Author: Robert Harvey
Publisher: Constable
ISBN: 1472107985
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 390
Book Description
The adventures of the daring Thomas Cochrane, called 'the sea wolf' by Napoleon, are so extraordinary that his life reads like a page-turning work of fiction. In one sense it became so, for the novelist Patrick O'Brian by his own admission used Cochrane as the basis for Jack Aubrey, hero of his much-loved series of naval novels. Cochrane became a household name when in 1800 he took command of the tiny brig, the Speedy, and created mayhem in the Mediterranean earning himself and his crew a fortune in prize money. A wildly contradictory character, never less than heroic, and this lively new account of his life has sold over 7,000 copies in hardback.
Cochrane: The Fighting Captain
Author: Robert Harvey
Publisher: Constable
ISBN: 1472107985
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 390
Book Description
The adventures of the daring Thomas Cochrane, called 'the sea wolf' by Napoleon, are so extraordinary that his life reads like a page-turning work of fiction. In one sense it became so, for the novelist Patrick O'Brian by his own admission used Cochrane as the basis for Jack Aubrey, hero of his much-loved series of naval novels. Cochrane became a household name when in 1800 he took command of the tiny brig, the Speedy, and created mayhem in the Mediterranean earning himself and his crew a fortune in prize money. A wildly contradictory character, never less than heroic, and this lively new account of his life has sold over 7,000 copies in hardback.
Publisher: Constable
ISBN: 1472107985
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 390
Book Description
The adventures of the daring Thomas Cochrane, called 'the sea wolf' by Napoleon, are so extraordinary that his life reads like a page-turning work of fiction. In one sense it became so, for the novelist Patrick O'Brian by his own admission used Cochrane as the basis for Jack Aubrey, hero of his much-loved series of naval novels. Cochrane became a household name when in 1800 he took command of the tiny brig, the Speedy, and created mayhem in the Mediterranean earning himself and his crew a fortune in prize money. A wildly contradictory character, never less than heroic, and this lively new account of his life has sold over 7,000 copies in hardback.
Cochrane
Author: Robert Harvey
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 368
Book Description
This is an account of the life and adventures of the daring seaman Thomas Cochrane, who rose from midshipman to admiral and was called the sea wolf by Napoleon. His exploits were so compelling that the novelist Patrick O'Brian used them as the basis for the character Jack Aubrey, the main protagonist of naval novels set during the Napoleonic War. Thomas Cochrane was framed in a Stock Exchange scandal, sentenced to the pillory, escaped prison by means of a rope and fled the country to become a mercenary admiral fighting for independence. Off the coast of Chile, Peru, Brazil and Greece, always outnumbered and outgunned, he became a legend of daring and courage. On one occasion he chased the entire Portuguese fleet in a single ship.
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 368
Book Description
This is an account of the life and adventures of the daring seaman Thomas Cochrane, who rose from midshipman to admiral and was called the sea wolf by Napoleon. His exploits were so compelling that the novelist Patrick O'Brian used them as the basis for the character Jack Aubrey, the main protagonist of naval novels set during the Napoleonic War. Thomas Cochrane was framed in a Stock Exchange scandal, sentenced to the pillory, escaped prison by means of a rope and fled the country to become a mercenary admiral fighting for independence. Off the coast of Chile, Peru, Brazil and Greece, always outnumbered and outgunned, he became a legend of daring and courage. On one occasion he chased the entire Portuguese fleet in a single ship.
Cochrane the Dauntless
Author: David Cordingly
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1408822571
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 448
Book Description
Patrick O'Brian, C.S. Forester and Captain Marryat all based their literary heroes on Thomas Cochrane, but Cochrane's exploits were far more daring and exciting than those of his fictional counterparts. He was a man of action, whose bold and impulsive nature meant he was often his own worst enemy. Writing with gripping narrative skill and drawing on his own travels and original research, Cordingly tells the rip-roaring story of a flawed Romantic hero who helped define his age.
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1408822571
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 448
Book Description
Patrick O'Brian, C.S. Forester and Captain Marryat all based their literary heroes on Thomas Cochrane, but Cochrane's exploits were far more daring and exciting than those of his fictional counterparts. He was a man of action, whose bold and impulsive nature meant he was often his own worst enemy. Writing with gripping narrative skill and drawing on his own travels and original research, Cordingly tells the rip-roaring story of a flawed Romantic hero who helped define his age.
Master and Commander
Author: Patrick O'Brian
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
ISBN: 0007255837
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 433
Book Description
Set sail for the read of your life! Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin tales are widely acknowledged to be the greatest series of historical novels ever written. Now these evocative stories are being re-issued in paperback by Harper Perennial with stunning new jackets.
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
ISBN: 0007255837
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 433
Book Description
Set sail for the read of your life! Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin tales are widely acknowledged to be the greatest series of historical novels ever written. Now these evocative stories are being re-issued in paperback by Harper Perennial with stunning new jackets.
The autobiography of a seaman
Author: Thomas Cochrane Earl of Dundonald
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Admirals
Languages : en
Pages : 520
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Admirals
Languages : en
Pages : 520
Book Description
The Captain from Connecticut
Author: Cecil Scott "C. S." Forester
Publisher: epubli
ISBN: 3746772192
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 441
Book Description
Cecil Louis Troughton Smith (1899-1966) wrote his novel "The Captain from Connecticut" in 1941, using the pseudonym C. S. (Cecil Scott) Forester. The story of "The Captain from Connecticut" is set at the tail end of the Napoleonic Wars, and the War of 1812, telling the adventures of Captain Josiah Peabody, who, in command of the USS Delaware, escapes the British Blockade out of New York City in the winter of 1813-1814 and sails south to destroy British commerce in the Caribbean.
Publisher: epubli
ISBN: 3746772192
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 441
Book Description
Cecil Louis Troughton Smith (1899-1966) wrote his novel "The Captain from Connecticut" in 1941, using the pseudonym C. S. (Cecil Scott) Forester. The story of "The Captain from Connecticut" is set at the tail end of the Napoleonic Wars, and the War of 1812, telling the adventures of Captain Josiah Peabody, who, in command of the USS Delaware, escapes the British Blockade out of New York City in the winter of 1813-1814 and sails south to destroy British commerce in the Caribbean.
The Mauritius Command
Author: Patrick O'Brian
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 9780393037043
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 356
Book Description
Stephen Maturin brings Captain Jack Aubrey secret orders to lead an expedition against the French islands of Mauritius and La Reunion, but the conduct of two of his own officers threatens the success of the mission.
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 9780393037043
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 356
Book Description
Stephen Maturin brings Captain Jack Aubrey secret orders to lead an expedition against the French islands of Mauritius and La Reunion, but the conduct of two of his own officers threatens the success of the mission.
Captain Marryat
Author: Tom Pocock
Publisher: Stackpole Books
ISBN: 9780811703550
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 350
Book Description
The life story of a Napoleonic hero told by the award-winning biographer of Lord Nelson.
Publisher: Stackpole Books
ISBN: 9780811703550
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 350
Book Description
The life story of a Napoleonic hero told by the award-winning biographer of Lord Nelson.
Through the Perilous Fight
Author: Steve Vogel
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0679603476
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 561
Book Description
In a rousing account of one of the critical turning points in American history, Through the Perilous Fight tells the gripping story of the burning of Washington and the improbable last stand at Baltimore that helped save the nation and inspired its National Anthem. In the summer of 1814, the United States of America teetered on the brink of disaster. The war it had declared against Great Britain two years earlier appeared headed toward inglorious American defeat. The young nation’s most implacable nemesis, the ruthless British Admiral George Cockburn, launched an invasion of Washington in a daring attempt to decapitate the government and crush the American spirit. The British succeeded spectacularly, burning down most of the city’s landmarks—including the White House and the Capitol—and driving President James Madison from the area. As looters ransacked federal buildings and panic gripped the citizens of Washington, beleaguered American forces were forced to regroup for a last-ditch defense of Baltimore. The outcome of that “perilous fight” would help change the outcome of the war—and with it, the fate of the fledgling American republic. In a fast-paced, character-driven narrative, Steve Vogel tells the story of this titanic struggle from the perspective of both sides. Like an epic novel, Through the Perilous Fight abounds with heroes, villains, and astounding feats of derring-do. The vindictive Cockburn emerges from these pages as a pioneer in the art of total warfare, ordering his men to “knock down, burn, and destroy” everything in their path. While President Madison dithers on how to protect the capital, Secretary of State James Monroe personally organizes the American defenses, with disastrous results. Meanwhile, a prominent Washington lawyer named Francis Scott Key embarks on a mission of mercy to negotiate the release of an American prisoner. His journey will place him with the British fleet during the climactic Battle for Baltimore, and culminate in the creation of one of the most enduring compositions in the annals of patriotic song: “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Like Pearl Harbor or 9/11, the burning of Washington was a devastating national tragedy that ultimately united America and renewed its sense of purpose. Through the Perilous Fight combines bravura storytelling with brilliantly rendered character sketches to recreate the thrilling six-week period when Americans rallied from the ashes to overcome their oldest adversary—and win themselves a new birth of freedom. Praise for Through the Perilous Fight “Very fine storytelling, impeccably researched . . . brings to life the fraught events of 1814 with compelling and convincing vigor.”—Rick Atkinson, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of An Army at Dawn “Probably the best piece of military history that I have read or reviewed in the past five years. . . . This well-researched and superbly written history has all the trappings of a good novel. . . . No one who hears the national anthem at a ballgame will ever think of it the same way after reading this book.”—Gary Anderson, The Washington Times “[Steve] Vogel does a superb job. . . . [A] fast-paced narrative with lively vignettes.”—Joyce Appleby, The Washington Post “Before 9/11 was 1814, the year the enemy burned the nation’s capital. . . . A splendid account of the uncertainty, the peril, and the valor of those days.”—Richard Brookhiser, author of James Madison “A swift, vibrant account of the accidents, intricacies and insanities of war.”—Kirkus Reviews
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0679603476
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 561
Book Description
In a rousing account of one of the critical turning points in American history, Through the Perilous Fight tells the gripping story of the burning of Washington and the improbable last stand at Baltimore that helped save the nation and inspired its National Anthem. In the summer of 1814, the United States of America teetered on the brink of disaster. The war it had declared against Great Britain two years earlier appeared headed toward inglorious American defeat. The young nation’s most implacable nemesis, the ruthless British Admiral George Cockburn, launched an invasion of Washington in a daring attempt to decapitate the government and crush the American spirit. The British succeeded spectacularly, burning down most of the city’s landmarks—including the White House and the Capitol—and driving President James Madison from the area. As looters ransacked federal buildings and panic gripped the citizens of Washington, beleaguered American forces were forced to regroup for a last-ditch defense of Baltimore. The outcome of that “perilous fight” would help change the outcome of the war—and with it, the fate of the fledgling American republic. In a fast-paced, character-driven narrative, Steve Vogel tells the story of this titanic struggle from the perspective of both sides. Like an epic novel, Through the Perilous Fight abounds with heroes, villains, and astounding feats of derring-do. The vindictive Cockburn emerges from these pages as a pioneer in the art of total warfare, ordering his men to “knock down, burn, and destroy” everything in their path. While President Madison dithers on how to protect the capital, Secretary of State James Monroe personally organizes the American defenses, with disastrous results. Meanwhile, a prominent Washington lawyer named Francis Scott Key embarks on a mission of mercy to negotiate the release of an American prisoner. His journey will place him with the British fleet during the climactic Battle for Baltimore, and culminate in the creation of one of the most enduring compositions in the annals of patriotic song: “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Like Pearl Harbor or 9/11, the burning of Washington was a devastating national tragedy that ultimately united America and renewed its sense of purpose. Through the Perilous Fight combines bravura storytelling with brilliantly rendered character sketches to recreate the thrilling six-week period when Americans rallied from the ashes to overcome their oldest adversary—and win themselves a new birth of freedom. Praise for Through the Perilous Fight “Very fine storytelling, impeccably researched . . . brings to life the fraught events of 1814 with compelling and convincing vigor.”—Rick Atkinson, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of An Army at Dawn “Probably the best piece of military history that I have read or reviewed in the past five years. . . . This well-researched and superbly written history has all the trappings of a good novel. . . . No one who hears the national anthem at a ballgame will ever think of it the same way after reading this book.”—Gary Anderson, The Washington Times “[Steve] Vogel does a superb job. . . . [A] fast-paced narrative with lively vignettes.”—Joyce Appleby, The Washington Post “Before 9/11 was 1814, the year the enemy burned the nation’s capital. . . . A splendid account of the uncertainty, the peril, and the valor of those days.”—Richard Brookhiser, author of James Madison “A swift, vibrant account of the accidents, intricacies and insanities of war.”—Kirkus Reviews
Clive
Author: Robert Harvey
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1466878622
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 523
Book Description
The real-life story of Robert Clive would be judged as wildly implausible if it came from the pen of a novelist. Clive of India was one of the most extraordinary and colorful figures Britain ever produced. The founder of Britain's Indian empire, he was also Britain's first great guerrilla fighter by the age of twenty-seven, conqueror of Bengal at thirty-one, and avenging angel of righteousness against the greed of his own fellow-countrymen at forty-one. In his later life Parliament brought him under painful scrutiny and he ended up one of the most hated men in Britain. He died violently under still-mysterious circumstances just before his fiftieth birthday. The story of Clive can be viewed on several levels: as a spirited military adventure by a man who defied death many times, who withstood the greatest siege in British military history, and conspired to force one of the most absolute and cruellest monarchs on earth off his throne; as the morality tale of a penniless young man who became the sole ruler of a huge empire, ended up as one of the richest men in Britain and was then brought to account and driven to despair; or as the story of a plundering early poacher-turned-gamekeeper who sought to establish a moral and legal order amidst slaughter and greed. Clive today lies buried in an unknown grave in an obscure corner of rural Shropshire, a reflection of the controversy he aroused in his lifetime and that still surrounds his legacy and the manner of his death. In this lively and revealing study Robert Harvey illuminates Clive's life's journey from the green fields surrounding Market Drayton through his adventures in India, his drive to success and self-destruction, to his vicious and premature death, by suicide or murder.
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1466878622
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 523
Book Description
The real-life story of Robert Clive would be judged as wildly implausible if it came from the pen of a novelist. Clive of India was one of the most extraordinary and colorful figures Britain ever produced. The founder of Britain's Indian empire, he was also Britain's first great guerrilla fighter by the age of twenty-seven, conqueror of Bengal at thirty-one, and avenging angel of righteousness against the greed of his own fellow-countrymen at forty-one. In his later life Parliament brought him under painful scrutiny and he ended up one of the most hated men in Britain. He died violently under still-mysterious circumstances just before his fiftieth birthday. The story of Clive can be viewed on several levels: as a spirited military adventure by a man who defied death many times, who withstood the greatest siege in British military history, and conspired to force one of the most absolute and cruellest monarchs on earth off his throne; as the morality tale of a penniless young man who became the sole ruler of a huge empire, ended up as one of the richest men in Britain and was then brought to account and driven to despair; or as the story of a plundering early poacher-turned-gamekeeper who sought to establish a moral and legal order amidst slaughter and greed. Clive today lies buried in an unknown grave in an obscure corner of rural Shropshire, a reflection of the controversy he aroused in his lifetime and that still surrounds his legacy and the manner of his death. In this lively and revealing study Robert Harvey illuminates Clive's life's journey from the green fields surrounding Market Drayton through his adventures in India, his drive to success and self-destruction, to his vicious and premature death, by suicide or murder.