Every Man Will Do His Duty: An Anthology of Firsthand Accounts from the Age of Nelson, 1793-1815 [Paperback]

Dean King (Editor), John B. Hattendorf (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 1998

The phenomenal success of Patrick O'Brian's seafaring novels has spawned a great hunger for more reading material on the Royal Navy and the Napoleonic Wars. Dean King has combed through mountains of primary-source material and has selected the most riveting, informative, and entertaining accounts from the great age of sail. His explorations have, in the words of Douglas Day, C. W. Barrett Professor of English at the University of Virginia, "yielded a collection of narratives that are just as exciting as the marvelous Aubrey--Maturin novels of Patrick O'Brian."

Told by actual participants, the eyewitness stories range from slices of life at sea to events of great historical significance, including epic battles such as those of Cape St. Vincent and Trafalgar, and the death of Nelson. Every Man Will Do His Duty is sure to delight legions of seafaring adventure fans.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“There is no substitute for this firsthand reporting . . . This book should not be missed!”—Sea History

About the Author

Dean King, the author of A Sea of Words, is an accomplished writer and editor living in New York City. John B. Hattendorf, Ph.D., is a professor of maritime history and the director of the Advanced Research Department at the United States Naval War College.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks (May 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805046097
• ISBN-13: 978-0805046090
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 3.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,267,974 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a keeper, buy the hardcover, August 7, 2000

By 

Conrad B. Senior (Easton, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Every Man Will Do His Duty: An Anthology of Firsthand Accounts from the Age of Nelson, 1793-1815 (Paperback)

.

If all you read in this book is "The Audacious Cruise of the Speedy", you will have gotten your money's worth.

If the only stories you read are the two chapters from the Nagle Journel, "For the Good of My Soul, 1795," and "Mad Dickey's Amusement, 1798-1800", you will have gotten your money's worth.

But you get more than this. You get a total of 22 stories picked from many to capture the history and character of the times.

If you like Patrick O'Brien, and C.S. Forester, you will enjoy the history that gave seed to these stories. You will recognize the events of Lucky Jack Aubrey's fiirst cruise in the cruise of the Speedy, and be amazed.

Index of stories:

1. In the King's Service, 1793-1794

2. Commence the Work of Destruction: The Glorious First of June, 1794

3. The Noted Pimp of Lisbon and an Unwanted Promotion in Bull Bay, 1794

4. For the Good of My Own Soul, 1795

5. The Would as Soon Have Faced the Devil Himself as Nelson, 1796

6. The Battle of Cape St. Vincent, 1797

7. Mad Diskey's Amusement, 1798-1800

8. The Fortune of War, 1799

9. The Audacious Cruise of the Speedy, 1800-1801

10. Bermuda in the Peace, 1802-1803

11. The Battle of Trafalgar, 1805

12. The Death of Lord Nelson, 1805

13. An Unequal Match, 1807-1808

14. With Stopford in the Basque Roads, 1808-1809

15. When I Beheld These Men Spring from the Ground, 1809

16. "Damn'em, Jackson, They've Spoilt My Dancing," 1809-1812

17. The Woodwind Is Mightier than the Sword, 1809-1812

18. HMS Macedonian vs. USS United States, 1812

19. An Unjustifiable and Outrageous Pursuit, 1812-1813

20. A Yankee Cruiser in the South Pacific, 1813

21. Showdown at Valparaiso, 1814

22. We Discussed a Bottle of Chateau Margot Together, 1812-1815

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE REAL DEAL!, April 7, 2000

By 

Steven E. Bradfield - See all my reviews

This review is from: Every Man Will Do His Duty: An Anthology of Firsthand Accounts from the Age of Nelson, 1793-1815 (Paperback)

Having been in the navy and loving life at sea(though I'm a long way from it now), I always look for books that make me feel like I'm still there. What better book, then, than one written by people who WERE there? This volume collects some of the best first-hand accounts of life at sea in the Royal Navy during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Probably the best of all are admiral Lord Cochrane's telling of his first command, the tiny sloop Speedy, and the experiences of sailors on the gun deck in the heat of battle. Better by far than even the best Hornblower novels(no offense, I love them too). Don't miss this one!

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars brilliant account of history, January 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Every Man Will Do His Duty: An Anthology of Firsthand Accounts from the Age of Nelson, 1793-1815 (Paperback)

This book captured me from start to finish. The huge amount of history and knowledge leads to euphoria to the history lover.