Book excerpt: Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840-1914) was a US Navy officer and historian. He served in the Navy for nearly forty years and fought in the American Civil War. In addition, he was president of the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., and wrote influential naval history and strategy books. His most popular work The Influence of Sea Power upon History (1890) established the modern US Navy doctrine of maritime predominance: the higher the naval power of a country, the greater its global impact. His ideas of sea power influenced the organization of naval forces in many countries. From Sail to Stream, Mahan's autobiography, includes his personal life story as well as the history of US sea power in the 19th and early 20th century.