The name HMS Dreadnought is closely associated with the age of empire, the Anglo-German antagonism and the pre-First World War naval arms race. Yet it was also bound up with a range of political and cultural, national and international contexts, central to the Edwardian period. This volume investigates these contexts and their intersection in this symbolically charged icon of the Edwardian age.

HMS Dreadnought (1906) is closely associated with the age of empire, the Anglo-German antagonism and the naval arms race before the First World War. Yet it was also linked with a range of other contexts - political and cultural, national and international - that were central to the Edwardian period. The chapters in this volume investigate these contexts and their intersection in this symbolically charged icon of the Edwardian age. In reassessing the most famous warship of the period, this collection not only considers the strategic and operational impact of this 'all big gun' battleship, but also explores the many meanings Dreadnought had in politics and culture, including national and imperial sentiment, gender relations and concepts of masculinity, public spectacle and images of technology, and ideas about modernity and decline. The volume brings together historians from different backgrounds, working on naval and technological history, politics and international relations, as well as culture and gender. This diverse approach to the subject ensures that the book offers a timely revision of the Dreadnought and the Edwardian Age.'

'A first-rate collection, ably-edited and well-produced.' Britain and the World '... this collection offers something for everyone interested in the great ship or the times which spawned it.' International Journal of Maritime History 'This book is strongly recommended, not just to those interested in the Royal Navy of the Edwardian period and the approach of the First World War, but modern British historians more generally.' The Mariner's Mirror 'This slender volume has much to recommend it to a wide audience. Its broad scope and absence of jargon make it easily accessible to both specialists and generalists alike.' The Northern Mariner/Le Marin du Nord 'On balance [...] the scholarship is impressive, the diversity of viewpoints and methodical approaches more than compensates for any diffuseness, and the presentation and editing are of a high standard.' The Historian 'As a self-conscious attempt to bridge the gap between different subdisciplines of history, and to contribute to the growing literature on the 'historicisation of the ocean', the book is a clear success... The various contributions are all well written and provide a lively, and sometimes unexpected, introduction to the topics covered. This book will appeal to anyone with an interest in the Edwardian period and not just to those with a naval focus. It deserves to be read widely.' English Historical Review