May 31st to June 1st

We are approaching the May 31st to June 1st anniversary for the Battle of Jutland, in 1916. The book that fueled my enthusiasm for that period was Donald MacIntyre's book Jutland, the Norton book from 1958. The book had a good narrative of the battle and gave ship names. The lists at the back of the book gave ship names, even for the destroyers. There were some good photographs, as well. When I discovered Jane's Fighting Ships, it was like striking gold. Of course, the ships from Jane's were from an alternate reality, as the real ships prior to the 1919 edition generally had different specifications. Still, the earlier volumes were useful and had some nice, not-to-scale diagrams. When I was able, I purchased the usual reprints. I actually prefer the earlier Jane's All the World's Fighting Ships, from 1899 to 1904. The 1904 Edition is a classic, as it has information about ships in the Russo-Japanese War.