The Naval Annual was a book that sought to bring together a large amount of information on naval subjects, which had hitherto been obtainable only by consulting numerous publications and chiefly from foreign sources. It was started by Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey

Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey

Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey GCB, JP, DL, TD , was a British Liberal Party politician, Governor of Victoria and founder of The Naval Annual.-Background and education:...

, and was first published in 1886.

During its life it underwent a number of name changes.

Naval Annual

• 1886–1891 Lord Brassey
  Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey
  Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey GCB, JP, DL, TD , was a British Liberal Party politician, Governor of Victoria and founder of The Naval Annual.-Background and education:...
  
  
• 1892–1899 T.A. Brassey
  Thomas Brassey, 2nd Earl Brassey
  Thomas Allnutt Brassey, 2nd Earl Brassey DL, JP, TD MInstNA AMICE , styled Viscount Hythe between 1911 and 1918, was a British peer, who was for many years editor or joint editor of Brassey's Naval Annual....
  
  
• 1900–1901 John Leyland
• 1902–1905 T.A. Brassey
  Thomas Brassey, 2nd Earl Brassey
  Thomas Allnutt Brassey, 2nd Earl Brassey DL, JP, TD MInstNA AMICE , styled Viscount Hythe between 1911 and 1918, was a British peer, who was for many years editor or joint editor of Brassey's Naval Annual....
  
  
• 1906 John Leyland and T.A. Brassey
  Thomas Brassey, 2nd Earl Brassey
  Thomas Allnutt Brassey, 2nd Earl Brassey DL, JP, TD MInstNA AMICE , styled Viscount Hythe between 1911 and 1918, was a British peer, who was for many years editor or joint editor of Brassey's Naval Annual....
  
  
• 1907–1913 T.A. Brassey (Viscount Hythe from 1911)
  Thomas Brassey, 2nd Earl Brassey
  Thomas Allnutt Brassey, 2nd Earl Brassey DL, JP, TD MInstNA AMICE , styled Viscount Hythe between 1911 and 1918, was a British peer, who was for many years editor or joint editor of Brassey's Naval Annual....
  
  
• 1914 Viscount Hythe
  Thomas Brassey, 2nd Earl Brassey
  Thomas Allnutt Brassey, 2nd Earl Brassey DL, JP, TD MInstNA AMICE , styled Viscount Hythe between 1911 and 1918, was a British peer, who was for many years editor or joint editor of Brassey's Naval Annual....
  
   and J. Leyland
• 1915–1916 John Leyland
• 1917–1918 Not published
• 1919 2nd Earl Brassey
  Thomas Brassey, 2nd Earl Brassey
  Thomas Allnutt Brassey, 2nd Earl Brassey DL, JP, TD MInstNA AMICE , styled Viscount Hythe between 1911 and 1918, was a British peer, who was for many years editor or joint editor of Brassey's Naval Annual....
  
   and J. Leyland

Naval and Shipping Annual

• 1920–1928 Sir Alexander Richardson and Archibald Hurd
• 1929 C.N. Robinson
• 1930–1935 C.N. Robinson and H.M. Ross

Brassey's Annual – The Armed Forces Yearbook

• 1950–1963 H.G. Thursfield
• 1964–1973 J.L. Moulton

Royal United Services Institute and Brassey's Defence Yearbook

• 1974–1975 Editorial Board: S.W.B. Menaul, R.G.S. Bidwell, R.H.F. Cox
• 1976 Editorial Board: S.W.B. Menaul, A.E. Younger, R.H.F. Cox
• 1977–1979 Editorial Board: A.E. Younger, E.F. Gueritz
  Teddy Gueritz
  Rear Admiral Edward Findlay "Teddy" Gueritz CB OBE DSC & Bar was a long-serving Royal Navy officer.From D-Day, 6 June 1944, he served as beachmaster on Sword Beach, organising the flow of men and materiel into the beachhead, including 30,000 troops on the first day...
  
  , R.H.F. Cox
• 1980–1982 Editorial Board: E.F. Gueritz, Henry Stanhope, Jennifer Shaw
• 1983–1984 Editorial Board: Group Captain David Bolton RAF (rtd), Henry Stanhope, Jennifer Shaw
• 1985 Editorial Board: Group Captain David Bolton RAF (rtd), Henry Stanhope, Jennifer Shaw, Maj-Gen (rtd) A.J. Trythall. Editor: B.H. Reid
• 1986–88 ??????????
• 1989 Editorial Board: Group Captain David Bolton RAF (rtd), Group Captain G. Gilbert AFC RAF (rtd), Henry Stanhope, Jennifer Shaw, Maj-Gen (rtd) A.J. Trythall, Jonathan Eyal
• 1990 Editorial Board: Group Captain David Bolton RAF (rtd), Helen MacDonald, Henry Stanhope, Jennifer Shaw, Maj-Gen (rtd) A.J. Trythall, Jonathan Eyal
• 1991 Editorial Board: Group Captain David Bolton RAF (rtd), Henry Stanhope, Jennifer Shaw, Maj-Gen (rtd) A.J. Trythall, Jonathan Eyal
• 1992 Editorial Board: Group Captain David Bolton RAF (rtd), Jennifer Shaw, Maj-Gen (rtd) A.J. Trythall, Jonathan Eyal