Synopses & Reviews
The Seven Yearsand#8217; War was the worldand#8217;s first global conflict, spanning five continents and the critical sea lanes that connected them. This book is the fullest account ever written of the French navyand#8217;s role in the hostilities. It is also the most complete survey of both phases of the war: the French and Indian War in North America (1754and#8211;60) and the Seven Yearsand#8217; War in Europe (1756and#8211;63), which are almost always treated independently. By considering both phases of the war from every angle, award-winning historian Jonathan R. Dull shows not only that the two conflicts are so interconnected that neither can be fully understood in isolation but also that traditional interpretations of the war are largely inaccurate. His work also reveals how the French navy, supposedly utterly crushed, could have figured so prominently in the War of American Independence only fifteen years later.and#160;A comprehensive work integrating diplomatic, naval, military, and political history, The French Navy and the Seven Yearsand#8217; War thoroughly explores the French perspective on the Seven Yearsand#8217; War. It also studies British diplomacy and war strategy as well as the roles played by the American colonies, Spain, Austria, Prussia, Russia, Sweden, and Portugal. As this history unfolds, it becomes clear that French policy was more consistent, logical, and successful than has previously been acknowledged, and that King Louis XVand#8217;s conduct of the war profoundly affected the outcome of Americaand#8217;s subsequent Revolutionary War.
Review
"This is an excellent summary of how the U.S. Navy grew from next to nothing at the end of the American Revolution into a force without which the Union could not have defeated the Confederacy, and became a world-class power in the twentieth century. . . . Dull has pulled personalities, diplomacy, technology, and politics into a nicely executed summary. This is a superior reference for someone who wants a different look at our early history."and#8212;Frieda Murray, Booklist
Review
"Impressive intellectual heft."and#8212;Stephen Curley, Journal of American Culture
Review
"A tight, insightful overview of American naval history."—A. A. Nofi, strategypage.com Stephen Curley - Journal of American Culture
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"American Naval History, 1607-1865 is an important work in that it continues a recent historiographical trend that places naval and other military history into broader discussions that detail not only how outside factors shaped fighting forces, but also how military institutions were integral parts of the wider modern world."and#8212;Greg Rogers, H-NET
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"American Naval History is a thought-provoking book that asks its readers to consider the early history of the U.S. Navy in a larger context, which is reason enough to recommend it to readers looking for a quick and lucid introduction to America's naval heritage."and#8212;Kurt Hackemer, Journal of American History
Review
"A full-dress history of the Seven Yearsand#8217; War as a whole, from the French perspective. . . . The focus is almost entirely upon grand strategy, diplomacy, and economics and finance; as such it is a first-rate work of serious history."and#8212;Peyton Moss, ForeWord Magazine
Review
"Dull. . . has produced a comprehensively researched history of the Seven Years' War that succeeds in tracing the political and military ramifications of warfare in North American and Europe. He also fills a crucial historiographic gap by focusing on the long neglected French navy and placing its operational history in a wider political context. . . . Ultimately the book contributes critical research to a burgeoning topic and will prove useful for those seeking an engaging account of high politics and military operations during the Seven Years' War."and#8212;Lauren E. Heckler, Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History
Review
"There are a great many books for English-speaking readers concerning the British Royal Navy in the 18th century, but not many that provide solid, well-researched material concerning its greatest rival, the French Navy. Dull helps fill in that gap and provides some much-needed balance with this work. Overall, this is a much-needed study for any scholar interested in this time period or in western naval and maritime history."and#8212;Choice
Review
"This excellent book deserves a wide audience. It far surpasses most histories of the Seven Years' War. . . . This book belongs on the shelf of anyone seriously interested in early American and Atlantic history, French maritime and naval history, and in the history of international relations in the eighteenth century."and#8212;James Pritchard, Journal of Military History
Review
"Those interested in learning the inside story of how governments actually conduct war will find this a fascinating work, and a sobering reflection of how they probably still carry on today."and#8212;Robert Guttman, Military History
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"The author weaves diplomatic and strategic issues into the overall story of the naval war."and#8212;The NYMAS Review
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"Dull has written a magisterial history of the war and the role of the French Navy. . . . This history will long stand as the definitive work on the French Navy of the period."and#8212;Harold N. Boyer, Sea History
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"An impressive and an important addition to the literature. The French Navy and the Seven Years' War will for years to come be an essential addition to the library of specialists and students of eighteenth century naval (and diplomatic) history alike."and#8212;Olaf Uwe Janzen, Northern Mariner
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"Illuminates the conduct of naval operations by situating them in the wider contexts of the diplomatic negotiations and the land war that were unfolding simultaneouslyand#8230;. A firm, carefully-argued work, which turns out to be far more than a study of the French navy."and#8212;Geoffrey Symcox, H-Net Book Reviews
Review
and#8220;Dulland#8217;s book is a monument to careful scholarship. With clear, concise prose, he navigates deftly through a complex tale of war, diplomacy, and politics. His book is the definitive work on this topic.and#8221;and#8212;
Canadian Journal of HistoryReview
and#8220;With the publication of Jonathan R. Dulland#8217;s The French Navy and the Seven Yearsand#8217; War, we at last have an accessible, brisk, and erudite narrative of this global struggle. For although its title suggests a more narrow focus on the valiant, but doomed, efforts of the French navy in that war, Dulland#8217;s work offers much more than this.and#8221;and#8212;Rafe Blaufarb, Journal of Modern History
Review
"A magnificent book, another tour de force in combined diplomatic, political, and naval history."and#8212;N. A. M. Rodger, author of The Safeguard of the Sea: A Naval History of Britain
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"Historian Jonathan Dull's new book provides insight into one of our most enthralling founding fathers."—Al Hemingway, Military Heritage
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"Dull's 122-page, beautifully written masterpiece is the kind of book that readers will take in at one sitting or savor in pieces, digesting a part of each of the six chapters slowly."—C.L. Egan, Choice
Review
“A rich history of Franklins conduct in the Revolution. Having the various strands of Franklins life in the revolutionary period woven together is of great value. Both laymen and scholars will find it useful and interesting.”—Robert L. Middlekauff, Preston Hotchkis Professor of American History Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley
Review
“Jonathan Dull is the leading expert on naval and diplomatic history in this era as well as an important Franklin scholar. . . . [This book is] a timely and useful synthesis.”—David Waldstreicher, author of Runaway America: Benjamin Franklin, Slavery, and the American Revolution
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"Aand#160;tight, insightful overview of American naval history."and#8212;A. A. Nofi, strategypage.com
Review
“As always, in discussing the warfare of the period, Dull displays an easy mastery of diplomatic history. Long out of fashion, it is a wonderful aid to comprehension. Along the way he offers several shrewd insights into the success of the British and the failure of the French. . . . This wonderful synthesis is both a handy primer for students seeking an introduction to naval warfare in the age of sail and an insightful overview containing shrewd observations for those who study these conflicts in detail. . . . The book is highly recommended for anyone interested in gaining a balanced overview of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century naval warfare in the age of the sail.”—James Pritchard, Northern Mariner
Review
"Among the great strengths of this book are its clear, vivid prose and the quality of its scholarship. Dull writes with flair and is capable of condensing large amounts of information on events, ideas, and personalities into a lucid, well-organized narrative. While Dull has crafted his account largely from secondary sources, he has drawn on some of today's best scholarship in military, naval, diplomatic, political, and economic history published in several languages, including English, French, and Spanish."—Charles E. Brodine Jr., Naval History
Review
"Dull explains the role of French and British ships of the line in the outcome of these wars in a way that has never been done before, and that is a magnificent achievement and an important historiographical marker for all naval historians."—Sam Willis, Journal of Military History
Review
"[Dull] offers an excellent introduction to the Anglo-French Wars of 1650-1815 in this tour de force."—R. Higham, CHOICE
Review
"[Age of the Ship of the Line] will be an invaluable guide to the serious scholar who wishes to enter further the labyrinthine politics of Western Europe in the long eighteenth century. . . . The book is admirably produced and will endure as a source of reference."—Roger Morriss, International Journal of Maritime History
Review
“Jonathan Dull is a supreme naval historian.”—Paul Kennedy, author of
The Rise and Fall of British Naval MasteryReview
"An excellent introduction to the rise of American sea power."and#8212;NYMAS Review
Review
andquot;American Naval History provides a very important intellectual contribution by connecting American naval history to the American colonial experience across the entire scope of permanent settlement from 1607 to 1775.andquot;andmdash;John B. Hattendorf, Historian
Synopsis
For its first eighty-five years, the United States was only a minor naval power. Its fledgling fleet had been virtually annihilated during the War of Independence and was mostly trapped in port by the end of the War of 1812. How this meager presence became the major naval power it remains to this day is the subject of
American Naval History, 1607and#8211;1865: Overcoming the Colonial Legacy. A wide-ranging yet concise survey of the U.S. Navy from the colonial era through the Civil War, the book draws on American, British, and French history to reveal how navies reflect diplomatic, political, economic, and social developments and to show how the foundation of Americaand#8217;s future naval greatness was laid during the Civil War.
Award-winning author Jonathan R. Dull documents the remarkable transformation of the U.S. Navy between 1861 and 1865, thanks largely to brilliant naval officers like David Farragut, David D. Porter, and Andrew Foote; visionary politicians like Abraham Lincoln and Gideon Welles; and progressive industrialists like James Eads and John Ericsson. But only by understanding the failings of the antebellum navy can the accomplishments of Lincolnand#8217;s navy be fully appreciated. Exploring such topics as delays in American naval development, differences between the U.S. and European fleets, and the effect that the countryand#8217;s colonial past had on its naval policies, Dull offers a new perspective on both American naval history and the history of the developing republic.
Synopsis
The inventor, the ladies man, the affable diplomat, and the purveyor of pithy homespun wisdom: we all know the charming, resourceful Benjamin Franklin. What is less appreciated is the importance of Franklins part in the American Revolution: except for Washington he was its most irreplaceable leader. Although aged and in ill health, Franklin served the cause with unsurpassed zeal and dedication. Jonathan R. Dull, whose decades of work on The Papers of Benjamin Franklin have given him rare insight into his subject, explains Franklins role in the Revolution, what prepared him for that role, and what motivated him. The Franklin presented here, a man immersed in the violence, danger, and suffering of the Revolution, is a tougher person than the Franklin of legend. Dulls portrait captures Franklins confidence and self-righteousness about himself and the American cause. It shows his fanatical zeal, his hatred of King George III and Georges American supporters (particularly Franklins own son), and his disdain for hardship and danger. It also shows a side of Franklin that he tried to hide: his vanity, pride, and ambition. Though not as lovable and avuncular as the person of legend, this Franklin is more interesting, more complex, and in many ways more impressive.
Synopsis
For nearly two hundred years huge wooden warships called “ships of the line” dominated war at sea and were thus instrumental in the European struggle for power and the spread of imperialism. Foremost among the great naval powers were Great Britain and France, whose advanced economies could support large numbers of these expensive ships. This book, the first joint history of these great navies, offers a uniquely impartial and comprehensive picture of the two forces—their shipbuilding programs, naval campaigns, and battles, and their wartime strategies and diplomacy. Jonathan R. Dull is the author of two award-winning histories of the French navy. Bringing to bear years of study of war and diplomacy, his book conveys the fine details and the high drama of the age of grand and decisive naval conflict. Dull delves into the seven wars that Great Britain and France, often in alliance with lesser naval powers such as Spain and the Netherlands, fought between 1688 and 1815. Viewing war as most statesmen of the time saw it—as a contest of endurance—he also treats the tragic side of the Franco-British wars, which shattered the greater security and prosperity the two powers enjoyed during their brief period as allies.
About the Author
Jonathan R. Dull served as the senior associate editor of The Papers of Benjamin Franklin series until 2008. His other books include The Age of the Ship of the Line: The British and French Navies, 1650-1815 (Nebraska 2009) and The French Navy and the Seven Years War, available in a Bison Books edition.