Christopher Lloyd 
A Short History of the Royal Navy 
1805-1918

Naval histories often stop short at the death of Nelson. This book succinctly fills the gap by covering the golden age of British sea power – the period which saw the defeat of Napoleon, the American War, the expansion of the empire, the introduction of the steamship and the defeat of the first German menace. Not only a galaxy of heroic episodes, this book also highlights the relationship between the Navy in war and peace to the nation as a whole.