THE CONFIDENT HOPE OF A MIRACLE: The True History of the Spanish Armada
Neil Hanson, . . Knopf, $35 (512pp) ISBN 978-1-4000-4294-4
This splendid volume takes its title from a Spaniard's description of his compatriots' mood when the Armada sailed; a miracle was not forthcoming, however, for the Spanish or English fleets. The Spanish lacked the strength to overcome the inherent strategic disadvantages of having to bring a fleet and an army together over such a long distance; the English achieved their naval victory by sheer hard fighting, which nearly exhausted their ammunition and in which not only Sir Francis Drake displayed a freebooter's contempt toward disciplined obedience. Hanson (
Reviewed on: 12/20/2004
Genre: Nonfiction
Hardcover - 571 pages - 978-0-385-60451-2
Open Ebook - 363 pages - 978-0-307-42830-1
Open Ebook - 688 pages - 978-1-4464-2322-6
Paperback - 571 pages - 978-0-385-60452-9
Paperback - 688 pages - 978-0-552-14975-4
Paperback - 489 pages - 978-1-4000-7817-2