Battles and Battleships is a narrative history of the era of ship design from the first ironclads to the ultimate Dreadnaught battleship, from 1866 to 1905, from the Battle of Lissa to the Battle of Tsushima. It is a narrative history detailed and extensively researched but easily read and entertaining. It is hoped that serious students will see the parallels to our current world and take the lesson offered. The period covered is full of truly amazing events and personalities and I have not hesitated to explore these. It is hoped that the reader will enjoy this exploration as much as I have and will emerge a little wiser as well..