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Hearts of Oak
Sep. 27th, 2005 10:54 amI promised to check my naval history/sailing reference book collection for favorites, and here's what I came up with. Most of them are from the era of Nelson's Navy which has always been an interest of mine.
A Sailor of King George: The Journals of Captain Frederick Hoffman, RN, 1793-1814, first person narrative, good for flavor.
Every Man Will Do His Duty: An Anthology of Firsthand Accounts from the Age of Nelson by Dean King (Editor). Excerpts of published first person accounts, offering variety of POV's from seamen to officers.
The Frigates: An Account of the Lesser Warships of the Wars from 1793 to 1815 by James Henderson. More than most people really want to know about the subject.
Hornblower's Navy : Life at Sea in the Age of Nelson by Stephen Pope. Short, illustrated, good for overview such as sailor's daily routine. Intended to appeal to viewers of the A&E series.
Life in Nelsons Navy 1793-1815 by Dudley Pope. Covers much of the same ground as the Stephen Pope title, but in more detail.
Dover Books, for when only a reprint will do:
The Young Sea Officer's Sheet Anchor : Or a Key to the Leading of Rigging and to Practical Seamanship by Darcy Lever. Reprint of a widely used 19th century title, lots of details on period techniques.
A Short History of the Sailing Ship by Romola Anderson. General overview from earliest times through 19th century. Worth skimming.
The Book of Old Ships : From Egyptian Galleys to Clipper Ships by Henry B. Culver. Lots of pictures, another book worth skimming.
The two books I bought last week are both extremely good, but I like the organization of Ship by Brian Lavery a bit better. The History of the Ship: The Comprehensive Story of Seafaring from the Earliest Times to the Present Day by Richard Woodman is also very good, and I'm glad to have it, but if you had to choose one I would choose the Lavery book.
For fiction, I recommend Alexander Kent's Richard Bolitho series which has been recently reprinted, and C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower and other nautical titles. Patrick O'Brian is another well known author with his Aubrey/Maturin novels. In general the A&E Hornblower mini-series was excellent, and the recent movie 'Master and Commander - The Far Side of the World' was very good.
ETA: I completely forgot Longitude by Dava Sobel. Excellent on navigation techniques but do your brain a favor and spring for the illustrated edition.
A Sailor of King George: The Journals of Captain Frederick Hoffman, RN, 1793-1814, first person narrative, good for flavor.
Every Man Will Do His Duty: An Anthology of Firsthand Accounts from the Age of Nelson by Dean King (Editor). Excerpts of published first person accounts, offering variety of POV's from seamen to officers.
The Frigates: An Account of the Lesser Warships of the Wars from 1793 to 1815 by James Henderson. More than most people really want to know about the subject.
Hornblower's Navy : Life at Sea in the Age of Nelson by Stephen Pope. Short, illustrated, good for overview such as sailor's daily routine. Intended to appeal to viewers of the A&E series.
Life in Nelsons Navy 1793-1815 by Dudley Pope. Covers much of the same ground as the Stephen Pope title, but in more detail.
Dover Books, for when only a reprint will do:
The Young Sea Officer's Sheet Anchor : Or a Key to the Leading of Rigging and to Practical Seamanship by Darcy Lever. Reprint of a widely used 19th century title, lots of details on period techniques.
A Short History of the Sailing Ship by Romola Anderson. General overview from earliest times through 19th century. Worth skimming.
The Book of Old Ships : From Egyptian Galleys to Clipper Ships by Henry B. Culver. Lots of pictures, another book worth skimming.
The two books I bought last week are both extremely good, but I like the organization of Ship by Brian Lavery a bit better. The History of the Ship: The Comprehensive Story of Seafaring from the Earliest Times to the Present Day by Richard Woodman is also very good, and I'm glad to have it, but if you had to choose one I would choose the Lavery book.
For fiction, I recommend Alexander Kent's Richard Bolitho series which has been recently reprinted, and C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower and other nautical titles. Patrick O'Brian is another well known author with his Aubrey/Maturin novels. In general the A&E Hornblower mini-series was excellent, and the recent movie 'Master and Commander - The Far Side of the World' was very good.
ETA: I completely forgot Longitude by Dava Sobel. Excellent on navigation techniques but do your brain a favor and spring for the illustrated edition.
