Mahan, Alfred Thayer

THE INFLUENCE OF SEA POWER UPON HISTORY 1660-1783 [AND] THE INFLUENCE OF SEA POWER UPON THE FRENCH REVOLUTION [AND] THE LIFE OF NELSON [FIVE VOLUMES] [SIGNED]

Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1897/1898. Fifteenth, Tenth, and First Editions. Large Octavos, 5 volumes; bound in three quarters calf, marbled boards and endpapers; spines gilt with two morocco labels and gilt titling; some rubbing and wear to bindings, including mild scraping, upper label on 'The Influence of Sea Power upon History' largely missing; top edges gilt; interiors clean;

The Influence of Sea Power upon History 1660-1783 is a Fifteenth Edition, 1898, The Influence of Sea Power upon the French Revolution is a Tenth Edition, 1898, two volumes, and The Life of Nelson in a First Edition, 1897, two volumes;

Inscribed by Mahan on the sfep of 'Influence' with a quote from page one of his introduction: "The History of Sea Power, while embracing in its broad sweeps all that tends to make a people great upon the sea, or by the sea, is largely a military history; and it is in this aspect that it will be mainly, though not exclusively, regarded in the following pages. A. T. Mahan New York Dec. 17. 1898";

Any signed Mahan material is scarce, especially with regards to his most important book.;

shelved above case 1.

1347451

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NOTES

"In The Influence of Sea Power upon History, Alfred Thayer Mahan studied the rise and fall of naval powers. He concluded that supremacy at sea was essential for a nation’s political and commercial success. Spurred by [these] writings... proponents of a “Big Navy” called for state-of-the-art steel ships to protect the nation and its interests. Congress responded with the Battleship Act of 1890, the first significant legislation authorizing construction of new battleships. Inaugurating an era of greater U.S. naval power, the ships played a significant role in the Spanish-American War of 1898." [LoC] It is frequently considered to be one of the contributing factors of the United States becoming a great power.

His arguments "shaped American military planning and helped prompt a worldwide naval race in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Appearing at a time when Japan and the nations of Europe were engaged in a fiercely competitive arms race, Mahan’s work had a singularly profound influence on politics worldwide." [Columbia] 'The Influence of Sea Power upon History' made him one of the most influential American authors of the nineteenth century. The expansion of the United States, including the annexation of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and Guam, the creation of the Panama Canal, and the occupation of the Philippines all reflect Mahan's influence, especially in the creation of overseas bases from which the US could refuel and protect commerce. This expansion combined with his influence in other countries led to an international naval buildup, particularly with Japan competing for superiority with the US in the Pacific and England and Germany having their own rivalry. "Although Mahan saw military might as a means for avoiding war, the global growth inspired by his theories very clearly set the stage for World War I." [Columbia]