Sumida recounts finding an original copy of Mahan's Naval Strategy in a used bookshop. Its inscription identified it as Mahan's presentation copy to his mentor and patron, Rear Admiral Stephen B. Luce. The pages remained uncut, prompting the suggestion that Luce had not read that copy. Possessing a strategic work does not establish that its recipient read it or used its arguments in policy.
Notable Point · 2:42:25-2:43:23
An unread presentation copy and Mahan's influence
An uncut presentation copy raises questions about how ownership and prestige establish the influence of strategic writing.