I thought I'd post some recommendations for folks with an interest in the Japanese Navy. A good overview of the IJN's history is found in Kaigun by Evans and Peattie. Peattie's Sunburst supplements it with a focus on carrier development. For a depiction of the IJN culture and policy that came to think war against America, Britain, the Commonwealth, and the Dutch would be a good idea, Asada's From Mahan to Pearl Harbor is an excellent decoctation of five decades of Asada's scholarship on the subject. If you want to look further at the early years, try Making Waves by Schencking, which focuses on the early politics. For ship information, Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1869-1945 by Jentschura et al is probably the best option. The book that may be the best warship reference ever written is Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War by Lacroix and Wells. Submarines get good coverage in Submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy by Carpenter and Polmar and The Japanese Submarine Force and World War II by Boyd and Yoshida. Other ship types enjoy no standout titles, though it's rumored that Lacroix and Wells are working on a destroyer book.
Many thanks, Tiornu. I shudder to think of the IJN's intricate web of ships and history. I may never emerge if I get into that too deep!
