The Anglo-German Naval Rivalry, 1900-1914
John Moore in Navy International
... an absorbing and well-told account of the almost unbelievable machinations of the principal actors in the drama leading up to the Great War. Not only has the author given a clear exposition of the facts and events of this period, but also he provides excellent portraits of those involved...
The book is a clear indictment of the childish ambitions and arrogance of the Kaiser and the growing megalomania of Tirpitz, who, ignoring the sound advice of Metternich... pursued a policy which could only have one ending... the author has provided an excellent and deeply researched book which is well-illustrated and has a first class section of bibliography, most valuable to any student of this period.
The Times Literary Supplement
... Mr Padfield is much more than a skilled populariser. He has his own specialised contribution to make on the development of the battleship, especially its gunnery equipment...
... The naval race with Britain, though it did not in any simple sense cause the war, made Germany's destruction certain... Mr Padfield sees this as national self-destruction by political and naval policies which were at the same time provocative and ineffective.
The Diplomatist
... all highly compelling and nostalgia-creating...
The Seafarer
... a fascinating story well told...
Readers' Syndicate, California
It's a marvellous bit of history, very well done.
El Paso, Texas, Times
... important, readable and scholarly new book... adds immeasurably to our understanding of the events which carried much of the civilised world into the war of 1914-18.