One can assume, usually, that a book which is entitled "Battleships and Carriers", is about those two ship classes, which may collectively described as "capital ships". I am at a loss to understand, therefore, why assault ships, headquarters vessels and even destroyers should be included in this volume. I believe that a tighter and clearer definition of what this book is about should have been made. In addition, there is no consistency about the type of information included in each ship entry. Entries are listed simply in alpha order, which makes comparison between vessels of type, period or nationality very difficult. However, what is much more irritating and in my view in- excusable are the significant inaccuracies that appear. For example, the entry for Bouvet, a pre-Dreadnought battleship is accompanied by an illustration of a destroyer. Worse still, the entry for Massena, a near sister to Bouvet, is presented with a picture of what looks like a WWII Japanese cruiser. I have to say that this book seems to serve no useful purpose at all. Neither the expert on the subject nor the interested amateur will find any benefit in it. I wish I could get my money back, but sadly my copy is already defaced with irritable scribbles.