Fourteen books were considered by the Committee for the Anderson Prize this year. They represented a broad range of high-quality publications. Most of the discussion revolved around four outstanding contributions to maritime history. The committee finally agreed to recommend that the prize for 2024 should be awarded to:

James Davey, Tempest: The Royal Navy in the Age of Revolutions (Yale University Press, New Haven, 2023)

The Royal Navy in the French Revolutionary War is not a new subject. It has inspired historians from many traditions. From the patriotic and nationalistic, the conservative and the radical, the history of the Royal Navy provides support for multiple views about naval power, hierarchy and social order in that turbulent time. What Davey has done to put the naval history firmly into the social and political context of the time. He has done so by sensitively navigating his narrative through the passionately argued disputes of many decades, acknowledging his own perspective while tackling complex problems and bringing new research to the subject. It can be confidently read by students, specialists and by the interested public. The presentation of the book is up to the high standard for which Yale University Press is known.

The Anderson Lecture will be held on 1st May 2025.

As in previous years, the committee felt there were other books that deserve to be highly commended.

Bill Lindsay, William Schaw Lindsay – Victorian Entrepreneur. (Amberley Press, Stroud, 2023)

This book fills an important gap in the history of merchant marine history. Based on the journals of William Schaw Lindsay in the National Maritime Museum, it follows Lindsay’s life and career to become one of the great shipping magnates of his time and author of the famous History of Merchant Shipping and Ancient Commerce (1874-1876). Lindsay was an active participant in the political and commercial issues of his time, which the author weaves into the narrative, producing a lively case study of a neglected Victorian entrepreneur.

David Kenyon, Arctic Convoys: Bletchley Park and the War for the Seas (Yale University Press, New Haven, 2023)

Kenyon provides a history of the Arctic convoys with a focus on the role of signals intelligence (SIGINT). His well-researched chronological history, weaving incidents and actions within the pattern of the intelligence battle, is written in a manner that is accessible to both the general reader and the specialist. It facilitates a clear picture of the evolving role of SIGINT within the campaign and its significance to the passage of the convoys through the restricted Arctic waters. Kenyon’s work balances the well-known heavy losses of PQ17 and PQ18 with the overall success of the convoy campaign.