The Interest of America in Sea Power by Alfred Thayer Mahan
First British Edition
Published by Sampson Low, Marston & Company, London, 1897
Custom Leather Bindings
FINE Condition
Full Title: The Interest of America in Sea Power, Present and Future
Binding Details: A contemporary leather binding featuring three-quarter morocco leather over marbled boards with a spine treatment of five raised bands and gold gilt titling. The covers have blind tooled ruling and there are matching marbled endpaperswith the top page ends being gold gilted.
Book Details: This is the first British edition of “The Interest of America in Sea Power, Present and Future” published in 1897 (the same year as the U.S. edition) by Sampson Low, Marston & Company, London. Pantianos Classics provides a wonderful summary in their later reprint of the book, “Writing at the close of the nineteenth century, Mahan realized that the United States was at the threshold of becoming a major world power. Its burgeoning influence and continental expansion already subsumed substantial portions of the west and east coasts of the North American continent. These lands are resource rich, and such riches could be used to create a kind of power in shipping that would prove decisive. Having researched the great naval forces of Spain and Britain, Mahan determined that the United States would commence to expand its influence further into the Pacific islands. However he also realizes that the military is poorly equipped given the vast geographic distances over which the USA presides. For Mahan, the commercial success of America's business could certainly preclude greater investment and projection of naval power in defensive or offensive roles. Yet a rapid expansion of power would also require decisive leadership at the top of a motivated government. The author asserts that the USA is the foremost force of Christendom in the Western world today. Furthermore, its ideals of individual freedom have a firm moral grounding. Taking advantage of the sheer potential for the strategic locations of Central America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Ocean were an issue of great importance for Mahan, a man who openly voiced his patriotism and perception of opportunities untapped. This book would prove an inspiration for Theodore Roosevelt, who admired Alfred Thayer Mahan's naval record and subsequent abilities as a historian. Much of Teddy Roosevelt's enduring legacy, such as the Panama Canal and massive investment in the U.S. Navy, resulted from his agreement with Mahan's wise assessments.”
Measuring 7.5” x 5.5” with 314 pages and also includes an author’s preface, table of contents, and two folding maps.
Condition Report: The binding is in FINE condition with very superficial shelf wear. Internally, the book is very bright and clean with some foxing to the blank free endpapers at the rear of the book. There are two armorial bookplates affixed to the front marbled endpapers.
Photographs of the binding and endpapers appear in the photo section of the listing.
