The Line Upon a Wind: The Great War at Sea, 1793–1815

This spirited work contributes significantly to a developing interpretation of the years 1794–1815 as an era of worldwide, total war. Journalist Mostert moves smoothly from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean, from Timor to Tarragona, demonstrating the constant, decisive influence of sea power on war, diplomacy and policy. His connecting thread is the rise of Britain to superpower status through the Royal Navy. Sea power, through battle and blockade, frustrated France's ambitions both revolutionary and imperial. Sea power, directly and indirectly applied, helped decide land engagements from the Iberian Peninsula to the Indian Ocean. It also opened the world to Western influence. Equally significant is Mostert's presentation of the war at sea as a high-tech operation: the ship of the line developed in Europe was the most complex technological artifact of its day, requiring highly skilled personnel to build, sail and command it. Britain developed all of these; its only challenge, an embryonic one, came from the fast-developing United States. That, however, is another story—a story, one hopes, for another book of this quality. 16 pages of illus., 6 maps. (July )