Beginning with King Henry VIII's flagship, Henry Grace a Dieu, this book covers all the main periods of battleship development, including the great sailing ships, such as Sovereign of the Seas, Santissima Trinidad, and Victory. The advent of steam-driven warships provides the core of the book, beginning with the introduction of Gloire in 1859, and continuing through all the major pre-Dreadnoughts, such as the Inflexible, Maine, and Tsessarevitch. There is detailed coverage of the great battleships of the two world wars, including Derfflinger, Yamato, and Iowa, while the book closes with the last new battleship to be commissioned, Vanguard, in 1946. Each entry includes a brief description of the battleship's development and history, a color profile artwork, key features, and specifications.