Men-Of-War: Life in Nelson's Navy

Brief outline of main points of interest in the Royal Navy. Excellent for those who do not wish too much detail.

After reading Patrick O'Brian's book,my only complaint is I wish it were longer.This is a reference companion to his Aubrey/Maturin Novels and I feel compelled to read them all.I feel this book does exactly what it intends, take someone as green as I and get them excited about reading his books and doing some further research.Patrick o'Brian's love for the Royal Navy is contagious.

Wow, I wish this book were in print when I was busy devouring the Hornblower series and the whole panoply of books I read that dealt with the sailing war ships of the 18th and 19th centuries. This handy little book written by a well-respected author of such nautical fiction lays it all out here for those who want to be able actually 'see' what the ships he has been reading about were really like. O'Brian does a brilliant job of simply and succinctly describing the conditions and routines of the men who manned these man o' wars. As an added bonus the full color reproductions of paintings, drawings and diagrams are absolutely SUPER. If I were you, I would not hesitate to purchase this book. You will not be sorry, of that I am quite sure.

Being a known Jane Austen buff, a colleague told me I ought to have a look at Patrick O'Brian's novels which cover the same period. It has often been remarked upon that Jane Austen ignored the wars taking place during her time. In fact, she did not. Key characters such as Captain Wentworth (Persuasion) and Fanny Price's brother William (Mansfield Park), were career shipmen whose merits are well-enunciated in her novels. Two of Miss (how everyone likes to call her "Miss"!) Austen's brothers were also career navymen. The Navy was all around her and she knew it but had no need, despite that famously interpreted reference to "rears and vices," to discuss Navy life or strategy. Nevertheless, this reader is curious to know how these men lived away from the ordered, civilised life of those "three or four families" in that country village of which Austen writes and to which these men inevitably returned to marry. Here in MEN-OF-WAR: Life in Nelson's Navy, we learn about the ships, the gunnery, the lifestyle and the protocol of the 18th century British Navy which successfully defended England from an invasion led by Napoleon. The information in this book is concise and easily comprehensible, thanks to an economical and cheerful writing style. Information is brilliantly illustrated by color photos of paintings, drawings, cartoons and models of sailing vessels. On a final note, there is now a wave (pun intended) of interest in Patrick O'Brian as a result of the detailed film MASTERS AND COMMANDERS. The Navy lifestyle illustrated in this book is depicted in the film, to the advantage of both.

I cannot claim to any nautical experience, however, I do claim to be one of Patrick O'Brian's all time fans. This book has helped me understand what the ____ some of the late 18th and early 19th century nautical terms and concepts mean. So, to keep this concise, if you love Patrick O'Brian's seafaring novels (start with Master and Commander if you are uninitiated to this amazing series), but are not a sailer yourself- then this is the book for you. It is fairly short, but interesting. You will be briefed on life in the navy, parts of the ships, names and functions of sails, combat, and many other topics that can confuse.I also know that this book would serve as an excellent source for a H.S. to college level paper/presentation on life in Nelson's navy. The length and writting style make it highly readable. Also recomended are Dean King's lexicons on Patrick O'Brian's books ("A Sea of Words"). They include several sections on the history of the era, and are very interesting, as well as including an extensive dictionary of terms, old words, places and events.If you already know a great deal about Nelson's Navy, then this might be a little too basic.