While bookshelves groan under the weight of works on the major warships of the German Third Reich, there is little in English devoted to their predecessors of the Second Reich. This new book introduces original and welcome material in its far-reaching study of German cruisers of the period, from wooden-hulled corvettes, through the fusion of 'overseas' and 'home' vessels into the modern small cruisers that evolved and fought in the First World War. The authors cover the full range of cruising vessels operated or ordered by the Imperial German Navy between 1871 and 1918, excluding the large cruisers, previously covered by the companion volume The Kaiser's Battlefleet. These include corvettes, avisos, III- and IV-class cruisers and small ('light' in British and US parlance) cruisers, all described and arranged in a chronological narrative. The book describes both their design and operational histories, the latter continuing down to the end of ships' service after the fall of Imperial Germany; and this narrative is accompanied by a superb selection of drawings and photographs, many of them rare. The ships' technical details are tabulated in the second half of the book, which also includes sketches of ships' internal layouts and armor, and changes in appearance over their careers. Extensive use has been made of archival material, particularly relating to the political and technical background behind the ships' design and procurement, presenting the reader with the first full history of imperial German cruising vessels to be published in any language. It offers fresh material and a new perspective for all those with an interest in the German navy and is a fine sequel to the much-lauded The Kaiser's Battlefleet.

Book jacket.