100 Books Like The Admirals

From the pen of Pulitzer Prize-winning Herman Wouk, this is an engrossing World War II naval drama centred on Willie Keith, a privileged young officer serving aboard the USS Caine.

I found myself unable to put the book down, reading long into the night. As the ship endures the erratic leadership of Captain Queeg, tensions rise, culminating in a controversial mutiny during a violent typhoon. The subsequent court-martial examines themes of duty, morality, and psychological strain under pressure.

Wouk’s richly detailed narrative explores the complexities of command and the fine line between loyalty and rebellion in the heat of conflict. His writing style makes it a real page-turner. Through Willie’s personal growth and shifting loyalties, the novel delivers a powerful meditation on honour, leadership, and the human cost of war. 

I used to think there had been no epic naval battles during the Cold War, but this book made me reconsider: a decades-long battle, that’s what the cat-and-mouse game between U.S. and Soviet submariners appears to have been.

The intensity of the deadly contest played with very few rules is shocking, and I am still not sure what to make of all that recklessness. Perhaps great powers have a higher pain threshold than we tend to assume.

This book demystified the aircraft carrier for me. I still love it when, in a thriller movie, POTUS frowns and asks the national security advisor, “Where are our aircraft carriers at the moment?” But Walter Lord persuaded me that our biggest warships are simply moveable airfields. 

Following the story of the Battle of Jutland, as told here, felt like being in a dark room and looking for a black cat that wasn’t there. Bad intelligence, poor planning, and very bad luck turned this naval engagement into an extremely costly draw, the casualties suffered by both sides looking more like senseless sacrifice comparable with the horrors of trench warfare.

It has been on my ‘must-read’ list for decades. The story of our premier Naval Officer of World War 2 is compelling, from the first page to the last. His humble beginnings, early career miscues, and the wisdom of his senior leaders to see the potential reminded me of my own early career in military service.

How and why, he was able to balance the temperaments of brilliant but aggressive officers (MacArthur, Halsey and his boss, King), while always focusing on what was essential for the US to win in the Pacific is a true tale in knowing your audience. I modeled my servant leadership style on his deference to elevating others before himself. He is a genuine figure in our history and an ethical guidepost for all.

When I began researching and writing for my books this fifteen-volume set by distinguished historian Rear Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison, was one of my first purchases for my World War II library. I consider his series a must-have for any WWII researcher or history buff. I did much of my research and writing on freighters and always took selected volumes with me.

Any research into the codebreaking arm of British Intelligence during the Great War will quickly point to one man as the mastermind: Admiral Sir Reginald “Blinker” Hall. He is, at a glance, one of the most intriguing historical figures you’ll ever come across…and the more you learn, the more convinced you’ll be of that. In Blinker Hall, Spymaster, Ramsay delivers not only a thorough look into intelligence and codebreaking, using documents that have been declassified only recently to his writing, but also an insightful look into the man who orchestrated one of the most complex intelligence systems of the modern era. For anyone interested in intelligence, cryptography, or even just the invisible world behind a war that spanned continents, this book delivers it all, and does it in an engaging, entertaining style.

Confederate Raphael Semmes had drawn many biographers before Stephen Fox’s 2007 account of his Civil War high seas exploits. Fox’s book immediately established itself as the best told of the lot, a result of the author’s writerly skill and his gifted delineation of character.

The book has established itself as the one that I and other historians return to time and again for its authoritative account of how the two warships under Semmes’ command traveled by sail and steam over tens of thousands of miles, as they wreaked havoc on vessels operating near five continents, across the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. In burning dozens of prizes across the Atlantic and Indian oceans, the tale of infamy exemplified the global scope of Civil War belligerency.

This non-fiction biography by Laurie Hallmark and illustrated by Katy Wu tells the story of computer scientist Grace Hopper. The story is engaging and fascinating, as we learn about Grace’s contributions to computer science, including coining the term “computer bug” and moving code from numbers to the English language. This book is inspiring, enjoyable, and informative for a wide range of ages.

No one stands for what really mattered in this war more than Admiral Sir James Saumarez, Commander in chief in the Baltic between 1808 and 1812, a crucial period in the war. No famous battle ensued.

Using patience and diplomacy, Saumarez used the power of his fleet to ensure that vital trade with Britain continued and that Sweden was protected. A Swedish official wrote to Saumarez in 1813, after the danger from Napoleon had passed: "Had you fired one shot when we declared war against England, all had been ended, and Europe would have been enslaved."