Listen free for 30 days
-
Castles of Steel
- Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea
- Narrated by: Richard Matthews
- Length: 40 hrs and 23 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $82.65
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Buy it with
-
Peter the Great
- His Life and World
- Written by: Robert K. Massie
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 43 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This superbly told story brings to life one of the most remarkable rulers––and men––in all of history and conveys the drama of his life and world. The Russia of Peter's birth was very different from the Russia his energy, genius, and ruthlessness shaped. Crowned co-Tsar as a child of ten, after witnessing bloody uprisings in the streets of Moscow, he would grow up propelled by an unquenchable curiosity, everywhere looking, asking, tinkering, and learning, fired by Western ideas.
-
-
Well Done
- By Tim on 2023-07-12
Written by: Robert K. Massie
-
The First World War
- A Complete History
- Written by: Martin Gilbert
- Narrated by: Roger Clark
- Length: 33 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It was to be the war to end all wars, and it began at 11:15 on the morning of June 28, 1914, in an outpost of the Austro-Hungarian Empire called Sarajevo. It would officially end nearly five years later. Unofficially, however, it has never ended: Many of the horrors we live with today are rooted in the First World War. The Great War left millions of civilians and soldiers maimed or dead. It also saw the creation of new technologies of destruction: tanks, planes, and submarines; machine guns and field artillery; poison gas and chemical warfare.
-
-
good book
- By Matthew laing on 2021-07-25
Written by: Martin Gilbert
-
An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa (1942-1943)
- The Liberation Trilogy, Volume 1
- Written by: Rick Atkinson
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 26 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The liberation of Europe and the destruction of the Third Reich is a story of courage and enduring triumph, of calamity and miscalculation. In this first volume of the Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson shows why no modern learner can understand the ultimate victory of the Allied powers without a grasp of the great drama that unfolded in North Africa in 1942 and 1943. That first year of the Allied war was a pivotal point in American history, the moment when the United States began to act like a great power.
-
-
Extreme detail about an obscure battle
- By Shaun Lynch on 2018-10-19
Written by: Rick Atkinson
-
Six Days of War
- June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East
- Written by: Michael B. Oren
- Narrated by: Robert Whitfield
- Length: 17 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Israel and the West, it is called the Six Day War. In the Arab world, it is known as the June War or, simply, as "the Setback". Never has a conflict so short, unforeseen, and largely unwanted by both sides so transformed the world. The Yom Kippur War, the war in Lebanon, the Camp David accords, the controversy over Jerusalem and Jewish settlements in the West Bank, the intifada, and the rise of Palestinian terror are all part of the outcome of those six days.
-
-
Good non-partisan narrative
- By Wade Robertson on 2023-04-29
Written by: Michael B. Oren
-
Fighting the Great War at Sea
- Strategy, Tactics and Technology
- Written by: Norman Friedman
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 30 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This radical new book concentrates on the way in which each side tried to use or deny the sea to the other, and in so doing describes rapid wartime changes not only in ship and weapons technology but also in the way naval warfare was envisaged and fought. Melding strategic, technical, and tactical aspects, Friedman approaches World War I from a fresh perspective and demonstrates how its perceived lessons dominated the way navies prepared for World War II.
-
-
A History of Sea Power during the Great War that is well worth the read
- By William on 2022-09-02
Written by: Norman Friedman
-
The Napoleonic Wars
- Written by: Alexander Mikaberidze
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 35 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Napoleonic Wars saw fighting on an unprecedented scale in Europe and the Americas. It took the wealth of the British Empire, combined with the might of the continental armies, almost two decades to bring down one of the world's greatest military leaders and the empire that he had created. Napoleon's ultimate defeat was to determine the history of Europe for almost 100 years. From the frozen wastelands of Russia, through the brutal fighting in the Peninsula to the blood-soaked battlefield of Waterloo, this book tells the story of the dramatic rise and fall of the Napoleonic Empire.
-
-
informative and broad.
- By bill on 2021-03-11
Written by: Alexander Mikaberidze
-
Peter the Great
- His Life and World
- Written by: Robert K. Massie
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 43 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This superbly told story brings to life one of the most remarkable rulers––and men––in all of history and conveys the drama of his life and world. The Russia of Peter's birth was very different from the Russia his energy, genius, and ruthlessness shaped. Crowned co-Tsar as a child of ten, after witnessing bloody uprisings in the streets of Moscow, he would grow up propelled by an unquenchable curiosity, everywhere looking, asking, tinkering, and learning, fired by Western ideas.
-
-
Well Done
- By Tim on 2023-07-12
Written by: Robert K. Massie
-
The First World War
- A Complete History
- Written by: Martin Gilbert
- Narrated by: Roger Clark
- Length: 33 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It was to be the war to end all wars, and it began at 11:15 on the morning of June 28, 1914, in an outpost of the Austro-Hungarian Empire called Sarajevo. It would officially end nearly five years later. Unofficially, however, it has never ended: Many of the horrors we live with today are rooted in the First World War. The Great War left millions of civilians and soldiers maimed or dead. It also saw the creation of new technologies of destruction: tanks, planes, and submarines; machine guns and field artillery; poison gas and chemical warfare.
-
-
good book
- By Matthew laing on 2021-07-25
Written by: Martin Gilbert
-
An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa (1942-1943)
- The Liberation Trilogy, Volume 1
- Written by: Rick Atkinson
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 26 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The liberation of Europe and the destruction of the Third Reich is a story of courage and enduring triumph, of calamity and miscalculation. In this first volume of the Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson shows why no modern learner can understand the ultimate victory of the Allied powers without a grasp of the great drama that unfolded in North Africa in 1942 and 1943. That first year of the Allied war was a pivotal point in American history, the moment when the United States began to act like a great power.
-
-
Extreme detail about an obscure battle
- By Shaun Lynch on 2018-10-19
Written by: Rick Atkinson
-
Six Days of War
- June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East
- Written by: Michael B. Oren
- Narrated by: Robert Whitfield
- Length: 17 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Israel and the West, it is called the Six Day War. In the Arab world, it is known as the June War or, simply, as "the Setback". Never has a conflict so short, unforeseen, and largely unwanted by both sides so transformed the world. The Yom Kippur War, the war in Lebanon, the Camp David accords, the controversy over Jerusalem and Jewish settlements in the West Bank, the intifada, and the rise of Palestinian terror are all part of the outcome of those six days.
-
-
Good non-partisan narrative
- By Wade Robertson on 2023-04-29
Written by: Michael B. Oren
-
Fighting the Great War at Sea
- Strategy, Tactics and Technology
- Written by: Norman Friedman
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 30 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This radical new book concentrates on the way in which each side tried to use or deny the sea to the other, and in so doing describes rapid wartime changes not only in ship and weapons technology but also in the way naval warfare was envisaged and fought. Melding strategic, technical, and tactical aspects, Friedman approaches World War I from a fresh perspective and demonstrates how its perceived lessons dominated the way navies prepared for World War II.
-
-
A History of Sea Power during the Great War that is well worth the read
- By William on 2022-09-02
Written by: Norman Friedman
-
The Napoleonic Wars
- Written by: Alexander Mikaberidze
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 35 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Napoleonic Wars saw fighting on an unprecedented scale in Europe and the Americas. It took the wealth of the British Empire, combined with the might of the continental armies, almost two decades to bring down one of the world's greatest military leaders and the empire that he had created. Napoleon's ultimate defeat was to determine the history of Europe for almost 100 years. From the frozen wastelands of Russia, through the brutal fighting in the Peninsula to the blood-soaked battlefield of Waterloo, this book tells the story of the dramatic rise and fall of the Napoleonic Empire.
-
-
informative and broad.
- By bill on 2021-03-11
Written by: Alexander Mikaberidze
Publisher's Summary
In a work of extraordinary narrative power, filled with brilliant personalities and vivid scenes of dramatic action, Robert K. Massie, the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Peter the Great, Nicholas and Alexandra, and Dreadnought, elevates to its proper historical importance the role of sea power in the winning of the Great War.
The predominant image of this first world war is of mud and trenches, barbed wire, machine guns, poison gas, and slaughter. A generation of European manhood was massacred, and a wound was inflicted on European civilization that required the remainder of the twentieth century to heal.
But with all its sacrifice, trench warfare did not win the war for one side or lose it for the other. Over the course of four years, the lines on the Western Front moved scarcely at all; attempts to break through led only to the lengthening of the already unbearably long casualty lists.
For the true story of military upheaval, we must look to the sea. On the eve of the war in August 1914, Great Britain and Germany possessed the two greatest navies the world had ever seen. When war came, these two fleets of dreadnoughts—gigantic floating castles of steel able to hurl massive shells at an enemy miles away—were ready to test their terrible power against each other.
Their struggles took place in the North Sea and the Pacific, at the Falkland Islands and the Dardanelles. They reached their climax when Germany, suffocated by an implacable naval blockade, decided to strike against the British ring of steel. The result was Jutland, a titanic clash of fifty-eight dreadnoughts, each the home of a thousand men.
When the German High Seas Fleet retreated, the kaiser unleashed unrestricted U-boat warfare, which, in its indiscriminate violence, brought a reluctant America into the war. In this way, the German effort to “seize the trident” by defeating the British navy led to the fall of the German empire.
Ultimately, the distinguishing feature of Castles of Steel is the author himself. The knowledge, understanding, and literary power Massie brings to this story are unparalleled. His portrayals of Winston Churchill, the British admirals Fisher, Jellicoe, and Beatty, and the Germans Scheer, Hipper, and Tirpitz are stunning in their veracity and artistry.
Castles of Steel is about war at sea, leadership and command, courage, genius, and folly. All these elements are given magnificent scope by Robert K. Massie’s special and widely hailed literary mastery.
What the critics say
“[Told] on a grand scale...Massie [is] a master of historical portraiture and anecdotage.” (The Wall Street Journal)
More from the same
What listeners love about Castles of Steel
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ron Fearn
- 2022-01-27
Steaming Into Madness
I have both read this book and listened to it on Audible, read by a brilliant reader. When Churchills words appear, Mr. Mathew’s sounds like Churchill.
Tales of incredible steam leviathans, blowing up, sinking, taking the lives of thousands. It gives a more balanced portrait of naval heroes like David Beatty and John Jellicoe. The Battle of Jutland, Von Spee, Hipper, Craddock, all,there. Brilliant.
I cannot recommend this book high enough.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- RushFanForLife
- 2021-09-21
Fantastic book marred by awful narration
The narrator feels the need to effect a hokey German or English accent when quoting, say, Wilhelm or Churchill. It is so incredibly off-putting. I absolutely hate it when narrators do this. It ruins the experience for me every time. If I want to listen to hokey impressions I'll watch some old Rich Little on VHS.
As for the content of the book itself, it is absolutely superb. I'm debating whether or not to continue with the audible or just purchase the book itself. I'm tending towards the latter.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- jeff olasz
- 2019-02-03
excellent book
an excellent book anybody interested in history should own. the naval war of world war one is often second on the list and this book wonderfully fills that Gap.
I did take one star away due to the unfortunate glitching that occurred which often-repeated sentences on this recording.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Matt
- 2012-09-22
Stick With It!
I'm glad I did. I stopped listening a few different times, went on to other newer books, but always returned once complete. I flew through the second half of this book....once Massie gets the main characters introduced it really picks up. I am a history enthusiast, but admittedly knew next to nothing about WWI naval engagements aside from the famous sinking of Louisitania and perhaps one other. This book is the "soup to nuts" overview of WWI naval power, ship types, war strategies, key players and specific battles. I have read one other Massie book (Peter the Great), though I had not read Dreadnought prior to this (I’m not sure if that would have made the experience better or worse, but I have heard excellent reviews of that book as well). Like with Peter the Great, Massie finds a way to take what would normally be dry textbook type material and bring it to life so it reads like an extremely well written piece of fiction. The narration for Castles of Steel was some of the best I have heard; I am well over 50 audiobooks and this was near the top. He does a masterful job with all three main accents- British, German and American. If you find this subject matter even remotely interesting, give it a try-- you won't be disappointed!
28 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Michael Moore
- 2013-11-17
A Riveting Account!
Robert Massie served a tour of duty onboard a US aircraft carrier. That may account in part for his remarkable ability to describe in vivid and insightful detail the weather conditions, shipboard activity, and battle capabilities of the naval vessels that took part in World War I. His eye for insightful detail extends to his descriptions of the high level strategic debates that took place in the British and German war cabinets and admirals’ councils that made the crucial decisions which in the end determined the outcome of the war. In particular, the German decision finally endorsed by the Kaiser in 1917 to authorize unrestricted submarine warfare against all neutral merchant shipping in an effort to bring Britain to its knees through lack of supplies and foodstuffs instead led to the decisive entry of the US into the war that year.
Most interesting throughout the book are the decisive roles played by minor incidents of incompetence, hesitation, miscommunication, or misjudgment based on human foibles or the confusion and fog of war. These include Admiral Milne’s failure to block the battle cruiser Goebben from escaping to the Dardanelles; Captain Thompson’s careless handling of critical intelligence that could have turned the tide in the Battle of Jutland; the failure of Admiral Beatty’s flag officer to assure clear and proper signaling of the Admiral’s orders; the British Admiralty’s failure to immediately pass on critical intelligence during the Battle of Jutland to Jellicoe because the communication room was left in the hands of a clueless low level officer.
All in all, a very interesting account that will provide a rich source of lessons on the critical decisions made by the naval leaders in World War I.
10 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- E. Idenmill
- 2015-06-27
Very good book, but has production issues.
This is a very good book, with lots of details on the operations of the British and German navies. It tends to focus a lot on the politics and personalities of each. The narrator is superb, and is able to use distinct voices when quoting different people. My one major issue is that this book has some serious production issues. In a lot of places, the audio repeats the same sentence twice. At one spot, the audio skipped, although it did not greatly impact the narrative.
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Joe
- 2020-11-28
Highly repetitive
The narrator is great the story strong and highly interesting.
The issue is the edit. The book is over 40 hours long so obviously the narrator took breaks. The editor didn’t provide a smooth transition where literal paragraphs were repeated. Not the narrators fault, not the writer’s fault, not histories fault.
Its recorded books and Audibles fault. This is a history which should be remembered and a poor copy of the history is an embarrassment.
Totally great book disappointing sound edit
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Paul
- 2015-04-27
A bit of overload
What did you love best about Castles of Steel?
Battleships in their golden age, titans of the sea going head to head. What's not to like?
Any additional comments?
Take note: this book is well worth the listen. It's long. It's technical in many places and it's slow developing. It's like a grand chess match. This book takes patience. It's worth it.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Rory
- 2016-07-23
Audible should remaster but story worth a listen
1. Production--Not only are there various spots where sentence is annoyingly repeated, but in Chapter 21, during a naval battle scene, it skips frustratingly past a key scene. Audible needs to re-master the book to fix this.
2. Narrator---Richard Matthews does a good job narrating and keeps story flowing despite the headaches described above and even the dry parts. Tis only reason I give performance 4 stars
3. Massie and his story:
A. My knowledge of this area was very little--knew a little about Goeben from Guns of August but he goes into more detail, especially with regards to the subsequent courtmartial...loved Milne's quote! Rest I knew of WWI focused more on diplomacy, air battles, tanks, and the trench warfare. Knew very little of WWI naval history -subs and Jutland. This is why I picked this up.
B. Massie starts off in great detail on the personalities...I have a feeling I missed out on more of the leadup and creation of the fleets as I didn't read Dreadnought(would be great if Audible adds it). He puts in quite a bit of extraneous material and I can see why someone said he needed an editor--trying too hard to be Tuchman. However...that said, later chapters go into his personal views/biases of these men so the early character backgrounds lend some support to his views. For example, describing Beatty as a browbeaten cuckold whose Lady MacBeth wife pushes his career comes across harsh until you get to chapter 34 and he lays out even harsher criticism making it clear his distaste for the Admiral.
C. His battle scenes are a bit drawn out, nowhere near as exciting as Neptune's Inferno(if you haven't listened, pick it up!) but he goes into great detail of the decision making.
D. If you are interested in leadership, like I am, this is why he is worth a listen. The actions themselves are overall very unimportant in history of WWI, but he explains each choice the commanders on both sides faced, all their options based on what they knew.
His analysis is spot on, if a little biased.
E, For one thing while he could have done some cutting, glad he included Churchill's complete response to one of Fisher's threats to resign. Beautiful prose that could be included in any business writing course!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance

- Judith
- 2015-02-08
Long but interesting
The narrator is great. Although listed as Richard Matthews, I recognize the inimitable Simon Vance, one of my favorites. Lots of detail about naval tactics and personalities, especially British.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Yevhen Zolotukhin
- 2013-02-19
Highly opinionated history of WW1.
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
It was not.
From the book this long, I did expect the analysis of all ships, including comparative analysis of german to british ones(with numbers!). details of their built, armor, engineering decisons . Why there were different types of ships.
Instead, into 2 hours of this book I get the usual non informative british view of how ww1 started and why germans were bad guys.
This includes even churchill quotes. Sorry, not everybody loves churchill.
Unless you are fan of british politics, buy something else.
This one can be probably a good illustration of how british establishment sees WW1. nothing else.
What could Robert K. Massie have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
Not a thing
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Dan McGrew
- 2013-02-25
Great History on the British and German Navies
Where does Castles of Steel rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
One of the Best
What was one of the most memorable moments of Castles of Steel?
The narrator does a wonderful job with bringing Winston Churchill to life.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
This book keep me interested in the events discribed
Any additional comments?
This is one of the best books you'll find on the subject
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Galen Martin
- 2020-08-31
Don't let the editing dissuade you
This is a fantastic book about an incredibly complex time written by someone who clearly knows the subject, read with enthusiasm by a quality narrator. The single biggest downfall of this title is whatever happened on the editing floor post production. More times than I could count lines would be read, paused, then read again. I understand that in recording booths this is common practice but generally when that happens, one of the two takes is cut, which seems to be the step left out by the behind the scenes crew. Again, as the title says, please don't let this detail keep you from this book. If its a subject that you're truly interested in, it can easilly be overlooked.
1 person found this helpful