Arthur Balfour was one of the most important British political leaders of the last three hundred years.This in-depth biography should be an essential book for readers of Martin Gilbert, Roy Jenkins and John Bew.Most famous for the Balfour Declaration of 1917, which announced Britain’s support for the establishment of a ‘national home for the Jewish people’, he served as Prime Minister in the early years of the twentieth century and remained an influential cabinet member through many of the most difficult periods of British history.Using a wealth of archival material Ruddock Mackay’s detailed biography of Balfour uncovers the turbulent political life of this intellectual statesman who after resigning as Conservative Party leader in 1911 returned to the front benches as Foreign Secretary during the height of the First World War and through the peace conferences that followed it.‘[Balfour] is equally intriguing to those who see high politics as a game and those interested in the formation of public policy.’ The Journal of Modern History‘[Mackay] provides additional insight into Balfour’s ideas on education, foreign affairs, and defense’ The American Historical Review‘Mackay’s book is meticulous, important and well-footnoted’ Los Angeles TimesIntellectual Statesman provides fascinating insight into British history in the early twentieth century from the perspective of a politician who took part in the debates surrounding Irish Home Rule, served as Prime Minister during the Anglo-German naval arms race, Leader of the Opposition throughout the crisis of Lloyd George’s People Budget, and later was Foreign Secretary during World War One and the Paris Peace Conference.

Balfour: Intellectual Statesman

MacKay, Ruddock F.

Oxford University Press

Although less well known than Nelson, Hood, or Rodney, Hawke is one of the founding fathers of the Royal Navy's 'habit of victory'. His moral courage was manifest early, when in 1744 as a junior captain he took his ship out of the line at the battle of Toulon to engage the enemy more closely. This revisionist biography reinstates him as one of the most significant figures in the history of the Navy. As an admiral Hawke did not lose this innovative spirit. It was during the Seven Years War that he really made his mark, when he proved that the year-round close blockade of Brest was feasible, which became the cornerstone of British naval policy right down to 1815. With the French main fleet bottled up, invasion of the British Isles was impossible, and even if it did escape during bad weather, pursuit was always close astern. This was dramatically demonstrated on a stormy November day in 1759 when Hawke's fleet chased a startled French squadron into the poorly charted shallows of Quiberon Bay. In the course of a wild and chaotic night the British won a victory so spectacular that it was a favourite subject for marine painters for nearly a century. Unlike Nelson, Hawke rose to the pinnacle of his profession, eventually becoming First Lord of the Admiralty. Like many peacetime administrators, struggling against budget limitations , Hawke was later criticised for the state of the fleet when mobilisation called. But this book shows that his work was very creditable, and reinforced his position as the Navy's foremost figure.

Admiral Hawke

Clarendon Press/Oxford University

Fisher of Kilverstone,

History

Military

Clarendon Press

Edward Hawke’s naval victories were matched only by Horatio Nelson, but few remember him today. So who was this naval genius and what was his contribution to the history of the Royal Navy?\nA magnificent biography of a brilliant eighteenth century admiral, perfect for readers of Andrew Lambert, Roy Adkins and Ben Wilson.\nIn the fading light of the 20th November 1759 Hawke led his ships to attack the French fleet in the treacherous waters of Quiberon Bay. After a three-hour struggle the French squadron had been devastated. The battle ended French invasion plans, signalled the rise of the Royal Navy and confirmed Britain’s position as the world’s foremost naval power.\nHow did Admiral Hawke, the son of barrister, rise to become one of Britain’s greatest admirals? And how important were his victories against the French through the course of the mid-eighteenth century?\nAdmiral Hawke by Ruddock F. Mackay charts the story of this remarkable figure, from his long-apprenticeship at sea, learning the art of naval command, to his first major victory in the Second Battle of Cape Finisterre, finishing with his final years as First Lord of the Admiralty.\n‘The accounts of naval operations are well constructed, and the necessary background for understanding strategy and tactics is amply provided. … Mackay’s research carries authority; the reader feels he knows where the ships were and why.’ The American Historical Review\n‘Ruddock Mackay in his Admiral Hawke has given us a more complete biography, based on documents that [previous historians] never saw and on obviously more effective research techniques.’ The Journal of Modern History\nRuddock F. Mackay uncovers the life of this much-forgotten maritime hero, whose victory at Quiberon Bay can only be compared to Trafalgar or the defeat of the Spanish Armada. This should be essential reading for all interested in the history of the Age of Sail.

Admiral Hawke: Britain's Greatest Forgotten Naval Commander (The Age of Sail)

Biographies & Memoirs

Leaders & Notable People

Sapere Books

A comprehensive biography of one of the key architects of the modern British Royal Navy.\nPerfect for readers of Robert K. Massie, Richard Freeman, and Iain Ballantyne.\nDuring the course of over a sixty year career John Arbuthnot Fisher, commonly known as Jacky Fisher, tirelessly developed innovative tactics, powerful ships and pioneered new nautical technologies to ensure that Britain did not fall behind in the naval arms race that took place prior to World War One.\nFisher entered the navy in 1854, serving initially on Nelson’s old wooden flagship, HMS Victory. As his career progressed and he rose through the ranks, fighting in conflicts across the globe, he began to understand the need for maritime development, particularly in the range, accuracy, and rate-of-fire of naval gunnery. He famously supported the construction of HMS Dreadnought, the first all-big-gun battleship, as well as the advancement of submarine warfare to ensure that Britain could compete with her rivals.\nRuddock Mackay’s remarkable biography draws from a wide range of original research to uncover the full length of Fisher’s naval career from his early days in the age of sail through to his final years as First Sea Lord co-operating and clashing with Winston Churchill during the First World War.\n‘substantial and well-written … Mackay has made an important contribution to the history of the “Fisher era,” and one that no historian interested in the period should neglect.” The American Historical Review

Fisher of Kilverstone (Leading the Modern Royal Navy)

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