Book Description
Widely known for her innovative teaching philosophy stressing body awareness, the value of "soft eyes," proper breathing, centering, and balance, Sally Swift has been a pioneering riding instructor for half a century. In book form for the first time, her methods enable horse and rider to achieve harmony, working together naturally, without pain.
Unlike traditional teachers, Sally Swift does not believe in forced training techniques that cause stiff bodies and tense riding. Instead, through the use of vivid, unusual, and highly creative images that transcend mechanics ("Pretend you're a spruce tree; the roots grow down from your center as the trunk grows up"), plus a thorough knowledge of human and equine anatomy, this wise and inspiring teacher enables the conscientious equestrian to reassess habitual responses, in order to ride in natural positions, break through frustrating plateaus, and achieve ever-rising goals with comfort, vitality, and precision.
Precise illustrations and photographs never before used in riding books explain anatomy and image work to give mind and body new and relaxed approaches to the inner process of riding.
Centered Riding is for those with little experience all the way up to world class.
Customer Reviews:
Literally the breakthrough I needed.......2007-05-20
I read this book 20 years ago, while trying to learn to ride as an awkward adult. I was getting so frustrated, I couldn't find my seat and felt totally out of control in the saddle. My husband kept offering counter-productive "tips" such as, "squeeze with your legs" (to sit the trot)....All I can say is, thank Heaven for Sally Swift. Her metaphors and mental imagery were exactly what I needed. Someone with natural athletic balance would perhaps not need this (someone like my husband, who rode before he walked). However, for someone like me who has to learn it from the head down, not from the seat up, this book can be the key to a secure and comfortable seat. It is in every library, read it, then buy it if this style of teaching "speaks" to you.
A 94 year old star with great heart.......2007-05-06
Having had the priveldge of working with Sally Swift I am stuck not only by her skill , but by her kind and gentle way of dealing with everyone and everything she comes in contact with. At 94 years old when most people are seeing their lives as over, Sally sees the future as being bright. She was just honored by the United States Dressage Federation as being one of the top writers and riders in the country and I say" Way to go Sally". Her books Centereed Riding and Centered Riding 2 have together sold over 500,000 copies and have changed the lives of countless people and horses alike. Not only horse riders, but black belts,ice skaters, world class olympians, etc. Centered Riding and Centered Riding 2 are books too good to miss.
Must Have Book for Every Rider/Instructor.......2007-03-22
I participate in alot of different sports/hobbies from English/Western riding, to skiing to dog obedience/agility training to cycling and various art pursuits. If you are the type of person who ever finds yourself having difficulty following the words someone uses to express something new to you and instead find following visualization or imagery examples easier then this book will help you. For example, when I was first learning to ski countless instructors explained that I was "sitting back in my seat" or " back on my heels"... lean forward they said... "no, not like that, not from the waist, with the whole body"... finally one said "pretend you have a $100 in the front of your boot and you don't want to lose it" and Eurkeka - the light bulb went on! And so it was with riding... which is why (paraphrasing) feeling your weight in your heels like you have roots to the ground from your feet worked better for me than "keep your heels down" and so on... you get the idea. This is a great book that takes the basics and gives you some alternative ways to think about them.
Centered Riding.......2007-01-18
I was satisfied with my purchase and very pleased with the speedy service and delivery. Will continue to purchase from amazon.
A Classic that all riders need to read.......2007-01-08
If you ride, you need to read this book. So many of the modern riding techniques are based on Ms. Swift's experiences. I learned how bad my posture is and how it affects my horse when I ride. Not only did it help my riding but it helped my general posture and helps eliminate back aches. The illustrations are very enlightening.,
Amazon.com
For military-history buffs, Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe novels are the literary equivalent of potato chips: you can't read just one. And in this case, why would you want to? Blending meticulous research and old-fashioned entertainment, the series follows the roguish adventurer Richard Sharpe as he swashbuckles his way through the Napoleonic Wars. In Sharpe's Trafalgar, the author ventures into Patrick O'Brian's maritime territory. Anchors aweigh, lads, and bring on the detailed descriptions of the ship's guns and their firing mechanisms!
In the beginning of the book, our hero sets sail for England after five months of service in India. The plot revolves around a disguised diplomat, a marauding French warship, and an improbable love affair with a comely English aristocrat. But make no mistake, the real draw here is combat. The battle scenes crackle with energy, and we can practically feel the chop of the waves and smell the reek of gunpowder. (We can also smell 600 unwashed men in close quarters with rats, sewage, and bilge rot, but that's another matter entirely.) The last hundred pages fly by at a furious clip, cannons pounding and cutlasses hacking, as Cornwell re-creates the naval battle of Trafalgar.
These days, of course, we know that war is bloody and brutal, not honorable or fair. We like even our most appealing warriors to have some passing acquaintance with their dark side, and Sharpe does take a decidedly antiheroic stance on the experience of hand-to-hand combat:
He was ashamed when he remembered the joy of it, but there was a joy there. It was the happiness of being released to the slaughter, of having every bond of civilization removed. It was also what Richard Sharpe was good at. It was why he wore an officer's sash instead of a private's belt, because in almost every battle the moment came when the disciplined ranks dissolved and a man simply had to claw and scratch and kill like a beast.
Beast or no beast, Sharpe is far more interesting and complex than the musket-wielding action figure he might first appear. And it's nearly impossible not to take some pleasure at his bloody exploits. Sharpe's Trafalgar is a superb example of the ripping good yarn--it confirms our secret conviction that war may be hell, but it's actually pretty exciting too. --Mary Park
Book Description
The year is 1805, and the Calliope, with Richard Sharpe aboard, is captured by a formidable French warship, the Revenant, which has been terrorizing British nautical traffic in the Indian Ocean. The French warship races toward the safety of its own fleet, carrying a stolen treaty that could provoke India into a new war against the British -- and render for naught all that Sharpe has bravely fought for till now.
But help comes from an unexpected quarter. An old friend, a captain in the Royal Navy, is on the trail of the Revenant, and Sharpe comes aboard a 74-gun man-of-war called Pucelle in hot pursuit. What results is a breathtaking retelling of one of the most ferocious and one-sided sea battles in European history, in which Nelson -- and Sharpe -- vanquish the combined naval might of France and Spain at Trafalgar.
Download Description
"Special feature! This e-book edition contains ""Sharpe's Skirmish: Richard Sharpe and the Defence of Tormes, August 1812,"" an original and e-book exclusive short story by Bernard Cornwell. It is 1805 and Ensign Richard Sharpe, having secured a reputation as a fighting soldier in India, is on his way home to join the newly formed Green Jackets. The voyage should be a period of rest but his ship is riven with treachery and threatened by a formidable French warship, the Revenant, which is terrorizing British shipping in the Indian Ocean. An old opponent of Sharpe's is aboard his ship, and the voyage is further disturbed by the Lady Grace Hale, apparently as unreachable as she is beautiful. Sharpe also has friends, notably a captain of the Royal Navy who is hunting the Revenant and who rescues Sharpe when all seems lost. The hunt turns into a stern chase as the French warship races home, carrying a treaty that could ignite India into a new war against the British. Yet when the Revenant encounters the combined French and Spanish fleets off Cadiz it seems that Sharpe's enemies on board appear to have him trapped. Yet over the horizon is another fleet, led by Nelson, and Sharpe's revenge will come in a savage climax when the two armadas meet on a calm October day off Cape Trafalgar. Sharpe's Trafalgar introduces Richard Sharpe to the horrors of a battle at sea, and finds him at his most ruthless as he struggles, not just for revenge, but for a woman he loves. "
Customer Reviews:
Great change of pace after the India books.......2007-10-16
An homage to Patrick O'Brian's "Master and Commander", the series based on the British Navy of the same period. The fan of both will see numerous similarities.
Sharpe's new friend, Captain Joel Chase, is the spitting image of Jack Aubrey. He's a bluff, good-natured fighting captain whose men would follow him through the gates of Hell, and he personally feels the same way about Admiral Lord Nelson. Sound familiar? He rarely flogs erring sailors. He loves his coffee. He pays for extra powder and shot out of his own pocket so that his crew can practice gunnery. And he's loyal to friends like Sharpe, who comes to Chase's rescue during a Bombay brawl with a dishonest merchant who cheated them both.
There are other touches as well. Sharpe's struggle to climb the masts and perhaps avoid using the maintop's "lubber hole" refers to the same running gag about Stephen Maturin, Aubrey's friend and intrepid but without sealegs.
Sharpe, a soldier, doesn't really belong at Trafalgar. But Cornwell contrives a plausible way to get him there, as Sharpe returns to Britain in 1805 to join a rifles regiment. The India books were fun but, after we've seen all those city walls stormed, all those rajahs plundered, and all those hideous Oriental tortures meted out, it's time to move on. Putting Sharpe on a ship, with its backstays and quarterdecks and scuppers pouring blood during battle, is a fine change of pace.
Cornwell's battle detail is typically gripping. And in this book Sharpe finds a romance that, one senses, may be more fateful than those he's had in previous books.
Sharpe at Trafalgar- You must be kidding!!.......2007-09-22
I took out this book from the library because I had read Sharpe's Rifles and Sharpe at Waterloo and had liked both of them. But Sharpe at Trafalgar, you must be kidding! Anyway, Sharpe had to get home from India in 1805, so he ends up at Trafalgar. The book works and I could not stop reading it. Two nights I stayed up til 1:00 am reading this book. Highly recommended for a great fun read.
On the way home from India Sharpe gets caught up in the Battle of Trafalgar.......2007-06-15
Only Richard Sharpe could get caught up in a fleet battle on the way home from India and find romance on a Royal Navy line-of-battle ship. But he does, and it's a highly entertaining read.
Sharpe's Trafalgar is set at the conclusion of the trilogy of novels in India in which he obtains some treasure, gets promoted to be an officer after saving the life of General Wellesley (the future Duke of Wellington), and deals with the traitor Dodd. Shipping home to join the 95th Rifles, Sharpe initially takes passage on an East Indiaman, and finds an old opponent as one of the passengers. Treachery follows and the ship is captured by the French.
However, as the story is about Sharpe's Trafalgar, we know that he will not remain a prisoner of war for long. And sure enough, after an involved series of events, including the obligatory rescue of a lady in distress, Sharpe and his fellow passengers find themselves guests on a Royal Navy 74 gun ship of the line, chasing a French battleship half-way round the world. Until both ships arrive off Cape Trafalgar on 21st October 1805 ...
As usual Bernard Cornwell has done a great deal of research so that the Napoleonic era battles he describe seem real, and in the historical note at the end he explains that many of the events described during the battle of Trafalgar were based on things which really happened.
The next novel after this in the chronological sequence is "Sharpe's Prey," the main action of which is set two years later in 1807 when Napoleon's continental blockade results in war between Britain and Denmark. That book also tells you what happens to Sharpe's relationship with Grace, the heroine of "Sharpe's Trafalgar".
If you liked the other Sharpe books, you will like this one.
A Great Series.......2006-08-15
This is another entry on the Sharpe series. It is fun, entertaining and very readable. Cornwell's research is as excellent as usual. He takes some licenses for the shake of the story and continuity, but this is OK. Some people are outraged by the portrait of some of the real historical characters, but historical characters are rarely depicted accurately in historical fiction, so I think this can be forgiven. Besides, usually a more serious account of these characters is given at the end of the book on the Historical Note.
Many people insist in compare this series with Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander. I don't think this is fair for any of the series, they are different entities. What they have in common is that once you start you may get hooked and devour one book after another...
And in the literary world today that is a rare and marvelous thing.
an Aubrey/Maturen fan's first forray into Sharp's books.......2006-06-13
Well, this is a very preliminary write-up of this book and I do promise to come back to it if I have anything that will make me give it more than three stars...
I am sorry to say, I am not happy. This particular book, Trafalgar, is the first I'm reading in the series. I have just finished the entirety of the Aubrey/Maturin series. (I weep that there is not more!) I tried Hornblower and could not face the incredibly poor writing and the odious character development. I gave up on that. Then I found this book... My hopes soared!! Then they were crushed!
Here is a nice quote that motivates what I am going to say next. Here is Sharpe on the deck of a company ship at night with one "Lady Grace" ... for god's sake. (I hope you have your barf bag handy.)
"... once they [her arms] were free she snaked them around his neck and pulled his face to hers and kissed him so fiercely that Sharpe tasted blood from her lip. She sighed, then placed her cheek against his. `Oh, God.' she said softly, `I wanted you to do that since the moment I first saw you.'
Sharpe hid his astonishment. `I thought you hadn't noticed me.'
`Then you are a fool, Richard Sharpe.' "
Then, they head down to the virmin-filled stearage and have woopie! I am not even kidding you!
I must tell you I was almost violently ill. This is the kind of hideous flaring-nostrils writing reserved for Jessica Steele novels. Why not just rename him Fabio Sharpe and have done. I am still dry retching as I write these words. This is just plane old trash.
I will, as I say, give it another chance. One more. If I am more impressed I will come back and modify my rating and add to this. Oh, God! I hope this improves.
Book Description
The Battle of Trafalgar was fought on October 21, 1805 off Cape Trafalgar on the Spanish coast, between the combined fleets of Spain and France and the Royal Navy. The last great sea action of the period, it established British naval supremacy and ended the threat of French invasion. The Trafalgar Companion not only chronicles the campaign and the battle itself in unprecedented detail, it also charts Admiral Lord Nelson’s life and career as well as his death at the height of the battle. Providing a wealth of background details on contemporary naval life, seamanship, gunnery, tactics, and much else, the narrative is supplemented by informative sidebars, 200 color illustrations, and stage-by-stage battle diagrams.
Customer Reviews:
Magnificent book.......2007-04-02
It's one of the best books of that type I've ever read, too much details, but not boring, explains everything and gives you a full idea about how the seamnship of that period, strategy life at seas and of course of the battle of Trafalgar. I would reccomend it without any hesitation.
Probably the title of the book isn't so attractive as it's the book itself.
Tremendous value.......2006-03-15
What a book! This book is huge and contains just about everything you would want to know about the people, the ships and the battles. I was really impressed to see the hour by hour description of the battle and the detailed descriptions of the ships appearance as well as its statistics.
I have no hesitation in recommending this book.
A GREAT book on Nelson's Navy.......2006-01-19
The Trafalgar Companion is probably the best reference book on the Royal Navy in the time of the Napoleonic Wars. It has about 550 pages of small type and is jam packed with information. However, it is much more than its title suggests.
This book could probably be divided into three main parts: the life of Nelson, the Trafalgar campaign, and the background of the Royal Navy. There are nine sections, each with subsections and most with an epilogue. The epilogues comprise the first part, as they describe some aspect of Nelson's life or career. If one wanted to read only about Nelson, one could jump to the end of each chapter and read a very good biography of Nelson. The epilogues include his early life and career, the battles of St Vincent, the Nile, Copenhagen; his stay at Naples, Emma, and a few others. The reader really comes to know a great deal about Nelson. The second section, the background of the Royal Navy, gives the reader about 150 pages on topics such as ship construction and classification, seamanship, navigation, officers, seamen, marines, uniforms, gunnery, tactics, and many others. This section alone is invaluable to understanding the Royal Navy. The third section is about the Trafalgar campaign. The subsections include British and French naval strategy, the fleets, command, opening moves, the battle itself (about 60 pages), and the aftermath of the battle.
So, what makes this such a great book? The topics have all been discussed in tons of other books. Well, first, this book is like an encyclopedia--it brings everything together under one roof. If you want Nelson, you got 'im. If you're reading Hornblower, Ramage, Kydd, or Aubrey and you need some background info on some topic, it's here. However, this book is more than an encyclopedia. If you have several hours to spend on a great story--the battle itself--you've got a great read in front of you. Second, in addition to the text, this book is filled with hundreds of illustrations, diagrams, lists, quotes, maps, paintings, and drawings. For example, the section on fleet comparison devotes a page to each ship from both fleets. The pages include a drawing of a ship, its rating, number and type of guns, number and type of crew (i.e. naval, infantry, marine), a biography of its commander, what the ship did during and after the battle, and, for the British, a list of all its officer--all the way down to the purser! In the section on guns, gunnery, and tactics, there are eight fabulous color illustrations, each covering two pages. The first is a cross section of the Victory with all the rooms labeled. The ship looks like a mini city. Then there are top-view illustrations of each deck. Not only are the guns and other parts of the ship labeled, but also where crew members would have been assigned. I didn't know that a marine was assigned to each gun on the ship. In some cases even known personalities can be placed in certain areas on deck. There is even a page showing the number and arrangement of lanterns to indicate signals in the presence of the enemy! I particularly like the 19 maps in the battle section. The reader can follow the movements and firing of the ships throughout the battle. There are so many topics and all are treated exhaustively.
I could go on and on giving examples of the breadth and depth of this book. Besides the information, the color illustrations and quality of paper make this book visually pleasing. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone interested in the Royal Navy in the Napoleonic Wars. It's worth every penny you'll pay for it-you won't need anything else.
Fantastic coverage of Trafalgar.........2006-01-07
The Trafalgar Companion by Mark Adkin looked very much like his Waterloo Companion that he wrote earlier. The book covers three subject matters. First is the Trafalgar campaign and battle. Second is the biographical overview of Horatio Lord Nelson and finally the third coverage deals with anatomy of navies and ships of this period although the Royal Navy get most of the coverage. Each three subjects are spread apart into sections and interlocked with the overall coverage of the topic. There are also many side bars notes that inserts interesting trivial if not important information regarding the subject matter at hand.
The book proves to be well written, well researched and easy to read. There are over 200 illustrations that covers everything from battle scenes, diagrams, tactical maps, drawings, ship equipments and so on. There are several pages of a great cross section from the top down on HMS Victory (deck by deck) which showed the ship in battle readiness and show the positions of each crew member by position and officers. There's also a full page coverage on each British, French and Spanish ships involved in the battle as well as history of some of its officers. I can write considerably more on all the great stuff that this book contains.
It pretty obvious that the author went all out to provide one of the most complete coverage of Trafalgar campaign and battle within a single volume. Each of the subject matter appears to be well written and researched. Nelson's biography may not be as detail or indepth as some of the full scale biographies but the coverage proves to be impressive and insightful. All of Nelson's previous battles are in the this book and well covered. While not as detail as Brian Lavery's book, Nelson's Navy, the study of the Royal Navy in this book should satisfied almost anyone. The coverage of the campaign and battle of Trafalgar proves to be complete and highly detailed, helped by charts and maps that gives a clear understanding of the subject at hand.
There is also a short but detail coverage of post-Trafalgar period, fate of the ships, officers and burial of Nelson. Interesting tidbits that can only enchance the reading experience.
In conclusion, while there are books out there who may do a better job covering just the battle or just Nelson or just the details of wooden navy, I believed no book does a superior job in putting all three together and making it work. The 555 pages of this book is crammed with information that can only benefit the reader to the utmost. Its well worth the price you pay.
A Must Have.......2006-01-03
This is one of the most outstanding books on the subject of Trafalgar, Nelson and the sailing navy I have come across. The small details are brought vividly to life in a way that makes interesting reading. The artwork in this book is specially commissioned for the book and is therefore technically accurate. This differs from other books on this subject that use art from around the time with foot notes explaining the technical inaccuracies in the pictures. The life of Nelson is covered in detail and is tied in with explaining life in the navy of the time interspersed with stories of individuals of various ranks and what their life was like. Personal stories, where available, are included to bring the whole picture to life. The artwork along with all the maps and diagrams is in full colour making everything easily understandable.
Book Description
This lovely book follows the training of three young horses, from their first schooling experiences to the execution of classical airs at the age of nine.
Product Description
For the bicentennial anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, Alfaguara asked Arturo Pérez-Reverte to narrate an account, with his particular vision, about the most famous naval battle in history. This combat faced the combined Hispanic-French Navy against the British, in the Spanish waters of the Cape of Trafalgar. The blend of historical accuracy and spectacular action together with the unique writing style of Arturo Pérez-Reverte makes these pages a passionate and exciting key piece to understand the events of that tragic day in October 1805, which changed the history of Europe and the entire world. Description in Spanish: El 21 de octubre de 1805, la flota hispano-francesa y la británica se enfrentaron en una de las batallas más decisivas de la historia. Doscientos años después, la pluma de Arturo Pérez-Reverte revive el combate en toda su crudeza, en un relato de estilo vibrante y pleno de rigor histórico que Punto de Lectura ofrece a todos los lectores.
Customer Reviews:
Trafalgar para nosotros los ignorantes.......2007-05-16
Este libro es extremadamente entretenido, de verdad lo recomiendo. Da ademas una excelente idea, para iniciantes, de lo que paso aquel dia y los eventos que conllevaron a la batalla. El libro ademas tiene un final que lo deja a uno muy triste, lejos de reflejar la grandiosidad de la guerra naval como trata de hacer Patrick O' Brian en sus obras: los barcos de la flota aliada, idos a pique con sus heridos adentro o encallados contra la costa despues de una tormenta. Me impresiono que Perez Reverte repite constantemente que la gloria y el honor se median en terminos de muertos de tu propio bando lo cual hace el final mas tragico todavia.
Dificil.......2007-01-10
Los terminos marineros y las jergas asi fueren imposible de comprender por lo tanto fuera necesario constantamente referir a un diccionario. Muchas veces, no fueren ningunos definiciones.
No es lo mejor de Pérez Reverte.......2005-09-07
Cuándo mencionan que es un libro de encargo, creo que lo dicen todo. Tiene sus partes emocionantes y el acostumbrado detalle histórico con mucho condimento nacionalista, lo cuál no esta mal, es su estilo. Pero carece de la espontaneidad y yo creo que se palpa que no disfrutó escribiéndolo tanto como otros libros, dónde siente el personaje. No decepciona, pero cabe esperar cosas muchas mejores si has leido su obra anterior. Si eres asiduo y toleras estos menoscabos, el disfrute esta garantizado, pero si eres lego, no te quedes sólo con este libro de Reverte, pues casi todos son mejores.
Buen libro quizas mejorable.......2005-02-24
En general el libro me ha gustado y, a medida que lo iba leyendo me iba gustando cada vez más. Hay una seria de cosas que en mi modesta opinión podrían ser diferentes. Por ejemplo el lenguaje está salpicado de palabras soeces. No lo critico, pero si el narrador de la historia hubiera sido uno de los personajes a bordo de los barcos que participaron en la batalla de Trafalgar, pues tendría más sentido. Ya ocurre en la novela que los personajes utilizan ese tipo de lenguaje y queda bien porque son gentes de bajo extracto social, personajes que viven en la miseria de la época. Pero en el narrador utilizado, que no participa en la escena, yo le hubiera adjudicado un lenguaje más formal, o al menos con menos contenido "orgánico". Por otro lado si, los anacronismos a veces son un poco ridículos. Quiero decir que si la intención era arrancar una sonrisa, pues muy bien, pero no. La novela en general creo que es buena, y se lee en un santiamén. Te hace pasar un rato muy bueno y te mete de lleno dentro de la batalla de Trafalgar. Tiene una buena proporción de crítica a la política en aquella época en España y también de las estrategias de las potencias europeas, en especial de los ingleses y Napoleón. Muy buen libro en general a pesar de todo.
Average customer rating:
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Nelson's Surgeon: William Beatty, Naval Medicine, and the Battle of Trafalgar
Laurence Brockliss ,
John Cardwell , and
Michael Moss
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0199287422 |
Book Description
In the lead-up to the bicentenary of Trafalgar a number of important new studies have been published about the life of Nelson and his defeat of the Combined Fleet in 1805. Despite the significant role played by the health and fitness of the British crews in securing the victory, little has been written hitherto about the naval surgeon in the era of the long war against France. This book is intended to fill the gap. Sir William Beatty (1773-1842) was surgeon of the Victory at Trafalgar. An Ulsterman from Londonderry, he had joined the navy in 1791. Before being warranted to Nelson's flagship, Beatty had served upon ten other warships, and survived a yellow fever epidemic, court martial, and shipwreck to share in the capture of a Spanish treasure ship. After Trafalgar, he became Physician of the Channel Fleet, based at Plymouth, and eventually Physician to Greenwich Hospital, where he served until his retirement in 1838. As the book makes clear in drawing upon an extensive prosopographical database, Beatty's career until 1805 was representative of the experience of the approximately 2,000 naval surgeons who joined the navy in the course of the war. The first part of the biography provides a detailed and scholarly introduction to the professional education, training, and work of the naval surgeon. But after 1805 Beatty became a member of the service elite, and his career becomes interesting for other reasons. In the final decades of his life, Beatty was far more than a senior naval physician. As a Fellow of the Royal Society, director of the Clerical and Medical Insurance Company, and director of the London to Greenwich Railway, he was a prominent figure in London's business and scientific community, who used his growing wealth to build a large collection of books and manuscripts. His later life is testimony to the much wider contribution that some naval and army medical officers made to the development of the new Britain of the nineteenth century. In Beatty's case, too, the contribution was original. By publishing in 1807 his carefully crafted Authentic Narrative of the Death of Lord Nelson, he was instrumental in forging the myth of the hero's last hours, which has become a part of the national consciousness and has helped to define for generations the concept of Britishness.
Book Description
Ramage, finally reunited with his beloved Sarah, hopes to spend at least a few quiet weeks with her. Instead, he is summoned by Admiral Nelson himself. His orders: Ramage is to join Nelson's fleet blockading the combined French and Spanish navies in the port of Cadiz. But Nelson's plan is not merely to blockade the enemy's fleet. He intends to confront it head-on in the biggest naval battle the world has ever seen.
Customer Reviews:
Ramage at Trafalgar.......2006-07-02
Not only entertaining reading but much detail of how living ws in that century.
Also really detailed info on how ships and their cews lived and died.
The description of the gunpwder room is particularly detailed, something missing from other eloquent writers of this genre.
Total yawn.......2004-07-06
Dudley Pope might be thorough on the nautical detail, but when it comes to general historical detail of the period, this book is seriously flawed. Ramage apparently has one servant who does everything around the house (butler, groom, coachman - and poacher and smuggler); his wife, the daughter of a marquis, travels without a maid; and don't even get me started on the scene where Ramage gives his own wife a sponge bath in the London town house of Ramage's parents' . . . These people are wealthy aristocrats, for pete's sake! And they never act like it! Pope needed a serious dose of Georgette Heyer to do the on-shore scenes better.
The rest of the tale? A yawn-fest about the Battle of Trafalgar, as Ramage and his familiar crew race to the scene in the Calypso, carry out an all-too-easy espionage mission, wreck one ship and then capture another during the battle itself. This story should have been flowing and exciting; instead, it is as top-heavy with incidental detail as the Santissima Trinidad. Ramage disobeys orders and gets away with it yet again, naturally.
I appreciate the difficulty of grafting a fictional character into historical events. But "Ramage at Trafalgar" is seriously unbalanced, the large chunk of the book taken up by Ramage's family having nothing to do with later events and introducing a feel that does not match the second half of the book. Why not just limit it to a nautical tale focused solely on the battle? There's more than enough material there, after all. And why have Ramage and Nelson apparently forgotten the events in "Ramage and the Guillotine"? Other Ramage books are much better. This one is perfunctory and boring in its execution.
Fascinating.......2002-12-14
After a good deal of interesting matters on shore, Ramage and his faithful crew (already rich with prize money but faultlessly loyal to their captain) race off to join Admiral Lord Nelson before Cadiz in Spain, and the great naval battle of Trafalgar in 1805. More than any other nautical novel I've read, this one makes clear just how revolutionary were Nelson's killer tactics. It is worth reading just for the views of Nelson at home and at war. The reasons why Nelson is Britain's greatest hero are made clear. The story is constructed with a long narrative line building to a thrilling climax, and a wonderfully sad ending as Ramage appears headed for another court-martial due to his valiant actions taken without orders.
Book notes: poorly proof-read for a McBooks book. The only title in the Ramage series with a genuinely old painting on the cover (but has nothing to do with the story). While it can certainly stand on its own better than most in the series because it more closely concerns real historical figures than usual, as the 16th of 18 this volume is probably not the place to start.
Book Description
An explosive chronicle of historyÂ's greatest sea battle
In the tradition of Antony BeevorÂ's Stalingrad, NelsonÂ's Trafalgar presents the definitive blow-by-blow account of the worldÂ's most famous naval battle, when the British Royal Navy under Lord Horatio Nelson dealt a decisive blow to the forces of Napoleon. The Battle of Trafalgar comes boldly to life in this definitive work that re-creates those five momentous, earsplitting hours with unrivaled detail and intensity.
Customer Reviews:
Well Written and Readable Account of the Last Great Battle of Wooden Ships .......2007-08-18
Adkins provides a highly readable account of the Battle at Trafalgar where Napoleon's fleet with his Spanish allies are virtually crippled by highly effective British crews that are the actual turning point in the last great battle of wooden ships. The book is particularly welcome to those unfamilar with nautical terms as Adkins slides in definitions and illustrations that help a landlubber know the difference between starboard or port and for everyone he describes the life of a crew member from grog to the unique ways they treated their clothing and sails. The book is full of brief but effective biographies obviously with Nelson receiving the full treatment. In additionm there are descriptions of the various crew titles and responsibilities that provide a full appreciation for how an early 19th century ship was run. Also contrasted with the British fleet is the difficult relationship between the Spanish and French that may have contributed to a somewhat fractured command. The battle details are written with first hand accounts with mapping showing the intricate locations of ships durig the development of the battle. It is quite amazing that the ship positions could be reproduced with such relative accuracy. The less appreciative may grow weary of the lengthy detail of the battle but anyone who appreciates naval history will be impressed with these almost individual accounts of the ship battles as ships virtually fight in clusters or as individuals as Nelson's plan is to go right at them. Also fascinating is Napoleon's heavy but not so effective influence on the French fleet. The outcome of course effects the strategic situations on land contributing to the future land campaign against Napoleon.
Education and Information.......2007-07-14
Mr. Adkins wrote a very well researched, well written book on the Battle of Trafalgar. He included enough information about the lifes and times of the sailors to paint a thorough picture in the reader's head of what things must have been like. Best of all he uses a terrific set of maps with estimations of the locations of the various ships involved in the battle as it unfolded. These maps made reading the book and tracking what was happening when very easy.
Nelson's Trafalgar (Book Review).......2007-06-09
Nelson's Trafalgar: The Battle That Changed The World by Roy Adkins
Bought it a couple of months ago, but never got to finish it, until now. Just in time, too, since I just saw "Pirates Of The Carribean 3", which were using the same ships mentioned in the book, so I got to appreciate what a "3-Deck Ship Of The Line" looks like.
'Background'
The book is about the Battle of Trafalgar, one of the most decisive & spectacular sea battles in the history of mankind.
To give a short summary: Napoleon wanted to invade Britain & claim it as part of the French Empire he was establishing. But doing so requires a seaborne crossing, & because of that he had to make sure that Britain's Navy is sunk, or at least heavily damaged so he can proceed w/ the invasion.
The British knew this, of course, & the legendary Lord Horatio Nelson, the then Admiral of the British Navy assigned w/ the mission to find & destroy the combined French & Spanish fleet, thought the best defense, was a good offense.
So the British fleet pursued & finally cornered the combined French & Spanish fleet on the port of Cadiz in Spain, where they established a blockade. They then just waited for the French & Spanish fleet to sail out, & engage them in a decisive battle that they hope will destroy it, & prevent Napoleon's invasion.
'Detailed Information'
One great things about this book, is that it assumes (rightfully so) that most of its readers are not that familiar w/ 18th century naval warfare. The author, Roy Adkins, is both a HISTORIAN, & ARCHAELOGIST, so the book ended up w/ lot of ACCURATE & DETAILED information not only about the battle, but also things related to naval warfare at that time.
For example, the first chapters are devoted to things like:
- How the Sailors & Officers lived at that time;
- The ships, & the weaponry;
- The strategy & tactics;
- The political background;
- The diferences between the French, Spanish & British navies;
- Nearly EVERYTHING, except the toilet. Oh, wait, they have that, too.
The preparation is so good, that by the time the first shots are just about to be fired to start the battle, you end up almost as excited as the participants in that war.
'The Battle of Trafalgar'
The battle itself is REALLY intense. You could almost visualize the ships as they started trading cannon-fire broadsides at each other, w/ cannon & musket balls flying everywhere, throwing out huge chunks of timber, & flesh & bones. You could almost see the men as they screamed & died, while others went about trying to do their assigned tasks to take out the opposing ship.
There are quite a number of illustrations throughout the book to help you understand better some of the terminologies, & also to show the disposition of the forces as the battle progressed.
In the end, Britain proved it is unchallenged in the seas, w/ none of their ships surrendering despite heavy damage, while taking out of action almost half of the entire French & Spanish fleet. The result effectively ruined Napoleon's plan to invade Great Britain, who eventually orchestrated his defeat later at Waterloo.
'Master & Commander'
I suggest that you watch that superb movie set in about the same period , "Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World", either before and/or after reading the book. The movie is superbly accurate in its depiction of 18th Century naval warfare, w/ most of its elements also detailed in the book.
The book provides much more detailed information, of course, but the movie provides a visual cue of some of the elements.
'Conclusion'
Overall, it is a book I really, truly enjoyed reading. I'm really glad I bought this one, it really has provided a wealth of information of another time, when sailing ships had supremacy of the seas.
The only negative thing I can think of about the book, is the fact that despite all the explanations, some of the ancient naval terms can be overwhelming, especially for landlubbers like me. The old English style of language of some of the accounts also tends to make some passages a bit difficult to absorb. But, these obstacles are not really insurmountable, it just needs a little bit more patience & concentration to understand & absorb.
These difficulties certainly do not rob the book of its brilliance. It's hard to beat in terms of historical detail, & intense action of naval warfare. A classic in the making, a MUST-READ book for me. A terrifically good yarn.
I hope Adkins comes up w/ more books about Lord Horatio Nelson's other famous sea battles.
BOOK HIGHLIGHTS:
- The first 95 pages gives you a complete & almost encyclopedic background of the battle.
- The next 120 pages gives you accounts of the battle from start to finish, with all the intensity & chaos of the battle between both fleets.
- Things slow down a bit during the recounting of the intense storm that came after the battle, claiming even more lives on both sides.
- Events pick up again when the race to tell the news to the British Admiralty went underway.
- The book wraps up w/ what happened to some of the participants & ships after the battle; An analysis on the battle's effects to the entire war; And also recounts the eventual promotion of Nelson to almost god-like status by the British people of being its most beloved hero of all time.
Good description of a critical naval battle.......2007-03-18
Roy Adkins' book, "Nelson's Trafalgar," is a detailed well rendered version of the great sea battle that doomed any chance for Napoleon to claim control over the seas and invade Britain.
The book is a blow by blow account of the planning for the battle and how the plans for each fleet--the English fleet and the Combined fleet of France and Spain--were implemented. Nelson's battle plan was to break the line of ships organized by the French commanding admiral, Villeneuve. The French admiral wanted to maintain his line and have a "mobile reserve" of ships at his disposal. His dispositions went awry and his battle plan never materialized.
The book presents a number of attractive features: (a) detailed battle maps from hour to hour, so that the reader can see the progression of the battle; (b) a listing of the ships of each fleet, including number of cannons and commanding officers; (c) a detailed description of weapons and ships of the two fleets, to provide important context; (d) a description of key figures on each side; (e) excerpts from personal recollections by key actors in the battle; (f) extraordinary detail of the battle itself, including small details.
The book also speaks of the aftereffects of the battle. Included is the possible murder of the failed French commander, Villeneuve, the cheapness of the English government in taking care of its brave victors (including ignoring Nelson's request that Emma Hamilton and his daughter be taken care of), the dominant role of the English navy after Trafalgar.
This is a book that readers with an interest in this dramatic battle will find valuable. The detail gives a sense of the actual events of the time.
Important battle placed in context.......2007-01-03
On October 21st, 1805 the important naval battle of Trafalgar took place. During it two major events happened: the British obliterated a combined fleet of French and Spanish ships; and Lord Nelson who was in overall command was killed. the book claims that this is "The Battle That Changed The World".
As the 200th anniversary of the battle approached, many people released books telling the story of the battle and is various components. While this book is not one of the great ones telling this story, it is clearly written and does an adequate job of telling its story.
Since the book is intended for a general audience who may not know much of the period or the specifics of naval warfare, the author intersperses his telling the story of the battle with many tangents in which he tries to place his story in the context of the times. While this is a logical and reasonable approach, I felt that it actually distracted from this particular story. Perhaps this is due to the fact that I have read many naval novels set in the time period (Hornblower and Bolitho series in particular) and so was aware of the kinds of issues that Adkins brings up.
In the early chapters, Adkins sets the strategic stage with the British fearing an upcoming invasion of their island by the French and Napoleon doing his best to get an invasion underway. We are then told of the preparations in Britain to repel this invasion (this is where one of the odd things is told - many of the items being put in place were not completed until years after this battle and therefore were not really necessary any more). We are also told about the lives of British sailors and officers and their conditions at sea. Anyone of this century who reads these may find these conditions to be completely abhorrent and may wonder why the sailors did not forcibly rise against them, so Adkins shows that those conditions were at times superior to what these same people could expect on shore and were at least equal to shore conditions.
Nelson's career and life at this stage as well as some of the other main officers are also laid out in very brief pages. Those who find this tickling their interest in learning more about these characters will be forced to look elsewhere for the more detailed information available as this book just sketches things out.
The middle of the book is dedicated to the battle itself and is interspersed with maps and diagrams that aid the understanding. This was well done as there were almost 60 ships involved and several of them had either identical or very similar sounding names (Neptune, Neptune, and Neptuno, for instance) so without the diagrams one would get quite lost.
The battle lasted almost six hours and the author does a very credible job in my opinion of explaining what happened during it as well as the import of various things. Again he takes some detours as when he explains the positions and clothing of various jobs on the ships, the reasons why the surgeons operated as they did in the part of the ship that they did, and the names of each of the decks. There are also good explanations of the state of medicine at the time.
While reading the descriptions of the battle, I was struck with how bloody and gory the ships became and how shot up everyone was. The final tally of the battle was that a dozen and a half ships of the French and Spanish capitulated to the British and one French ship blew up while none of the British ships were defeated but many of the ships were completely dismasted, almost all were punctured and were taking on water, and everywhere was there death and despair. Imagine my surprise when at the end of the book the author presents statistics that point out that only 17% of the British sailors were casualties. I was sure during my reading that the casulaty figures must have been greater than 50%!!
A second major component of the story is the aftermath. As it turned out, Nelson was shot early on in the battle and died about midway through it, but he knew that a storm was coming. Well the storm did come and it turned out to be a powerful hurricane that resulted in more damage, destruction, and deaths than the battle itself! Many of the damaged ships were lost to sinking by the waves or being dashed against the rocky shoals of the coast of Spanish so that only about three or four of the captured ships made it back to British ports.
The finaly portions of the book cover the immense importance placed on the loss of Nelson and contrasting it with the fate of the others who took part in the battle on all sides. The author points out how the British King and Government purposely played up Nelson and his heroism as a substitute for taking care of the rest of the people. The final irony in the book is that we are told that Napoleon had already decided not to invade Britain at that point and was involved in the Austerlitz campaign while the battle took place. So, why is the book sub-titled "The Battle That Changed The World"? The author attempts to explain this by showing how France concentrated on the European land mass while England built a larger and larger empire. Stating that this was the direct result of this one battle is stretching it in my opinion.
I enjoyed reading this book as it was a story told well. Those amongst us who are looking for a readable introduction to Trafalgar and its import will do well by reading this book. For those of us who know something of the period and the events of it, this book yields little new information. Experts in the field will probably find the necessary superficiality of it distracting. So, read it yourself and enjoy!
Customer Reviews:
Good as far as it goes.......2007-05-21
While this is a very good and exhaustive compendium of the British ships involved, this book, like so many other written in English, gives quite short shrift to the fleets of France and Spain. 162 pages are given to the British fleet, and a total of 72 pages to include BOTH the Spanish and French fleets! Further, the detail given about the Spanish and French ships themselves is quite sketchy, and includes few drawings or diagrams, and in most cases these are from British sources.
Granted, most of the French and Spanish ships simply did not have the kind of lengthy and varied careers that most of the British ships had, but all the more reason to have a better look at their design particulars. What a pity the authors did not stir themselves and collaborate with the inestimable Mr. Boudriot of France for a proper view of 'the other side!'
All that said, this is an excellent volume, especially if your main interest is the British ships involved (they DID win the battle after all!).
Abundant written detail, visually a little disappointing.......2006-03-11
While this book did indeed contain a wealth of written detail of the ships, I was surprised and disappointed to find that aside from some center color plates, there was no information provided on ship color schemes and none on flags and pennants displayed. Most particularly, the French ship Redoubtable, described in the book as "the most acclaimed French ship to fight at the battle of Trafalgar" had no drawings, model photographs or paintings of her appearance at the battle. Also, a map showing the development of the positions of these ships during the course of the battle would have been useful although this is available elsewhere.
On the positive side, HMS Victory and many others were well represented by line drawings and despite a concentration on technical rather than visual information this is a useful book to those interested in the battle.
A fine naval reference book.......2005-12-07
Peter Goodwin's "The Ships of Trafalgar: The British, French and Spanish Fleets, October, 1805" is a fine new naval reference book. Goodwin is Keeper & Curator of HMS Victory and the author of "The Construction and Fitting of the English Man-of-War, 1650-1850" and "Nelson's Ships: A History of the Vessels in Which He Served, 1771-1805". Like Goodwin's previous books, the present volume is large and clearly printed on heavy, glossy stock. Each vessel present at Trafalgar, whether British, French, or Spanish, from the largest First Rate down to the smallest cutter is described in careful detail, with technical specifications, service history prior to Trafalgar, a description of its activity during that battle, its service afterwards, and its ultimate fate. Many of the ships, especially those of the Royal Navy, are accompanied by plans of some sort, even if only a profile. An insert of colorful paintings and model photographs are a welcome addition to illustrate how these ships look two centuries ago. Appendices discuss comparative armament and sources of timber and fittings.
There have been many "Trafalgar" books published in this bicentennial year, but few can match this book's sumptuous look and level of detail.
Tremendous Detail.......2005-10-11
There were 73 ships from the British, French and Spanish navies in the ocean off Cape Trafalgar. This exhaustively researched book tells the story of each ship that was there from the 136 gun 'Nuestra Senora de Santisima Trinidad' to to the 30 (maybe 35) men on board the Armed Schooner 'Pickle.' (The 'Pickle' was smart enough to stay out of the way of the big boys and watch the battle. Afterward she went in to rescue sailors from sinking ships.)
Each ship is described in detail, many with drawings made by the author for this publication. The history of each ship is given along with a description of what she did at Travalgar. Along with the history of each ship, there is a good bit of summary information about the three fleets. Carrying some 47,000 men these ships were the visible evidence of the most complex things yet devised by man.
This is a beautiful book, and includes several pages of full color illustrations from paintings of the period, modern photographs of models of some of the ships, and current photographs of the preserved flagship 'Victory.'
Book Description
Back by popular demand, this dramatic appraisal of the Spanish Navy and its defeat by the British at Trafalgar in 1805 disproves many long-held beliefs about the competence of the Spanish fleet. The author examines the factors that shaped the development of the Spanish Navy in the eighteenth century and maintains that the well-built ships and skilled forces were nowhere near as ineffective as they are usually represented. The book includes specifics of Spanish warship design and construction and is illustrated with beautiful contemporary plans, engravings, and photographs of ship models, some in full color. 208 pages. 120 illustrations. Hardcover. 8 x 10 1/2 inches.
Customer Reviews:
A good break from Anglocentric Naval Historians .......2005-06-09
Author John Harbron's book is a nice relief from the all long line of Anglocentric Naval historians that like to downplay the accomplishments of the Spanish and, to a lesser extent, French navies in the 1700s. The Spanish Royal Navy did a fine job in the 18th century given the fact that they were outgunned and outmanned and could rarely coordinate effectively with their French naval counterparts in their battles against the British Royal Navy. The results speak for themselves. During the 18th century Spain was able to successfully maintain her vast American empire vitually intact despite contant British Royal Navy attacks. It was only when revolutionary movements in her American empire that Spain lost most of her territories and not because of British actions.
John Hebron's book articulate accomplishments of great Spanish commanders like Blas De Lezo and Bernardo Galvez who had a consistant record of defeating British foes. Facts that are rarely mentioned or glossed over in English language history texts.
Excellent topic, but not followed through.......2001-07-27
While the author has made the point that there were many fine officers in the Spanish Navy, and that there were many excellent ships, the facts indicate that this combination was never capitalised upon, and the result was invariably disasterous. The best of leaders can only do so much with what they are given, and in the case of Spain, this meant far too few seamen, far too much influence by the Army, far too little training for crews, and some of the worst treatment imaginable. There is no point in building enormous warships if they cannot be effectively manned! Further, it is well-documented that ships of the line of the Spanish navy, although enormous in size, were laughably undergunned compared to their contemporaries. This is not made clear in this book. That said, it would also be of enormous benefit to view some of the plans and profiles of these ships, so as to compare them with their British and French contemporaries. Dozens of books have been written about HMS Victory and other Royal Navy ship types, but almost nothing about the ships of the other navies of the time, and even less in English! It is a great pity the author chose to use so many primitive contemporary Spanish paintings for illustration rather than something either commissioned for the book (expensive, no doubt!), or obtained with a bit more research into what is available.
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