Synopses & Reviews
The age of sail has spawned an enormously rich and exciting literature, which continues to draw new generations of readers hungry for evocative writing and authentic adventure. Patrick O'Brian's books about the heroic age of the British Navy have attracted millions of readers, and O'Brian is only one of dozens of popular writers who have devoted their talent to re-creating that worldcomplete with epic voyages, bloody battles, and memorable characters. In this anthology, O'Brian re-creates the age of sail in perfect detail, taking readers right into battle; C. S. Forrester's Horatio Hornblower fights mutinous crews and vicious pirates; Dudley Pope's maverick hero Lord Ramage overcomes storms, slave traders, and spies; Frederick Maryatt tells of the life of a lowly British seaman; Charles Nordoff and James Hall offer their rich version of the Bounty mutiny; Joseph Conrad offers a glimpse into the heart of a young man whose first command turns into a life-or-death test of character; Angus Konstam describes the hideous conditions on a pirate ship; and Eric Newby tells of his adventures in a four-masted bark at the age of eighteen. 16 black-and-white photographs add to the riveting glimpse this book provides into this fascinating, demanding, and dangerous era.
Table of Contents
From the Ionian Mission / by Patrick O'Brian -- Frigate engagement / by Samuel Leech -- from Mutiny on the Bounty / by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall -- from Lieutenant Hornblower / by C.S. Forester -- the Cheerful tortoise from Doctor Dogbody's leg / by James Norman Hall -- Rule Britannia from Doctor Dogbody's leg / by James Norman Hall -- from Mr. Midshipman Easy / by Frederick Marryat -- A Pressed man / by Robert Hay -- from Cochrane: The life and exploits of a fighting captain / by Robert Harvey -- Youth / by Joseph Conrad -- from Two years before the mast / by Richard Henry Dana, Jr. -- from Billy Budd, sailor / by Herman Melville -- from All hands aloft! / by Lou A. Schmitt -- from The Last grain race / by Eric Newby.