Tide of Empires
Decisive Naval Campaigns in the Rise of the West, Vol. I, 1481-1654 by Peter Padfield
The publicity ballyhoo accompanying this first instalment of a new four-volume history of naval warfare from the late fifteenth century to the present day, tells us: 'Disregarding the glamorous motives which are traditionally attributed to naval commanders, Peter Padfield instead attributes the motive force to wealth and envy of wealth. Stripped of dogma, national bias and historical legend, this is a radically new view of naval history, written with all the gusto and attention to detail which has established Peter Padfield among the most readable and exciting of naval historians.'