A complete photographic dossier on all capital ships from the Dreadnought 1905 onwards, Battleships of the world is based on the enormous archives of Germany's Library of Contemporary History in Stuttgart. These photos document every aspect of the ships, including construction, on-boards, close-ups of detail, and action shots, and naturally many are unfamiliar in the English-speaking world. A number of significant ship plans and battlecharts are also included, and a historical introduction prefaces the book. The illustrations were chosen and captioned by Siegfried Breyer, the well-known author of Battleships and Battlecruisers and Germany's leading authority on capital ships. The organization of the book by nation and ship class in chronological order) makes for easy reference, and the large format allows the best and most dramatic use of the photos.