Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 3:30:22-3:31:36

Three starting books for the Anglo-Dutch Wars

A concise reading path combines a British maritime overview with studies covering naval warfare before and after 1650.

Age Of SailAnglo Dutch WarsHistoriographyNaval History BooksSea Power
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Question

What are good introductory books on the Second Anglo-Dutch War?

Short answer

Start with The Command of the Ocean, Warfare at Sea 1500-1650, and Seapower and Naval Warfare 1650-1830.

Notes

N. A. M. Rodger's The Command of the Ocean provides the broad foundation. Jan Glete's Warfare at Sea, 1500-1650 supplies the institutional and strategic setting before the wars. Richard Harding's Seapower and Naval Warfare, 1650-1830 then carries the reader through the conflict era and its aftermath. Together the books offer a manageable route from background and state formation to fleet operations and longer-term naval development.