“Beyond its great interest for naval and military historians regardless of specialization, this work will be required reading for any . . . historian of the Second Reich and the interwar period . . . and for those fascinated by the eternal query, 'Who or what caused the outbreak of the First World War?'”
 — Eric C. Rust, author of Naval Officers Under Hitler: The Story of Crew 34

“As both a definitive biography and detailed evaluation of the historiography of this period, Kelly has produced a compelling portrait of Tirpitz that balances the views of those scholars who have overestimated Tirpitz’s rationality in political, social and military affairs with those who underestimated his opportunism.”
 — Keith Bird, author of Erich Raeder: Admiral of the Third Reich

“Patrick Kelly has written the first major scholarly biography of Tirpitz in English, based on detailed knowledge of vast archival material and an extensive historical literature. With great precision, Kelly’s narrative integrates Tirpitz’s naval and political careers with broader developments within the German Empire and the Weimar Republic. He also treats in detail the international politics of Wilhelmine arms policy, the naval race with Britain, and the ensuing First World War. This book can be thoroughly recommended to students of both German and naval history.”
 — Rolf Hobson, author of Imperialism at Sea: Naval Strategic Thought, the Ideology of Sea Power, and the Tirpitz Pl

“This study of the principal force behind the rise of the German Imperial Navy examines one Grand Admiral's great power and influence during a crucial period before WWI.”

“An invaluable addition to military biography shelves, Tirpitz and the Imperial German Navy is especially recommended for college library collections. August 2011”
 — Midwest Book Review

“[T]he book is stellar. It is based on decades of research in federal, regional, and private archives and takes into account a flood of scholarship on Tirpitz and the fleet. Well written and sensibly organized, the book allows English-language readers their first in-depth look at one of the men who helped shape the 20th century. October 2011”
 — Naval History

“The author does a masterful job of analyzing Tirpitz' political skills, his mastery of technology and change, as well as the grave weaknesses of the dysfunctional political system of a federal Germany headed by a weak and vacillating Emperor and riven by unbridgeable political divisions. Highly recommended. Summer 2011”
 — Camaraderie

“Kelly's fascinating political biography of Alfred von Tirpitz joins the large historiography on German naval policy prior to WWI. . . . Recommended.”
 — Choice

“Kelly's book is a great achievement. Well written and based on new sources, his biography of Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz allows the reader deep insights into the life of a man who played a very important role at the turn of the last century and who shaped German policy in a way few others did. ”
 — gh.oxfordjournals.org

“How, as a naval officer, [Tirpitz] . . . became probably the second most effective politician in the history of Imperial Germany is a fascinating story. It is well told in this large, comprehensive and extensively researched book. ”
 — Ausmarine

“Although this is a scholarly biography, it is in everyway quite readable. Backed by solid research, using untapped and newly available documents and family letters, Kelly has produced a clear picture of one of the major causes of World War I.”
 — thepastinreview.weebly.com

“Kelly's book is a great achievement. Well written and based on new sources, his biography of Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz allows the reader deep insights into the life of a man who played a very important role at the turn of the last century and who, like almost nobody else, shaped German policy. ”
 — International Journal of Maritime History

“Patrick Kelly has produced a first-rate biography of this grand admiral who is better known for his political skills than his naval ones. ”
 — U.S. Naval Insitute Proceedings

“This is an invaluable reference work on Tirpitz, the Imperial German Navy, and on politics in Wilhelmine Germany. ”
 — The Northern Mariner

“[This] book presents a balanced, convincing picture of Tirpitz as naval officer and bureaucratic politician, based on a thorough examination of the relevant archival sources. It is a distinguished contribution to the historiography of imperial Germany.”
 — Journal of Modern History