Luxury Fleet: The Imperial German Navy 1888-1918

Antiquarian & Collectible Naval History Military History World War I German Imperial History Maritime Reference Political Strategy Naval Technology

First-edition copies of Holger H. Herwig’s Luxury Fleet: The Imperial German Navy 1888-1918 are scarce on the collector market, especially in hardback with the original 1980 Allen & Unwin dust jacket still intact. This particular volume is a clean, tightly-bound example—no ex-library markings, inscriptions, or sun-faded spine—making it an ideal shelf-piece for enthusiasts of naval antiquarian books and serious students of Kaiser-era military history alike.

Inside, Herwig dismantles the myth of an invincible “luxury fleet” and shows how Germany’s race with Britain for maritime supremacy reshaped global geopolitics. Using freshly opened German archives, the author traces Tirpitz’s dreadnought program from its glittering launch ceremonies to the mutinous end at Kiel in 1918, weaving technical ship data with high-level political maneuvering. The result is a readable yet scholarly narrative that still anchors university syllabi on World War I, strategy, and European diplomatic history.

For collectors, the book’s value lies in its first-edition status, authoritative source notes, and extensive order-of-battle appendices that serve as a ready reference for model-ship builders and naval war gamers. For students and young adults, the clear prose, maps, and photographs make complex topics—armor schemes, gun calibers, fleet tactics—accessible without sacrificing academic rigor. Whether displayed in a WWII library, cited in a thesis, or gifted to a maritime buff, this copy offers both intellectual weight and vintage shelf appeal.

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