New naval history book Formidable is a dramatic tale of loss and courage off England's south coast, peppered with stories of members of the Navy
Steve R. Dunn's latest book also unpicks the far-reaching effects of the social and political climate under which the First World War began
Dear {{First Name}},
I thought you may be interested to hear about the latest book published by The Book Guild: Formidable, the third in a trilogy of naval history books by Steve R. Dunn in which he unpicks the far-reaching effects of the social and political climate under which the First World War began – a period that he calls ‘Vicwardian’. The stifling atmosphere of rigid social hierarchy, pointless deference, and refusal to update rules of engagement that were largely unchanged since Nelson led, Dunn argues, to defective decision making and, ultimately, disaster.
Formidable sailed to her doom under a vice admiral who did not accept the threat posed by new technology – submarines, the U-boats. The accepted rules of war were such that to ambush a battleship unseen, from below the surface, would be ungentlemanly and therefore unthinkable. To seek shelter in bad weather, whatever the threat from U-boats, would be unmanly. The vice admiral kept his ships at sea. As a result, a major ship of the British navy’s battle fleet was lost and 583 men and boys met their deaths. Dunn tells some of their individual stories in heart-breaking detail, including the futile courage of the ship’s captain, Noel Loxley, who stayed on board with his terrier Bruce and was lost with so many of his men.
Author Steve R. Dunn has a strong interest in the British Navy of the ‘Vicwardian’ and First World War periods. Turning to writing after his successful career as a businessmen, he is also the author of The Scapegoat and The Coward? Steve splits his time between Barnt Green, Birmingham, Worcestershire and South-West France. He is available for interview, feature and comment, and copies of Formidable are available for review.
Kind regards,
Sarah Taylor
Group Marketing Manager
The Book Guild Ltd
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E: marketing@bookguild.co.uk
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www.bookguild.co.uk
The Book Guild is an independent partnership and commercial publisher that publishes about 100 titles a year. We offer an eclectic list of titles; novels and stories to enchant both adults and children, vivid memoirs and timely books of current affairs.
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