The Patrick O'Brian Muster Book: Persons, Animals, Ships and Cannon in the Aubrey-Maturin Sea Novels [Hardcover]

Anthony Gary Brown (Author), Colin White (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786424826 | ISBN-13: 978-0786424825 | Publication Date: July 3, 2006 | Edition: 2nd

Now in its second edition, this expanded work catalogs every person, animal, ship and cannon mentioned by name in the 21 books of Patrick O’Brian’s series on the maritime adventures of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin. The novels, renowned for their “far-ranging web of wit and allusion,” teem with thousands of characters and ships, both imaginary and historical. From Master and Commander to 21: The Unfinished Voyage, this book distinguishes the fictional from the factual, making a useful series companion for the casual reader and the most ardent fans. Each of the more than 5,000 alphabetized entries provides a reference to the novels and chapters in which the topic appears. Additionally, biographical notes on the historical figures are included, with sources provided in an annotated bibliography. Colin White, a leading British naval historian and an authority on Nelson’s Navy provides a foreword.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Not only comprehensive British literature collections but any library serving Patrick O'Brian fans will want this title, which has more than 5,000 entries "for every person, animal, ship and cannon mentioned by name in the 21 books." It belongs on the shelf next to Dean King's Harbors and High Seas: An Atlas and Geographical Guide to the Complete Aubrey-Maturin Novels of Patrick O'Brian (2000) and A Sea of Words: A Lexicon and Companion to the Complete Seafaring Tales of Patrick O'Brian (2000). McFarland published the first edition of Brown's book, Persons, Animals, Ships and Cannons in the Aubrey-Maturin Sea Novels of Patrick O'Brian, in 1999.

Mary Ellen Quinn
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

“Indispensable as a mainmast or a compass for any reader who would put to sea in their company” --Lewis Lapham, Harper’s Magazine

“Astonishing...valuable...very glad to have [this] book...other O’Brian enthusiasts will be as well” --Richard F. Snow, American Heritage Magazine

“Interesting...insightful...ambitious listing...genuinely difficult to put down...enthralling intellectual trail... most useful and enjoyable...clear, sharp typeface” --Colin White, The Royal Navy Museum in The Northern Mariner/Le Marin du Nord: The Journal of the Canadian Nautical Research Society

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers; 2nd edition (July 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786424826
• ISBN-13: 978-0786424825
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #958,158 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's the great reference book of the world, sure., February 18, 2007

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Nicholas Dujmovic (Vienna, Virginia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Patrick O'Brian Muster Book: Persons, Animals, Ships and Cannon in the Aubrey-Maturin Sea Novels (Hardcover)

Of "our world, our wooden world," as O'Brian wrote in the Nutmeg of Consolation. As an O'Brian devotee who is compiling a quotation book for naval officers and mariners (The Literary Mariner; look for it next year), I have found this Muster Book to be more useful, in its own way, than even Dean King's excellent Sea of Words. King's work is mostly a wonderful timesaver--you needn't hunt up terms in other reference books--but Gary Brown's POB Muster Book is unique and indispensable: no where else will you find the attention paid to and the cross-referenced information on the characters, ships, and animals of the entire Aubrey-Maturin series (what one reviewer called the Aubreyiad, a term I like very much).

Once the book was in hand, for example, I was able very quickly to answer three questions that had been bothering me: was Awkward Davis and Awkward Davies the same man (yes); were the Dumanoirs mentioned separate characters (yes); and what were the names of the various cannon in Surprise.

There is a very useful and succinct summary outlining the entire series, and the lengthy essays on each of the major characters also walks through all the books from that character's perspective (warning: if you haven't read the Aubreyiad through, these will be spoilers). Gary Brown also makes good use of helpful references to biographies (Dean King's and Nikolai Tolstoy's--see my Amazon reviews) and to historical works. This is simply a stunning achievement.

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Updated and improved, still comprehensive, August 23, 2006

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SkookumPete (Canada) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Patrick O'Brian Muster Book: Persons, Animals, Ships and Cannon in the Aubrey-Maturin Sea Novels (Hardcover)

This is a new edition of the work formerly entitled "Persons, Animals, Ships and Cannon in the Aubrey-Maturin Sea Novels of Patrick O'Brian". The first edition was a bit rough around the edges, but this one is much more polished. Many errors have been corrected, material has been added on the novels and fragments published after the first edition went to press, and there is now an interesting biographical article on O'Brian himself. Another improvement is a key to abbreviations at the foot of every second page, so you no longer have to scratch your head trying to remember what TGS or WDS stand for.

The text shows evidence of a good going-over. Spelling, punctuation, and wording have been cleaned up, and some articles have been expanded; for example, there is now factual information about Lucatellus's balm, where formerly there were only citations of its several appearances in the novels. Some minor errors remain, though: for example, there is no entry for HMS Goliah, which occurs as such (rather than as Goliath) in some editions of "HMS Surprise".

As before, Brown's notes about the correspondence of fact and fiction are among the best things in the book. He also does a commendable job of sorting out, as far as possible, the tangled and often contradictory histories of the major characters. (It's said that even Homer nods; and at times O'Brian seems to have been fast asleep.)

As in the first edition, Brown seems determined to catalog every named entity in the novels, even those the reader might be expected to have general knowledge of, such as Luke the evangelist, Jesus, and, for that matter, God. This is commendable thoroughness, but one feels that a line might have been drawn somewhere.

On the other hand, I don't quarrel with the inclusion of minor figures. When a character appears only once, it's sometimes nice to be able to confirm that. Even an entry like "Grace, Your", although it appears silly at first (it is based on something said to an anonymous person), has some value when the author explains what rank the addressee might have.

The book is attractively and durably bound in glossy, color-printed hard covers. Despite the steep price, O'Brian fanatics will want to have it.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and informative., April 12, 2007

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T. Welch (Kingston, OK USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Patrick O'Brian Muster Book: Persons, Animals, Ships and Cannon in the Aubrey-Maturin Sea Novels (Hardcover)

I must say that my recent purchase of "PO's Muster Book" is worth the investment. I wish I had bought it sooner.

I am not quite finished with all 20 and 1/2 volumes of the O'Brian 19th century odyssey, having only finished the first 18, but I became an Aubrey/Maturin junkie after reading the first two novels and watching the movie. Comprehending the wealth of people, places and events, real and imagined, combined with a liberal use of foriegn languages was difficult and intimidating. I was often confused, because I didn't readily remember names and places from one chapter to the next.

Fortunately, before I started no. 5, I discovered, through Amazon, the companion books advertized there. I purchased "Sea Of Words", "Harbors And High Seas" and "Patrick O'Brian's Navy". Problem solved. I constantly cross referenced my new literary tools several times a chapter to interpret the rich mix of story and detail woven together in O'Brian's romantic chronology. The downside is that I needed to carry a tote when I went to read at the coffee shop as well as use an extra chair to hold my not so portable library.

Recently, I have added "The Patrick O'Brian Muster Book" and I immediately liked using it. Actually, it could be a "stand alone" companion book, except that it is absent of maps, diagrams, pictures or a commentary on the life and times. I know that this type information is beyond the scope of "Muster" by nature, so, my other books are still important to me, just not needed by the night stand.

That said, I am pleased with the appearance, organization and thoroughness of "Muster". Formatted like Webster's, it is highly informational and allows quick alphabetical access to the who and the where along with the what and the when not as easily accomplished by the other companion books. I can quickly remind myself of the names and places and not lose track of the story in doing so. Additionally, it lists all O'Brian's books with a Cliff Notes style summary and along with each item is the cross reference of all mentions in the series by book and chapter. It has helpful optional references to deliniate the fact from fiction.

While I finish the series and re-read it, as I'm sure I will, "Muster" will be my favorite companion. Now, when I'm reading on the plane, I won't have as much baggage.