{"product_id":"2026200012236-secondhand-the-armada","title":"The Armada","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Fair\u003cbr\u003eJacket: No dust jacket\u003cbr\u003ePages: Good\u003cbr\u003eMarkings: Ex-library with usual markings,Previous owner\u003cbr\u003eCondition remarks: Condition as shown in image\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the summer of 1588, the fate of Protestant Europe hung by a thread as the most formidable naval fleet ever assembled — one hundred and thirty ships bearing the pride of Catholic Spain — sailed northward through the English Channel to deliver a knockout blow to the island kingdom of Elizabeth I. The Armada by Garrett Mattingly is a masterwork of narrative history that chronicles this pivotal clash of empires with the breathless pace of a thriller, reconstructing the diplomatic intrigues, religious passions, and strategic miscalculations that led two great powers to their decisive confrontation on the open seas.\n\nMattingly, a distinguished Columbia University historian, brings to bear a meticulous command of primary sources and an extraordinary gift for prose, transforming what might have been a dry chronicle of naval maneuvers into a richly human drama populated by vividly drawn figures — from the ill-fated Duke of Medina Sidonia to the resolute Francis Drake. The book argues compellingly that the Armada's failure was as much a product of human fallibility and the chaos of fortune as it was of English seamanship, and its Pulitzer Prize-winning narrative resonates as a profound meditation on the role of chance in shaping the course of civilizations. For anyone who wishes to understand how the modern world was born on the storm-tossed waters of the Atlantic, this is an indispensable and unforgettable account.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49130928210139,"sku":"2026200012236-SECONDHAND","price":12.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/f60da46c-f9c0-48b0-9384-e96cb8e6a149.png?v=1786592479","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026200012236-secondhand-the-armada","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}