A Press Of Canvas (War of 1812 Trilogy, Volume 1) (Paperback)

by William H. White (Author), Paul Garnett (Illustrator) "Biggs, find Mr. Clark, if you please, and ask him to step aft..." (more)
Key Phrases: prize shares, larboard guns, pin rail, Captain Winston, Royal Navy, Lieutenant Burns (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
A great read . . . a very engaging story with believable, honest characters . . . taught me a lot about this period . . . just fabulous! -- John Wooldridge, Managing Editor, Motorboating and Sailing

Sailors everywhere will rejoice in the salt spray, slanting decks and high adventure of this lively yarn. -- Peter Stanford, President, National Maritime Historical Society

Product Description
A Press of Canvas, W. H. White's action-packed novel, introduces a new character in American sea fiction: Isaac Biggs of Marble- head, Massachusetts. Sailing from Boston as captain of the foretop in the bark Anne, his ship is outward bound with a cargo for the Swedish colony of St. Barts in the West Indies in the fall of 1810. When the Anne is stopped by a British Royal Navy frigate, Isaac and several of his shipmates are forcibly pressed into service on the Orpheus, actively engaged in England's long-running war with France.

The young Isaac, naive and inexperienced, faces the harsh life of a Royal Navy seaman and a harrowing war at sea. His new life is hard, with strange rules, floggings, and new dangers. Then the United States declares war on England and Isaac finds himself in an untenable position, facing the possibility of fighting his own countrymen. A chance meeting with American privateers operating in the West Indies offers him a solution to his dilemma and a reunion with an old friend.

Written from the aspect of the foc'sle rather than an officer's view and through the eyes of an American, A Press of Canvas provides new perspectives and an exciting story of this often neglected period in American history. Tiller Publishing is proud to offer this carefully-crafted tale as its very first fiction title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Tiller Publishing; 1 edition (June 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888671114
• ISBN-13: 978-1888671117
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #66,169 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars It could have been better, February 2, 2002

By	Fred Camfield (Vicksburg, MS USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is volume one of a series, and perhaps should be read first to obtain the background for the other volumes. The author has trouble completing scenarios he creates. In some instances, the writing is clumsy. I have previously noted in reviews of books by other publishers that publishers should employ readers (people knowledgeable of the subject). This is another example of a book rushed into print without adequate proofing.

The book is three separate related novelettes. The first story features Isaac Biggs, captain of the foretop on the merchant bark Anne in 1810. It covers a time period of several days and deals with the problems and seamanship aboard the bark. There is a thieving third mate who intends to kill or injure Isaac. Having created this problem, the author extracts Isaac by having him pressed into service aboard an English frigate. No more is heard of the Anne or how the problems aboard were resolved. An additional chapter could have closed out this tale.

The second part of the book is a story about service aboard the British frigate Orpheus from 1810 to 1812. Isaac Biggs is a maintopman and plays a supporting role. The action skips forward rather quickly from 1810 to 1812 when the Orpheus leads a small squadron against a French convoy. Here the writing goes off track. The Orpheus is attacking a French brig, almost wrecking it completely with a couple of broadsides; then the brig is fighting like a frigate; then they board the brig; then they take off the captured officers who seem to be the complement from a frigate, etc. The author seems to lose track of where he is in the storyline, and seemed to forget that a brig was a lieutenant's command with perhaps 40 to 50 in the crew, no significant number of marines, and perhaps 12 four-pounder popguns for its armament (the light structure of a brig could not take the recoil of heavy guns). The story of the action against the French convoy is never completed, and the tale skips forward to a scene in a tavern in Nassau.

The third part of the book is about an American privateer commanded by Captain Smalley, formerly captain of the bark Anne. Isaac Biggs joins the tale at the midway point. Eventually Isaac is able to return to the United States. By placing three stories in the same book, the action becomes superficial at some points, jumping between points where action is very detailed. The repeated nautical commands for sail handling can get a bit tedious.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Different Point of View, October 19, 2005

By	John A Lee III "jal3" (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I love nautical fiction especially from the age of sail. I read all of it I can. All too often, there is a sameness to it. Britania ruled the waves so characters like Hornblower, Bolitho, Aubry, et al ruled the pages from their British quarterdecks. This time, though, we get a different point of view.

The main protagonist of this new work is not a British officer. He is an American foremast hand, Isaac Biggs, a topman. He is on his way up and has the chance of some day becoming a ship's master in his own right. The Royal Navy, though, has other plans for him. In their continuing war against the French, they are always short of crew for their men of war. So it is that they resort to the policy of pressing seaman from foreign ships (including warship) they stop on the high seas. They are not too picky about choosing only Englishmen. That is how they come to snatch Isaac Biggs from his ship and he becomes an unwilling part of the Royal Navy. A PRESS OF CANVAS follows Isaac through his indoctrination into this new world and even in this hostile environment his skill and devotion to duty sees him advance.

Continuing depredations on the part of the Royal Navy finally leads the US to declare the War of 1812. A small "fleet" of Baltimore privateers manages to swoop down on some captured British prizes and recapture them. In doing so, they liberate Isaac who is part of one of the prize crews. He is recognized by his old captain and immediately offered a position as third mate on one of the privateers. His experience in the Royal Navy sets him up to be a good officer for the US side of the struggle.

The actual story does not do much. We see the formation of Isaac as a seaman and potential officer, learning his motivations and drives as the story progresses. There are a few naval encounters but there is no great, overriding sense of mission. Instead, the books seems to be nothing more than a setup for a sequel. Even so, the lack of a real story line does not hurt this book too much. It makes for enjoyable reading with a different view on events and I look forward to reading the sequel.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fresh American perspective from a knowing storyteller., July 26, 2000

By A Customer

W.H. White's scholarship climbs the ratlines of our history for us. His views from the maintop, through the eyes of his Isaac Biggs, are knowing, intimate, and refreshingly American. The story pulses with action and the anticipation of action among a crew of real-sailor characters. The book disappears as we stand their watches and fight alongside them.

A Press of Canvas gives us an honest and previously poorly lit insight to the period when we confirmed the Revolution and won the world's respect.

The men, their spirit, and their wonderful ships were crucial to preventing our young nation's being stillborn. I look forward anxiously to the two more parts of the promised trilogy.