The book is organized into two major sections. The first is a narrative history of the gunboats and gun vessels that served in Victorian times from their first use in the Crimean War up through their removal from the Navy by Jackie Fisher early in the twentieth century. The second major section is a catalog of the two types of vessels through their various classes. This updated edition of Send a Gunboat has some additional material, including a section on the restoration of HMS Gannet. Additionally there has been some re-organization, including moving the footnotes all to one section at the end of the narrative history. There are numerous photos, illustrations and maps. The book does have some drawbacks. Due to the breath of the period covered, all of the gunboat/gun vessel actions are not described in detail, and certainly a working knowledge of Victorian military and political history would be of benefit to the reader to help make appreciation of some of the activities more meaningful. Still, overall it's a well done effort with excellent production quality. ( )