Naval history, Harding notes, has ventured far from its roots in the telling of great deeds by warrior heroes. By the twentieth century, it had moved through several stages of development and increasing sophistication, borrowing from the scientific community to explain war and naval warfare within a framework of principles, in large part through operational narratives. During the Cold War, however, naval history fell into decline because of political and social factors but also because of scholarship that lagged behind the more broadened historical approaches and questions in other fields. But within the last few decades, the study of war at sea has seen a revival, as historians have followed the lead of their colleagues and moved beyond cannon and battle to explore new dimensions of naval history.
In Modern Naval History, Harding seeks to accomplish several objectives for readers inside and outside the field of naval history. For...