A most welcome addition to the bibliography of WW1. [...] Splendid and serious [...] it is essential reading for students of WW1. THE REVIEW (Naval Historical Collectors & Research Association) Truly an agenda-setting work. It is also valuable for its extensive references to primary sources. WARSHIP Not only revises our understanding of the Naval Staff's qualifications and ... Read morecompetence: it provides an important reassessment of many aspects of the Admiralty's conduct of the naval war, one that challenges conventional wisdom on several counts. [...] This is a fine piece of scholarship, recommended especially to those who focus on operational history to the exclusion of policy, planning, implementation, and logistics. JOURNAL OF BRITISH STUDIES Black has blown aside some of the fog of history and shed light on the accomplishments of a group of mostly overlooked and underestimated men. NAUTICAL RESEARCH JOURNAL Black's excellent book demonstrates that the staff was larger, more professional and more important. Ultimately an effective, if not always efficient, staff was essential to the successful prosecution of total war in the twentieth century. ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW [An] elegantly written and well-researched volume. [...] This is an illuminating study that will have a major impact on histories of the First World War. HISTORY A first-class study of a major subject, whose findings challenge all standard accounts. [...] Black's monograph is the product of a rare combination of diligent and original research in primary sources, a comprehensive and accurate reading of the existing scholarly literature on his subject, a sophisticated historical sensibility, and a writer's gift for clear and engaging exposition. It replaces the existing interpretation of the history of Britain's naval staff during the First World War with one that is much more complete and satisfying. [It] is an exemplar of the power of serious scholarly inquiry. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MARITIME HISTORY For Naval enthusiasts it's essential stuff [which] rescues from oblivion a fine and unjustly traduced body of men. THE MAIL ON SUNDAY Show Less