The Trafalgar Companion: The Complete Guide to History's Most Famous Sea Battle and the Life of Admiral Lord Nelson

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.

General Sir Guy Carleton, Lord Dorchester: Soldier-Statesman of Early British Canada

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General Sir Guy Carleton, Lord Dorchester: Soldier-Statesman of Early British Canada
Paul David Nelson
Manufacturer: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0838638384

Nelson's Purse: The Mystery of Lord Nelson's Lost Treasures

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Lost Treasure

Nelson's Purse: The Mystery of Lord Nelson's Lost Treasures
Downer M
Manufacturer: Smithsonian
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1588341844

Book Description

The compelling story of Lord Nelson's long-lost letters and personal effects.

Much has been written about Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson, whose glorious naval career ended at the Battle of Trafalgar, where the half-blind, one-armed Nelson, wearing a blood-stained purse, gave his life to secure Britain's supremacy for another century. Yet Martyn Downer's surprise discovery of an unknown treasure trove of Nelson's letters and personal effects puts existing accounts of the hero into question. This find of a lifetime provides an intimate look at the personal life of the brilliant commander through the eyes of his closest friend, Alexander Davison—the confidant not only of Nelson but also of his mistress Lady Hamilton and estranged wife Fanny. As Downer reveals in this extraordinary tale, Davison's correspondence with Europe's most famous love triangle is the key to a new interpretation of Nelson. From their first meeting in 1782, Davison shared the triumphs and suffered the setbacks with Nelson, managing every aspect of his civilian and personal affairs. Downer's narrative releases long-forgotten voices from never before published correspondence as Lady Hamilton, Lady Nelson, and Nelson himself reveal previously unknown depths of their turbulent triangle. 30 b/w illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

Lost Treasure.......2006-09-07

Martyn Downer, the author was Head of Jewellery at Sotheby's in London from 1999 to 2003. At the beginning of July 2002, Sotheby's announced to the world the discovery of a major cache of material relating to the life of England's greatest naval hero, Horatio Nelson. The man who made this extraordinary find and who subsequently spent over a year validating the material and placing it in the context of Nelson's life was Martyn Downer.

While the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar has brought out an abundance of books about Nelson, this book stands out amongst them because of its content. This is not a book about the great man's battles and conquests, nor about his ships or his men, although they are of course mentioned. This is a book about the chance finding after many years of some of the most famous possessions of Admiral Nelson himself. Possessions that were thought to have been lost over a century ago.

Among the items found are his swords, medals, pistols and pottery and porcelain. Also letters, both to his wife Fanny and his mistress Emma, Lady Hamilton. To be able to handle items that had been lost for so long must have been a wonderful experience for the author and to find items that have never before been documented must have been truly exciting.

This is a book that gets into the heart and mind of the greatest naval hero England has ever had, or ever likely to have.

Lords of the Ocean (Revolution at Sea Trilogy #4)

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The Saga Continues.....
First-class historical action
Lords of the Ocean
Smashing Good Read!
Lords of the Ocean

Lords of the Ocean (Revolution at Sea Trilogy #4)
James L. Nelson
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0671013831

Book Description

James L. Nelson's Revolution at sea saga has brought to life a never-before-seen side of America's war for independence. With the expertise of a seasoned mariner, a historian's vivid attention to detail, and a natural gift for sensational storgtelling, "the American counterpart to Patrick O'Brian" (David Brink) carries us along on his bold and stirring course through history.

After ferrying General George Washington's troops across the East River and through the hell known as the Battle of Long Island, Captain Isaac Biddlecomb receives a monumental order. He is to transport to France the most powerful secret weapon in the country's arsenal -- scientist, philosopher, and spirit of the enlightenment Dr. Benjamin Franklin. With a new team of men forging through the wintry North Atlantic, and braving the cordon of the Royal Navy, Biddlecomb's seemingly simple mission is just the first volley in a grand scheme: to topple France's neutrality by gaining its vital support, and turn the colonial uprising into a full-scale world war for freedom.

Customer Reviews:

The Saga Continues............2004-11-14

The trilogy now becomes a "saga" with the fourth in the series of The Revolution at Sea as Nelson continues with his perspective on the American Revolution, mostly from the quarter deck of various ships. In this case it is, for the most part, the US Navy brig Charlemagne commanded by Capt. Isaac Biddlecomb. The choice of that name for a hero is of interest, as such a name sounds as though he might be happier laboring over ledgers in some accounting firm. However, Biddlecomb is a name known by many of the British officers who have crossed his path and all of whom would love to see him swinging from a yardarm or run through by their blade. Early in the book he helps General Washington out of a tough spot by providing sufficient boats (from the British Navy) to allow him to escape from a certain pounding on Long Island. It seems that Washington's bacon is often being saved by Biddlecomb in these stories. Following that, he receives an order to transport Dr. Benjamin Franklin to France. In order to do that, he must cross the ocean eluding the British Navy, following which he finds himself free to raise a bit of hell off the coast of England. The predicaments that he finds himself in are well wrapped in the historical context of the times. We all learn a bit more about Franklin's work to bring the French out of neutrality on the side of the United States and we also learn that while a cat may have nine lives, Biddlecomb has far surpassed that.

Nelson writes with a sure hand about the little things of sailing in those days as well as the grand sweep of history and the reader is carried along with an intriguing look at those very important times.

First-class historical action.......2002-09-11

Set in the 9 months following the Declaration of Independence, the story follows American Navy Captain Issac Biddlecomb as he escorts Ben Franklin to France to discuss an alliance with Britain's old adversary. While waiting for results, Issac is allowed free rein to prey on British merchants, which he does to devastating effect, making him the single most wanted man on the high seas. Greed and over-confidence prove to be Isaac's undoing and things go wrong in a big way, but the ever resourceful Isaac has ways of dealing with it. Meanwhile, skulduggery and espionage is afoot in France, with Isaac, as well as American hopes for assistance in France, as the target.
All this makes for a thrilling read, as certain capture is turned into escape, daring moonlight raids are almost foiled, and bold-as-brass deception sticks it right in the eye of the British.
Based on historical facts and real characters, this is a good as O'Brien's best and definitely the best yet in the Revolution at Sea saga.
Once again, the author's notes give us the history behind the fiction, and a glossary of terms, plus map and diagrams of rigging and ship layout, make this a very enjoyable read.

Lords of the Ocean.......2000-09-21

As an officer in the United States Navy, I was often frustrated with modern naval fiction. The great writers, O'Brian and Forrester wrote about the Royal Navy and mentioned the US Navy only in passing. Thank God for James L. Nelson! Now American readers can be proud of their own great naval heritege which Nelson truly brings to life! I couldn't put Lords of the Ocean down. Filled with action,intrigue, and historical accuracy, Lords of the Ocean is a book that I will be recommending to commanding officers to put on their command reading lists.

Smashing Good Read!.......2000-06-13

The American Revolution and YOU ARE THERE! A fine, fast paced novel of an area little written about, the politics and adventure in luring France into the war.

Lords of the Ocean.......2000-06-12

I really enjoyed this book. I think it's probably his best work since By Force of Arms. Nelson is doing even better at character development, which makes this book a highlight for me. Not only does he bring Biddlecomb across as a very human sort of hero, he also paints a very vivid picture of many of the remaining cast of characters. His description of the on sea actions remain, as they always have been, superb. I would not have thought that a book centering around getting Benjamin Franklin to France would have been all that interesting, nor would I have thought you could work a lightning rod into a good sea story. Nelson, however, pulls both off admirably.

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Life of Horatio Lord Nelson
Robert Southey
Manufacturer: BiblioBazaar
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Product Description

Many Lives of Nelson have been written; one is yet wanting, clear and concise enough to become a manual for the young sailor, which he may carry about with him till he has treasured it up for example in his memory and in his heart.

HERO OF TRAFALGAR the Story of Lord Nelson

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HERO OF TRAFALGAR the Story of Lord Nelson
A.B.C.; b59 Whipple
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GA70IE

Missa in Augustiis (Hob. XXII: 1): "Lord Nelson Mass"

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Missa in Augustiis (Hob. XXII: 1): "Lord Nelson Mass"
H.C. Robbins Landon
Manufacturer: Eulenburg
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 3795768381

Book Description

for Solo Voices, Mixed Chorus and Orchestra

For God and Glory: Lord Nelson and His Way of War

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Great book!!
a fascinating personality and genius
A different approach to the life of Lord Nelson
Originality abounds
A Different Approach to the Life of Nelson

For God and Glory: Lord Nelson and His Way of War
Joel S. A. Hayward
Manufacturer: US Naval Institute Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1591143519

Book Description

Taking a highly original, thematic approach to the study of Horatio Lord Nelson, this book analyzes the admiral's unique war-fighting style. Doctrine, tactics, and operational art are part of the analysis, as are Nelson's command and leadership abilities and his attitudes and beliefs. But the book's focus is on how all these elements combined to form the man whose infectious ethos spread through his entire force. It shows that Nelson's creative genius, excitable and intense personality, dramatic visage, and fervor for all things martial not only inspired courage and loyalty but so dazzled and enflamed the hearts and minds of his men that he reached near cult status in his lifetime.

As a professional military analyst who has devoted his career to researching, writing, and teaching about the tactics and operational art of warfare, the author draws on his own training and experience to view the admiral's war fighting from a vantage point not accessible to many of Nelson's leading biographers. Joel Hayward breaks free from the constraints of chronology to thematically explore in greater-than-usual depth and coherence the key aspects of Nelson's fighting style and to answer questions not previously raised about that style and its supporting ideas, including to what degree Nelson's style can be adopted by modern warriors. Nelson scholars and enthusiasts will consider the book to be a fine companion to the more traditional studies of the great admiral. The book will also appeal to students of warfare in general, especially those who focus on the Napoleonic period. 256 pages. 9 photographs. 7 maps. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Hardcover. 6 x 9 inches.

Customer Reviews:

Great book!!.......2006-05-20

I'm in the US Navy and certainly wasn't looking at books on Brits when searching for a book on early maneuver warfare. But in a bibliography on maneuver I came across Hayward's book, which was both highly recommended and had an entire chapter on Nelson and maneuver warfare. It was exactly what I wanted: evidence that the ideas imbedded within our current doctrine go way back. I ended up actually reading the entire book and to my surprise found out that John Paul Jones wasn't the father of modern naval warfare; Nelson was. The book is full of insight into the nature of war at sea. I think it would benefit sailors in every navy. Rob Wheble.

Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, TX 78409

a fascinating personality and genius.......2006-05-20

Although there are many fine biographies of Nelson, I recommend this lesser-known work, for it provides a number of key points about Nelson as a human being and as a military leader.

1. Nelson was a logistical genius. It's nice to be brilliant on the battlefield, but if your men are exhausted, poorly fed and sick, and your equipment falling apart, you will probably lose despite your brilliance. As hundreds of written commands show, Nelson worked tirelessly to supply his men with fresh food whenever possible and gather the materials needed to keep the ships in fighting trim. He was at sea for months before Trafalgar, in weather that wore down his wooden ships and exposed sailors, while the French and Spanish were in port. By all rights they should have been rested and full of spirit, but it was they who were ill and the British who were fit. This stems largely from Nelson's obsessive concern for the logistical train needed to support his massive 27-ship fleet.

2. Nelson truly cared about the men under his command. While he understood the need for discipline, he was neither bullying nor cruel toward his men, who were often "pressed," i.e. virtually enslaved by press-gangs which prowled the waterfronts and ports of England to fill the fleet's gundecks. Nelson focused enormous attention on finding fresh meat and other foodstuffs for his sailors, even spending his own money at times to do so.

3. Nelson's confidence inspired those under his command. By all accounts, the English sailors went into battle confident of victory, simply because Nelson was their leader.

4. Genius is not transferable to other fields of endeavor. One might guess that Nelson would have brought some military genius to land warfare as well, but in fact his personality and naval skills did not transfer at all to land. He was an abysmally inept leader on land, impulsive when planning was key, impatient when patience was key, and reckless when victory was impossible. Indeed, both his injuries (loss of vision in one eye and loss of an arm) occurred in land battles in which he'd been tasked to overcome forts. He failed in both battles.

5. Nelson empowered his captains to pursue an overall battle plan with their own initiative. Nelson was very careful to explain his overall plan for the battle--the so-called "Nelson touch"--but he left the details and implementation up to each captain. Thus as the battle unfolded, the English always had the advantage of individual initiative, while the competing fleets tended to rely on direct orders issued through signal flags-- flags which were often obscured by the smoke from black powder gunfire or the interference of other ships.

6. Nelson rose through the ranks in a window of British naval history when command was based on merit rather than birthright. While the higher reaches of naval command continued to be filled by those born into nobility, the war with Napoleon forced the British to look outside the narrow confines of the noble classes for actual talent in battle. After all, what good is a peerage if your estate is occupied by the French?

7. Like many "great people," Nelson was a jumble of contradictory internal forces. The son of a vicar, Nelson remained deeply devout throughout his life, despite the violence of his chosen trade and his blatantly adulterous affair with Lady Hamilton. Though he held no special rancor for the various other enemies he was ordered to battle in his career (Americans, Danes, etc.), he did hate the French with what can only be called unbridled passion. He thought they were threatening civilization as he understood it and Napoleon had to be crushed. Though there were periods of "peaceful co-existence" in the Napoleonic Wars, Nelson believed the only solution was to completely defeat the French. Though blessed with compassion for the men under his command, he was vainglorious to a fault, often emblazoning himself with a chestful of gaudy medals.

8. "The Nelson Touch" consisted of thinking outside the norms of 18th century sea warfare. Nelson generally gained the advantage by doing the unexpected or taking what others would see as unacceptable risk. For instance, in the Battle of the Nile, which drove Napoleon from North Africa, he engaged in a night battle, a very chancy affair considering the presence of nearby shoals and the impossibility of communicating with his captains.

So consider celebrating Trafalgar's 200th anniversary by reading more about a fascinating personality and genius-- even if his genius was war at sea.

A different approach to the life of Lord Nelson.......2006-03-04

This book on Nelson takes a different tack than most biographies. It has a non-traditional approach and it does not cast Nelson as a divine being. Instead Hayward uses a thematic essay approach to get at who Nelson was and to make him relevant to our age. As a result, I found Hayward's methodology to be highly original and interesting.

Using themes, Nelson's command and leadership technique is examined from six different perspectives. To derive an understanding of a man as complex and compelling as Nelson can not be done simply by producing a historical recanting of his exploits and accomplishments. Besides that has been done numerous times over.

Hayward does an excellent job of resolving the apparent hypocrisies in Nelson's life (his religiosity and adulterous affair with Lady Hamilton) as well as shed some light on his creative genius in war and his ability to inspire a Nation. The author's approach to Nelson's warfighting from a viewpoint of maneuver warfare, land war, and coalition warfare is unique and makes this book relevant to a modern warrior.

Originality abounds.......2005-12-12

This is the most interesting of the recent Nelson books mainly because its author asks significant new questions and digs deeper into areas of Nelson's military experience than we are used to. The result is highly pleasing.

A Different Approach to the Life of Nelson.......2005-12-11

Joel Hayward's "For God and Glory: Lord Nelson and His Way of War" is a different type of biography. Hayward discards the standard chronological account in favor of an examination of key themes in Nelson's approach to war. These themes include Nelson's conception of his enemies, his spiritual beliefs, his leadership style, his warfighting styles on sea and land, and his experience of coalition warfare. Hayward leverages his background in military strategy and history to explore Nelson's experiences with respect to these themes and how they contributed to the growth and application of his leadership skills. The author uses many examples from Nelson's very long life in uniform, in and out of combat, to illustrate his points. The result nicely highlights Nelson's gifts as a leader and how they directly related to his success in combat.

This approach has much to recommend itself for a professional military audience and for the student of the military art. The book as written would lend itself nicely to use by leadership seminars in or out of the military. Nelson's stress on developing and trusting subordinates and issuing mission-type orders, while setting a superb personal example, are leadership traits applicable in a variety of circumstances.

Those looking for a more typical biography, or who are unfamiliar with Nelson's career, may find the thematic approach difficult to follow. This approach causes some repetition in the discussion of incidents in Nelson's military life; the narrative is purposely thin on details of Nelson's life away from the British Navy.

This is an excellent though not perfect work. Hayward is an unabashed fan of Lord Nelson and makes repeated assertions of his greatness as part of emphasizing his points; the discussion might have benefited from a little less of this. Hayward goes to some lengths to rationalize Nelson's abandonment of his wife in favor of his mistress, Emma Hamilton, a discussion that may not be necessary to the examination of Nelson's military skills. Hayward appears to misread Clausewitzian military theory to argue that Nelson's practice of manuever warfare made him practically unique to his time. In fact, Clausewitz advocated the defeat of an enemy's main army, not frontal assaults on it as Hayward implies. The point is well-taken that Nelson was an advanced and daring military thinker. The hardcover edition suffers from some annoying editing challenges: the proper titles of named individuals such as the Duke of Wellington are repeatedly rendered in lower case.

This book is highly recommended to the professional military officer and students of the military art and of leadership in general.

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Mrs LLoyd's review below is spot-on.
LAVERY'S A FINE SCHOLAR BUT BIOGRAPHY'S NOT HIS THING
Wouldn't recommend
A readable and attractive book

Horatio Lord Nelson (Historic Lives)
Brian Lavery
Manufacturer: NYU Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

"[Lavery] has written a fast-paced, absorbing chronicle of Britain's most celebrated naval commander."
—Booklist

"I have read several books on Britain's greatest hero, but this is by far the most concise in its clarity and brevity. Illustrated with period documents, maps, paintings and drawings, Lavery's book gets to the point and stays there, offering a very human portrait of a larger than life character who was both flawed and magnificent, and in the end, a man of flesh and blood, not a sainted deity."
—Sea History"This is a modern work with the modern reader in mind, and it is deserving of attention, as is Nelson's legacy...This is indeed the right book for the right time and is highly recommended."
—H-Net Book Review

Horatio Nelson (1758-1805) was undoubtedly Britain's greatest naval leader and perhaps the greatest sea commander of all time. Although his complex character often made him enemies and led to mistakes in both his public and private life, he was an unrivaled seaman, an original and brave tactician, and a charismatic leader.

Brian Lavery, a renowned expert in naval history, charts Nelson's career from his first naval posting in peacetime, at the age of just 12, to his rapid rise through the ranks, his command of the Mediterranean Fleet in HMS Victory, the transformation of his reputation during the Nile Campaign and his heroic death at Trafalgar. The book examines the forces and events which shaped Nelson's life—the victories and defeats, and the successes and failures—to discover the reasons for his extraordinary fame, both in his own time and to this day. Lavery sets the events of Nelson's maritime career against the backdrop of his personal life—his marriage and the scandal of his ménage-a-trois with the Hamiltons—to reveal a man of determination, courage, and daring.

The Battle of Trafalgar continues to represent an ideal of complete and uncompromising victory from the age of the sailing ship, and Horatio Nelson, the hero and victim of that battle, has similarly secured his place as a legend in naval history. Illustrated throughout with contemporary maps, paintings, and letters and original battle plans in Nelson's hand, this book in the Historic Lives series provides a concise and valuable insight into the achievements and life of Lord Horatio Nelson.

Customer Reviews:

Mrs LLoyd's review below is spot-on........2004-05-10

This is very much a book for readers UNfamiliar with Nelson's life. They'll learn a lot from this book and will hopefully then feel inspired to read some of the exciting new studies of HN. Even so, many readers ARE novices who needs such a book as this, so for them I say "get this book".

LAVERY'S A FINE SCHOLAR BUT BIOGRAPHY'S NOT HIS THING.......2004-05-01

I've read and loved several of Brian Lavery's book, but I do think he's far better at describing ships, shipbuilding and naval institutions than he is at describing people and explaining their psychologies. As a general assessment of Nelson's life this is all pretty average and not at all novel. But it does introduce readers to all the key events in the admiral's life and might well prompt them to read more thorough works. Because I like Lavery's works I don't want to be negative, but I have to say that, while this is good enough, when dealing with Nelson we now expect excellence from our writers.

Wouldn't recommend.......2003-12-04

I'm more than halfway through this, and would not recommend it. Perhaps Lavery's other titles on Nelson are better-- this one almost seems like an ignorant editor just ripped out sentences & paragraphs from a longer work & put this out as an excerpted work. The writing is clumsy and often unclear throughout; points aren't made that should be; and the overall tone is too hagiographic to represented a balanced study, even as a sketch of Nelson's life.
Nice packaging, though, and some good artwork and battle/harbor scene prints from Pocock & the Naval Archives. But even many of these are too small to make much use of.

A readable and attractive book.......2003-09-10

This is a concise, appealling and informative small book about naval history's greatest warrior, Lord Nelson. Because it is designed more as a sketch than as a thorough painting, I recommend you buy other books, both for context on Nelson's Royal Navy and for a deeper understanding of Nelson's unequalled skills as a fighting admiral. Without any doubt the two best books on these are:

Brian Lavery, "Nelson's Navy: The Ships, Men, and Organization, 1793-1815"

Joel Hayward, "For God and Glory: Lord Nelson and His Way of War"

With these three books you won't go wrong. You'll learn plenty about the man who, perhaps more than anyone else, made Britain great for over 150 years.

Average customer rating:
The Letters of Lord Nelson to Lady Hamilton, Volumes I and II; With a Supplement of Interesting Letters, by Distinguished Characters.
Horatio Nelson
Manufacturer: Echo Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1406834513

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