Before the Battlecruiser: The Big Cruiser in the World's Navies, 1865-1910

The battlecruiser is perceived by many as the most glamorous of warships, remembered for its triumphs and tragedies in both world wars. Often forgotten are its lineal ancestors, the “big” cruisers that were constructed as capital ships for distant waters, as commerce raiders, and fast scouts for the battlefleet during the last decades of the nineteenth century and the first years of the twentieth.

Bestselling author Aidan Dobson examines the 200 or so big cruisers built for the world’s navie...