Since this number was something of an afterthought acquired as part of a bundle of used Osprey booklets, in a series that tends to underwhelm me, I'm a little bit surprised with myself that I'm giving it four stars. What it boils down to is that Lardas actually has a knack for analysis, and makes the reality that both these ships were built around a few heavy pivot guns, and what that meant for their combat, the hook on which he hangs his narrative. It also doesn't hurt that Lardas also provides a good capsule examination of the respective captains, Raphael Semmes ("Alabama") and John Winslow ("Kearsarge"); men who had so-so careers up until the point that single-ship command gave them the opportunity to win glory. Be that as it may, from here on out, when I see the name of Mark Lardas on the cover, I'm probably going to take that book seriously. ( )