"Their [Captain Manning and Commander Walker] book opens with a history of ship-naming from the earliest times for which records are available down to the present day, in the course of which they trace the changing fashions in names. This is followed by a comprehensive dictionary of ship names, which forms the main content of the book and includes the name of ever warship of importance which has served in the navy. From this the reader learns not only the derivations of the names themselves, but also the dates and brief details, including war services, of the ships which have borne them."--Book flap