About 15 years ago I read a fantastic book called “Dreadnought” by Robert K Massie. It was a thick volume about the lead-up to WW1, with a broad look at the people, politics and social issues involved. This book is the author's belated follow-up starting where the previous volume ended (the outbreak of war). Its a little more narrow in scope mainly describing the major naval battles of the war and the reasons for them. Also covered is the German tactics that brought America into the war and various back-biting episodes of the British Admiralty.