Birth of a Nation

I picked this book up having never heard of Julian Rathbone - "Birth of a Nation" sounds like a major history - it is major history but not the way anyone would suspect. For anyone who loves Flashman this is a must read. A historical novel that captures Darwin, the Beagle, whaling, the Mexican/American, life on the Mississippi (with gamblers, cheats and assorted card sharps), the early Old West (including circus life)and much more through the eyes of an ugly, small, hairy but very amusing drifter/survivor - this is a very interesting read.