New before/after "A Fleet in Being"

Today's before/after is Russell Phillips's "A Fleet in Being," a short history of perhaps the oddest navy in World War I. Russ is one of my few non-fiction clients, and one of a growing number of repeat customers. Here's what Russ has to say about this go-round:

"This one seemed more difficult than A Damn Close-Run Thing, but that's probably at least partly because I didn't really have a blurb to start with - I just came up blank whenever I tried to write a blurb for it. I was impressed and pleased that you used Wikipedia to get an idea of the subject matter.

"One thing that struck me with both was that you wait for me to say that I'm happy with it. It seemed to take a lot of work this time, but I always had the impression that you were going to keep working until I was happy with the result. It's always good to work with someone that wants the customer to be happy."

Thanks, Russ! It's always good to work with clients who actually enjoy doing the work. This was harder than "A Damn Close-Run Thing." I knew less about the subject matter, hence resorting to Wikipedia. :)

Here's what we came up with.

Before:
During WWI, the Austro-Hungarian navy (Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine: Imperial and Royal War Fleet) epitomised the concept of a "fleet in being". The large ships rarely left port, and were never involved in a major battle. The Allies, unable to ignore the presence of a small but powerful fleet in the Adriatic, were forced to maintain a significant presence in the area.

Illustrated with over twenty photographs and drawings, this book provides a comprehensive and detailed listing of the ships that made up the KuK Kriegsmarine. It also includes a short description of the navy and its operations, as well as the unique problems that were faced by this small and unusual fleet.

After:
The Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine--The Austro-Hungarian Navy--was in at the beginning of World War I when Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie lay in state abord its flagship, and at the end when it dissolved along with the empire that commanded it. During the war, this small but powerful "fleet-in-being" forced the Allies to maintain a significant blockade presence, allowing German and Austro-Hungarian u-boats to run riot elsewhere in the Mediterranean even though its capital ships almost never left port.

Illustrated with thirty photographs and drawings, this book provides a comprehensive and detailed listing of the ships that made up the KuK Kriegsmarine, its operations, and the unique problems this unusual fleet faced, from contentious duelling parliaments to ships built by landlocked Hungary.

Want me to help with your blurb? I can do that.