This work investigates how the critical shortage of timber for shipbuilding dictated the strategic and economic policies of the British Royal Navy between 1652 and 1862. Robert G. Albion, a distinguished maritime historian, utilizes extensive archival records from the Admiralty and the Navy Board to demonstrate that the necessity of securing oak and pine supplies was a primary driver of British foreign policy and colonial expansion. The text argues that the transition from wood to iron in naval construction was not merely a technological shift but a resolution to a long-standing environmental and logistical crisis.

This text is widely regarded as a foundational study in maritime economic history, noted for its meticulous research and clear articulation of the logistical constraints governing naval power. The subject matter points to a dense, specialist text that remains essential for scholars interested in the intersection of resource scarcity and imperial strategy.