Stripped of dogma, national bias and historical legend, this volume of naval history deals with the period from Venetian sea supremacy and the Portuguese campaigns of discovery to the Dutch conquest of a world-wide maritime empire, and finally the emergence of England as a serious rival to the Dutch. The author describes the ships, weapons, men and nations who developed ship design and naval strategy, but also examines the strengths and weaknesses of particular commanders. He sees the rise of the West as an economic battle for world markets during which brief intervals of 'peace' were determined solely by exhaustion.