2Tribals, Battles and Darings describes the three classes, each designed under different circumstances along destroyer lines but to general-purpose light cruiser form, from the interwar period through to the 1950s, and Alexander Clarke explains the procurement process for each class in the context of the needs and technology of the times.

This is the first work to focus these three classes side by side, to examine their conception, their creation and their operational stories, many heroic, and to provide an insight into ship design, operation and culture. In doing so the book aims to contribute a better understanding of one of the most significant periods in the Royal Navy's history.