Operations Upon the Sea: A Study

Edelsheim, Franz, Freiherr von, 1868-Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 77K words
Chapters: 8

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Operations Upon the Sea: A Study by Freiherr von Franz EdelsheimAuthor: Edelsheim, Franz, Freiherr von, 1868-,Language: English, Class: V: Naval science, Release Date: Nov 12, 2008

Editor's review

This book is Baron Franz von Edelsheim's specialized study of operations upon the sea, a work of naval science made freely available by Project Gutenberg. Under the title of a "study," the author makes clear that his purpose is not to narrate naval history but to examine systematically the principles, conditions, and organization of military operations at sea. The value of such a text lies in presenting a perspective within late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century naval thought: readers can thereby learn how people of the time thought about command of the sea, fleet employment, and the organizational logic of maritime operations. Because the original is in English and the book dates from an early period, its technical conditions and strategic environment differ from those of today; it should be read as primary material in the history of naval thought, not as a contemporary operational guide. It suits readers interested in naval history and the history of military thought for chapter-by-chapter study, and researchers comparing it with other naval theory of the same period. Readers are advised to familiarize themselves with the naval-technological background of the author's era before reading, so as to understand more accurately what his arguments refer to.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in naval history and maritime military thought
Students and scholars studying the history of military theory and strategic thought
Writers needing primary late nineteenth-century naval texts
Military enthusiasts accustomed to reading English public-domain ebooks

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking modern naval tactics or operational doctrine
General literary readers with no interest in military subjects
Readers unwilling to read the English original and needing a Chinese translation

Reading tips

Familiarize yourself with the naval-technological background of the author's era before reading the main text, and avoid judging old arguments by contemporary standards.
While reading, distinguish the author's principled claims from judgments conditioned by his era, and take brief notes.
Read alongside other naval theory of the same period to observe differences in authors' concerns.
For research, organize the book's arguments by theme and note their locations in the original for later citation and verification.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Does this book describe specific naval battles?

Judging by the title and classification, it is a research-based discussion of operations upon the sea, focused on principles and organization rather than narrating battles one by one. The available material does not provide a detailed table of contents, so it cannot be confirmed whether specific engagements are included; readers should refer to the original text.

Are the book's views still applicable today?

The book discusses the naval conditions and strategic environment of the author's era, and its technological premises have changed enormously. It is better read today as material in the history of naval thought, to understand how people of the time thought about maritime operations, rather than applying its conclusions directly.

Can readers without a military background understand it?

The book involves professional concepts of naval organization and maritime operations, which may be difficult for readers with no military background at all. It is advisable to acquire some basic knowledge of naval history first, or begin with introductory chapters and proceed gradually.

Why is only an English version available?

The book is released by Project Gutenberg as a free public-domain ebook, and the version currently provided is the English original. Readers needing Chinese can read it alongside a Chinese version or consult relevant Chinese works on naval history as support.

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About the author

Edelsheim, Franz, Freiherr von, 1868- Author · 1868

Franz Freiherr von Edelsheim (born 1868) is a German-language author about whose life relatively little is known; publicly available information is limited, and his early years, education, and specific positions cannot be reliably established. What can be confirmed is that he left a work entitled Operations Upon the Sea: A Study, the only one of his works held in this collection. Judging from the title and the subtitle "A Study," the book belongs to the field of naval military operations research and has a clearly analytical, topic-focused character rather than a narrative one. Works of this kind usually concern the organization, strategy, and practical conditions of operations at sea, and the author may have set out the relevant issues in a systematic way for the reference of military researchers and practitioners. Because biographical material is scarce, his writing style and later influence are difficult to assess fully; readers may begin with the work itself to understand his lines of argument and principal concerns.