The battlecruiser is perceived by many as the most glamorous of warships, remembered for its triumphs and tragedies in both world wars. Often forgotten are its lineal ancestors, the big cruisers that were constructed as capital ships for distant waters, as commerce raiders, and as fast scouts for the battle fleet during the last decades of the nineteenth century and the first years of the twentieth. In this new book by bestselling author Aidan Dobson, the 200 or so big cruisers that were built for the world's navies from 1865 are described and analysed in detail. AUTHOR: Aidan Dobson is a senior research fellow at the University of Bristol. The author of seventeen books and over four hundred articles and reviews, Dr. Dodson also had a parallel career with the UK Ministry of Defence, including a period as project leader for the acquisition of the offshore patrol vessel HMS Clyde. 450 illustrations