Nelson: Love and Fame [Hardcover]

Edgar Vincent (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 10, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0300097972 | ISBN-13: 978-0300097979 | Edition: 1st

The story of Horatio Nelson's life - his naval glory, public fame, charismatic leadership, scandalous romance, and untimely death as he led the British to victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. This biography of Nelson (1758-1805) presents an account of his climb to fame as well as the details of his personal and emotional life. A man of contradictions, Nelson emerges in this biography as a ruthless and aggressive leader, the epitome of a fighting commander; an ambitious attention-seeker capable of self-pity, self-delusion and childish behaviour; yet to be admired for his transcendent courage, kindness and leadership skills, which inspired love and affection in those he led. Edgar Vincent builds on research and examines the extensive primary sources, seeking to enlarge our understanding of Nelson the man. He offers interpretations of Nelson's victories to illustrate his grasp of today's concept of mission-command two centuries ahead of his time; his disobedience of his Commander-in-Chief's orders; and his part in the bloody and chaotic Napoleonic counter-revolution. Vincent also analyses the motives and attitudes of key figures who surrounded him, among them Earl Spencer, Earl St Vincent, Sir William Hamilton and Thomas Troubridge. Interwoven with the events of Nelson's career is his emotional journey, his early infatuations, his courtship and marriage with Frances Nisbet, and his all-consuming affair with his mistress Lady Hamilton, one of the most celebrated beauties of the 18th century and the mother of his child.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The approaching bicentennial of the Battle of Trafalgar has inspired a number of books on the Royal Navy and its great admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805). Retired business executive Vincent follows a long and successful tradition of British writers who are neither academicians nor professionals with this comprehensive biography. Making extensive use of archival and published sources, Vincent provides a perceptive, empathetic analysis of a man who throughout his life focused talent and energy on the pursuit of ambition and self-presentation. Vincent's Nelson did not just seek love and fame; he equated them. At the age of 18 he consciously decided to be a hero, and his strong point remained self-confidence. Nelson increasingly identified his personal interests with the public welfare. He was prone to histrionics and inordinately fond of the first person singular. Yet at the same time he incorporated, to a degree unusual for military officers at any period, the virtues of communication, negotiation and collaboration. Vincent makes the telling point that, far from being the rule-breaking innovator of many accounts, Nelson was an organization man and a skilled player of navy politics, able to mobilize support for even his high-risk operations. He cultivated a charismatic personality to win the hearts and minds of his fellow officers, eventually succeeding in welding a group of standoffish, individualistic captains into a "band of brothers." Initially unsuccessful with women, Nelson was fortunate in his eventual relationship with Emma Hamilton. Far from being the embarrassing encumbrance of some saltier biographies, she emerges here as meeting Nelson's need for unconditional acceptance in a way that freed his formidable powers to concentrate fully on the professional achievements that earned him immortality-ironically, at the expense of his loved ones' welfare and well-being. Vincent's Nelson, for good and ill, would have made the same choice consciously, without hesitation.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Vincent has interwoven two separate strands--the professional and the emotional--of Horatio Nelson's life into one superlative biography of the man and the hero. While Nelson's military exploits are all well-documented, and his infamous affair with Lady Emma Hamilton common knowledge, the author probes beneath the surface of the obvious, plumbing the depths of a man with an insatiable desire for admiration and attention. An energetic and charismatic leader who inspired devotion among all who served under him, his personal and martial triumphs were paradoxically rooted in both his insecurity and his egomania. Like most larger-than-life figures, Nelson was a mass of contradictions and extremes. Rather than paralyzing him, these opposing personality forces served to energize and motivate him in public and private matters. This definitive chronicle is underscored by Vincent's astute analysis of Nelson's intimate persona as well as his celebrity status. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 688 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; 1st edition (April 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300097972
• ISBN-13: 978-0300097979
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.3 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,427,081 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good book, May 31, 2003

By 

Salv. Scognamillo (Rome) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nelson: Love and Fame (Hardcover)

I agree with the last reviewer that Joel Hayward's book "FOR GOD AND GLORY" is much better than this book in terms of assessing Lord Nelson as a naval warrior and military commander. Hayward's book is an instant classic! It will be much discussed by Nelson enthusiasts for years to come. Buy it!

But that should not detract from a positive review of this book by Edgar Vincent, which is a more traditional biographical-type book that is very well done. Vincent does a very nice job indeed of narrating Lord Neloson's life and romances. He adds little to what we already know, that is true, but he nonetheless writes with such flair that even the well-known story seems fresh and entertaining.

This book, if a comparison needs to be made, is better than Christopher Hibbert's, and is written with more fluency than Oman's classic biography. I rate it highly.

50 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars YES this is a five star book, January 25, 2004

By 

Baz Lehrer (London N7 9BH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nelson: Love and Fame (Hardcover)

I disagree with "Rheumor" (below) who thinks that we should not compare books about Lord Nelson. We can't (I can't anyway) buy EVERY book, so it is helpful to learn that this book, by Edgar Vincent, is not as good as Joel Hayward's in terms of original military analysis, but may be as good, or possibly better, in terms of narrating the admiral's entire life. Hayward's book, after all, is not strictly a biography. Vincent's is.

Isn't this a good distinction to note?

My advice is buy both because they both contain different things and both reach an outstanding standard.

55 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A v. good book even if it doesn't say much we don't know, May 29, 2003

By 

"dalewaitken" (NSW) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nelson: Love and Fame (Hardcover)

This is not the best new book on Lord Nelson. That honour goes to a book that, because it's not published and promoted by such a lucrative publisher, probably won't sell as well as this one.

That is a pity, because Joel Hayward's FOR GOD AND GLORY: LORD NELSON AND HIS WAY OF WAR is undoubtedly the most original and thought-provoking book on Nelson written in twenty or thirty years. I strongly recommend it.

This book, by Mr Vincent, has a very different focus. It follows a well-trodden path, adding little to the view of Nelson put forward by Pocock, White, Oman and Warner. It deals with Nelson's personal life and almost pscho-analyses his personality. This can be irritating, even if Mr Vincent's treatment is generally fair.

The author knows little about the Georgian navy and the warfare of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods. Reader wanting to know about this should consult Hayward, White and Brian Lavery.

But as a biography, as opposed to analytical naval analysis, this book is entertaining and well written. Nelson as a man emerges from the pages as an odd little fellow, but a charming and brilliant one.