Winner of the Longman's History Today Book of the Year Award and the inaugural Westminster Medal for Military Literature More than a century had gone by since the Battle of Trafalgar. Generation after generation of British naval captains had been dreaming ever since of a 'new' Trafalgar - a cataclysmic encounter which would decisively change a war's outcome. At last, in the summer of 1916, they thought their moment had come... Andrew Gordon's extraordinary, gripping book brilliantly recreates the atmosphere of the ...
Read More
Winner of the Longman's History Today Book of the Year Award and the inaugural Westminster Medal for Military Literature More than a century had gone by since the Battle of Trafalgar. Generation after generation of British naval captains had been dreaming ever since of a 'new' Trafalgar - a cataclysmic encounter which would decisively change a war's outcome. At last, in the summer of 1916, they thought their moment had come... Andrew Gordon's extraordinary, gripping book brilliantly recreates the atmosphere of the British navy in the years leading up to Jutland and gives a superb account of the battle itself and its bitterly acrimonious aftermath.
Read Less
Add this copy of The Rules of the Game: Jutland and British Naval to cart. $27.74, new condition, Sold by Ria Christie Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Uxbridge, MIDDLESEX, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2015 by Penguin Books Ltd.
Add this copy of The Rules of the Game: Jutland and British Naval to cart. $31.97, new condition, Sold by Kennys.ie rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Galway, IRELAND, published 2015 by Penguin Books Ltd.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. Winner of the Longman's History Today Book of the Year Award and the inaugural Westminster Medal for Military Literature, this book recreates the atmosphere of the British navy in the years leading up to Jutland and gives a superb account of the battle itself and its bitterly acrimonious aftermath. Num Pages: 720 pages. BIC Classification: 1DND; 3JJF; HBJD; HBLW; HBWN; JWF. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 199 x 130 x 46. Weight in Grams: 556. 2015. Paperback.....We ship daily from our Bookshop.
Add this copy of The Rules of the Game: Jutland and British Naval to cart. $32.55, new condition, Sold by Booksplease rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Southport, MERSEYSIDE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2015 by Penguin Books Ltd.
Add this copy of The Rules of the Game: Jutland and British Navel to cart. $80.75, new condition, Sold by GridFreed rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from North Las Vegas, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Naval Inst Pr.
Add this copy of The Rules of the Game: Jutland and British Naval to cart. $91.92, new condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by Naval Institute Press.
Add this copy of Rules of the Game to cart. $91.96, new condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by penguin books ltd (june 25, 20.
This book does two things extremely well. The first and last quarter offer a superb analysis of the Battle of Jutland. Using the "signals manual" as its Rosetta stone the middle half gives an amazing accounting of how Victorian and Edwardian society impacted the culture of the Royal Navy between Nelson and WW1. This is history writing of the highest order. Unforgettable stuff. You'll never look at the Battle of Jutland the same after reading it.
CloseReading
Jul 23, 2007
England has a sinking feeling
Andrew Gordon's book The Rules of the Game is a difficult book to read and a difficult book to recommend and a difficult book to dismiss. Gordon's book is not difficult to read because it is poorly written. To the contrary, the author's style is very graceful, sometimes funny and always logical. The hurdle most readers will have to get over is the book's subject matter. The Rules of the Game is a book about the Naval Battle of Jutland-the clash between the United Kingdom's Grand Fleet and Germany's High Seas Fleet on May 31-June 1, 1916. The outcome was nothing like either side anticipated and, although both claimed victory, neither accomplished what they wanted. Andrew Gordon takes his readers through a lot of very technical detail. Some of the material went way over this reader's land-lubbing head. But the author is adept at providing context that caries the narrative along. More important, and more enjoyable to read, Gordon plumbs the depths of the Royal Navy's character during the Edwardian period. His book is not just a well crafted combat narrative. It is also an in-depth look at the creation and evolution of a military culture and the effect of custom and technology. Without a doubt it should be required reading for anyone who plans or has a career in the armed forces. The lessons about the differences in a peace time and war time military are very important. In fact anyone interested on the effect of technology on culture will find this book of great interest. And anyone interested in what makes people tick will find a wealth of material for thought. Gordon is good at keeping himself honest. He tells the reader when and why he is making suppositions or assumptions and explains where his ideas lead and why they could be wrong. And he respects his subject. He avoids-or at least acknowledges-judging by hind-site and has sympathy and understanding for the sailors at Jutland. After the battle began a war of reputations. The naval tactics and the combat assumptions used at Jutland by the two British commanders were out of synch and often at odds. A bitter brawl broke out inside the Royal Navy between men personally loyal to Admiral David Beatty and those who agreed with Admiral John Jellicoe. Gordon's book sifts through the controversies with intelligence. And he makes a good case that the officers involved-easily portrayed as Gilbert and Sullivan comic operetta sailors-where something else entirely. They were not fools, Gordon asserts. But they may have been made fools of.
