Men-of-War: Life in Nelson’s Navy
£2.80
Out of print for many years, this is a brand new edition of the definitive companion to the acclaimed Aubrey-Maturin series of novels, written by the author himself.
What was daily life in Nelson’s navy really like, for everyone from the captain down to the rawest recruit? What did they eat? What songs did they sing? What was the schedule of watches? How were the officers and crew paid, and what was the division of prize-money?
These questions and many more are answered in Patrick O’Brian’s elegant narrative, which includes wonderful anecdotal material on the battles and commanders that established Britain’s naval supremacy.
The meticulously researched text and imagery together provide an unparalleled insight into life during wartime in the Napoleonic era, and offer a wonderfully evocative companion to the world of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin.
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Additional information
| Publisher | HarperCollins (17 Oct. 2019) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 5021 KB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Not Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 103 pages |
| Page numbers source ISBN | 0008356025 |
by John Hopper
This is a short book about the 18th century novels written by Patrick O’Brian as background to his Aubrey and Maturin series. Understanding naval terminology in detail is pretty much essential to really appreciating his novels – something that I haven’t managed to do. Has some useful diagrams of ships and tables with useful information about ships sizes and naval ranks, etc.
by Greyman
Bought blind before the reprint date, when it came I was surprised by how small this book is. It’s really pocket sized, about the same size as an old Ladybird book of old. The content is interesting but not detailed, although I found a couple of nuggets in there. I’m guessing if you are new to the ‘wooden world’ this is a good, if brief , starter but there are several much better books out there with more detail.
It has a lovely cover though….!
by Harrovian
An account of the lives of all categories of seamen..
by Veloprof
The trouble with Patrick O’Brien is that no one comes close to him, not even the mighty CS Forester. It’s not just his forensic knowledge of the Royal Navy at the time of the Napoleonic Wars but also his sublime writing style where each character speaks in an authentic and individual way.
by Federico
Fascinating , informative; some individual voices would have enhanced.Clear and simple on technicalities of rigging and tactical sailing. Very good.
by PWIA
Well worth a read.
by sdcsmith
Would recommend reading at any point in the 20 Aubrey Mauritian books for background knowledge and information, would definitely recommend
by paul m
A good book but more of a children’s book; very much an overview without a lot of detail.