British Battleships 1919-1945 by R A Burt Reviewed by Sean Hert August 2012

In this day of the Internet and having the world's knowledge at your fingertips in a moment's notice, reference books need to offer something more than just tables of data and a few pictures. This revised edition of Ray Burt's British Battleships certainly offers more than that.

This books follows a familiar chronological format, in both topics and with each subject, covering both battleships and battlecruisers. Burt even diverges a bit into Courageous and Glorious as carriers. However, this book does not discuss the Vanguard (the last battleship to be built), nor does it cover any of the incompleted or hypothetical classes (G3, Lion). One unexpected treat is Burt's coverage of the various camoflauge patterns exhibited at different periods.

While this book isn't a photo reference, that doens't mean it is without pictures; in fact, there are many rare shots of RN ships throughout. The book also has some line drawings, usually to aid in differentiating various fits and changes during the lifespan of a ship. The use of color is limited to the inside cover (see image below).

Scans are reduced quality.

This book should be on the bookshelf of naval enthusiast- the breadth of information is unparalleled. Get yours today!

British Battleships 1919-1945 by R A Burt is available from Seaforth Publishing (an imprint of Pen and Sword books) Amazon.com US and UK, and the Naval Institute Press (800-233-8764). List Price is 85.00; actual prices vary. Thanks to Pen and Sword for this review copy.