This new study of war in the age of sail examines the development of warships and battlefleets and the evolution of seapower between 1650 and 1830. By the middle of the nineteenth century the projection of naval power had become the ultimate expression of global force. Richard Harding shows how unprecedented expansion of oceanic shipping and trade between 1660 and 1815 went hand in hand with the expansion and development of European and other naval forces. His research indicates that war at sea evolved from a predominantly small scale, local, and coastal phenomenon to a far-ranging, complex, and well-planned tool in the diplomatic and economic considerations of Western European states. The eighteenth century saw the refinement of ships and tactics, and the sophisticated application of "sea power" around the world. Far more than in previous centuries, the outcome of conflicts, he contends, was determined on the sea. Based on recent scholarship in naval, maritime, and political history, this study provides perceptive new insights into a long studied subject. An important historical work, it will be of great interest to naval scholars and professionals as well as military, history enthusiasts.