a reminder that we are all part of a long historical narrative.