British cruisers of the Victorian Era / Norman Friedman.

Evolving from sailing frigates, the first modern cruiser is not easy to define, but this book starts with the earliest steam paddle warships, covers the evolution of screw-driven frigates, corvettes and sloops, and then the succeeding iron, composite and steel-hulled cruising ships. The story ends with the last armoured cruisers and Third Class Cruisers, all conceived before 1906.