"Armada: The Spanish Enterprise and England’s Deliverance in 1588" by Colin Martin and Geoffrey Parker is now my 'go-to' book on the Spanish Armada, t"Armada: The Spanish Enterprise and England’s Deliverance in 1588" by Colin Martin and Geoffrey Parker is now my 'go-to' book on the Spanish Armada, the definitive text on the subject for a non-specialist. At 718 pages, of which 545 pages is narrative text, the rest being Glossary, Chronology, Abbreviations, Notes and Bibliography (Appendixes are on-line) this is a massive book.
However, as large as it is, it’s a joy to hold and to read. The book is beautifully presented by Yale University Press, nicely and securely bound, good quality paper and around 155 illustrations, pictures and diagrams, the majority in colour. Also provided is six informative charts covering various subjects mentioned in the narrative by the authors.
The book is divided into four parts made up of twenty-one chapters and an Epilogue. The four sections are; "The Fleets Assemble", "God's Obvious Design", "It came, it saw, it departed" and "The Aftermath". The authors provide a coherent and non-biased account of the events and people involved in this great enterprise which was both easy to read and very informative.
The book covers in detail the Armada's movements along with the Spanish army of Flanders, the English countermoves, the manoeuvres and fighting in the English Channel, the subsequent destruction of many of the Armada's ships during the long voyage back home past the rugged shores of Scotland and Ireland and the fate of the Spanish sailors and soldiers.
The final few chapters cover the fall-out from the failure of the Armada, the search for scapegoats and the events of the Counter-Armada. The authors then delve into the Spanish Armada in myth and legend - both in England and Spain, followed by the various wrecks that have been located and identified as ships from the Armada and what has happened to these wrecks since.
Before reading this book, my two favourite titles cover the Armada had been "Defeat Of The Spanish Armada" by Garrett Mattingly and "The Confident Hope of a Miracle: The True History of the Spanish Armada" by Neil Hanson. I can be reasonably confident in saying that this new book by Colin Martin and Geoffrey Parker has edged past those two as 'the' book on the subject.
I have no hesitation in recommending this book to anyone who enjoys reading great history, it is how a history book should be written and presented.
'Aussie Rick'
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