Best books recommended by the 32nd President of the United States
“If” by Rudyard Kipling
– from an article on buzzfeed.com
“The Influence of Sea Power Upon History” by A. T. Mahan
– from an article in The New York Times
This 1890 classic describes the link between a nation’sdominance of the ocean and its dominance in world history. The impact of theauthor’s words can be seen in strategies developed from World War I onward,most notably in the decisions of two Roosevelts and Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm.Mahan points out the folly of such strategies as the interruption of merchantship trade, and the double folly of attempting to preserve force whileattaining large objectives. Beyond the more commonly known tactic during theNapoleonic wars and the American struggle for revolution, there are a fewchapters on battles in the Caribbean and Indian waters that bear a closer look.
