Commander: The Life and Exploits of Britain's Greatest Frigate Captain
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.75 (946 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0393347060 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 384 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-12-20 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
“If Pellew’s life, fired in the kiln of O’Brian’s genius, gave us Jack Aubrey, both our interest and gratitude ought to be ongoing and deep.” (Charles Finch - USA Today)“Taylor is clarity itself…he has also contributed handily to our appreciation of the workings and vagaries of the Royal Navy.” (Katherine A. Powers - Christian Science Monitor)“An entertaining, swashbuckling adventure, filled to the brim with derring-do.” (Daily Telegraph)“Pellew is skilfully conjured up in Stephen Taylor’s commendable biography. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower and Patrick O’Brian’s Jack Aubrey.” (Publishers Weekly) . Fans of Forester and O’Brian will enjoy this tale of Pellew’s meteoric rise.” (Sunday Times)“Meticulous arch
"OK Read" according to RR in Fl. EZ read. A bit redundant and long. colin brock said Commander : The Lifeetc.. This book is a very well written account of a very interesting period of british naval history. Many famous names are encountered, Nelson, Jervis etc., with a very large and detailed glossary - the latter helping to make our hero's story progress in a very interesting and exciting narrative. The book makes it very evident that his exploits were overshadowed by events and personalities of the period in question but it left no doubt as to the value that such men of action made to the international superiority of the Royal Navy. As a 'Man's Man' there could be no doubt that Edward Pellew was an inspirat. "Outstanding - The real life Master and Commander" according to Observer. Stephen Taylor has written a splendid page turner. His biography of Edward Pellew, Lord Exmouth, fills a surprising gap in the mainstream histories of the British Navy during the Napoleonic era. Taylor adds significant details and insights to Pellew's exploits and underlying character by carefully and fairly mining materials left behind by George Pellew, Pellew's youngest son.Pellew, who appears in a favorable light as a mentor in Forrester's early Hornblower novels and as the likely model for Patrick O'Brian's Jack Aubrey, deserves wider recognition as a resourceful, courageous, honorable and humane
"Nobody describes a naval battle better than Taylor…a flawless demonstration of the biographer’s craft." Jan Morris, The Guardian Edward Pellew, captain of the legendary Indefatigable, was quite simply the greatest British frigate captain in the age of sail. Opinion held this to be an impossible mission, and Pellew himself, leading from the front in the style of his contemporary Nelson, did not expect to survive. Pellew’s humanity, fondness for subordinates, and blind love for his family, and the warmth and intimacy of his letters, make him a hugely engaging figure. Redemption came with his last command, when he set off to do battle with the Barbary States and free thousands of European slaves. Yet he had a gift for antagonizing his better-born peers, and he made powerful enemies. Victories and eye-catching feats won him a public following. Stephen Taylor gives him at last the biography he deserves. Left fatherless at age eight, with a penniless mother and five siblings, Pellew fought his way from the very bottom of the navy to fleet command. 8 pages of illustrations
Stephen Taylor, a former journalist working at The Times in London, is the author of Storm and Conquest and Commander. He lives in Windsor, England.