- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson; 1st Edition, First printing. edition (9 Jun 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 029784640X
- ISBN-13: 978-0297846406
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 16 x 3.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 248,809 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Review
'... a compelling narrative in which Collingwood himself shines through, thanks to a combination of his own words and understated achievements... One finally begins to see what Thackeray, his near contemporary, meant by 'the sublime purity of Collingwood's gentle glory'.' (LITERARY REVIEW )
'extensively researched and well-written' (TLS )
'a first class book ... It is highly commended.' (THE BRITISH ARMY REVIEW )
'A thoroughly enjoyable and most instructive read.' (PENNANT )
'extensively researched and well-written' (TLS )
'a first class book ... It is highly commended.' (THE BRITISH ARMY REVIEW )
'A thoroughly enjoyable and most instructive read.' (PENNANT )
Andro Linklater, the Spectator, June 23rd 2005
...a lucid, compact style which is a pleasure to read
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I read this book for interest and information and was not disappointed. It is not "exciting", what it needs for excitement I suppose is sex and violence. When you consider that actual warfare consists of long periods of inactivity and boredom for any given individual the opportunities for either are limited in the context of Collingwoods time at sea. The Admiral's sex life is his own business and the violence when it arrives is very violent indeed and Collingwood would "fight like an angel". But neither is described in great detail here there are more than enough books on these subjects around.
The book does start off with a travalogue which nearly put me off but I stuck with it! What we have is a very interesting portrait of a man who comes, I think, as near our modern idea of what a naval captain of that time should be like, nurtured as we are on a plethora of fictional paradigms. Collingwood's great friend Nelson is dealt with in a very reasoned fashion and doesn't suffer by it.
What is particularly engaging is the wit and humour shown in various snippets from letters and journal included here. I think what we forget in this PC world is that previous generations may have different standards to ours but were three dimensional characters and no less clever or capable than we and their hopes and aspirations and their ability to feel pain no different to ours.
I think this comes across well in this book it is an easy read not because it is simple but because it is well written. If you have an interest in the times and events covered in the years of Collingwood's life and his circle of interest you won't be sorry if you read this! (You may also conclude that Cuthbert stands beside Horatio not slightly behind him.)
The book does start off with a travalogue which nearly put me off but I stuck with it! What we have is a very interesting portrait of a man who comes, I think, as near our modern idea of what a naval captain of that time should be like, nurtured as we are on a plethora of fictional paradigms. Collingwood's great friend Nelson is dealt with in a very reasoned fashion and doesn't suffer by it.
What is particularly engaging is the wit and humour shown in various snippets from letters and journal included here. I think what we forget in this PC world is that previous generations may have different standards to ours but were three dimensional characters and no less clever or capable than we and their hopes and aspirations and their ability to feel pain no different to ours.
I think this comes across well in this book it is an easy read not because it is simple but because it is well written. If you have an interest in the times and events covered in the years of Collingwood's life and his circle of interest you won't be sorry if you read this! (You may also conclude that Cuthbert stands beside Horatio not slightly behind him.)
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
While Horatio Nelson looms large in the story of the RN in the late 18th and early 19th century it is perhaps the less well known Collingwood who through attention to detail, training, discipline tempered by a deep humanity sought to secure th supremacy of the Royal Navy on the high seas and in t mediterranean. Adams, formerly an archaeologist of great repute, very ably highlights Collingwood the humble man thrust to greatness without seeking to do anything other than his job the best way he could. This book is well written with humour and insight, but essentially it is a story of a hard working very able man doing his very best and excelling in extraordinary times. Collingwood was not a "flash harry" like Nelson, he was neither ostentatiously eccenteric nor did he share confidences with the inner circle at court. What he was was a damn fine sea man, gunner, tactician, diplomat and administrator. It is this history that Adams brings out, which by the very nature of the man of the title it is not thrilling or flash. Collingwood worked hard and excelled but did not seek glory, self publicity or thanks, it is these elements that Adams brings out. A good book for which Max Adams should be praised.
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Being a hugely avid fan of British Napoleonic history this was one book I had to get. After learning so much of Collingwood by reading so much of Nelson, a modern biography was long overdue. The book itself was sumptiously packaged with an excellent jacket and rich colour plates inside however I found the text to be of a different nature. At first I thought that this biography was simply a masters thesis, a work of acadamia such was the stuffy narrative and lack of enthusiasm. I wasn't excited at all and turing a page became a chore rather than a joy. It occurred to me that the author may have approached this biography with the general reader in mind but lacked the required flair to tell a great story. Mercifully, the book is but 300 odd pages in large print so that its easy to move onto something a little more exciting. For me this was Harvey's bio of Cochrane. Overall, it's a great intoduction to a man that sacrificed his life for the service of his country and does supply some interesting perspectives on Nelson.
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