Patrick O'Brian's Navy: The Illustrated Companion to Jack Aubrey's World (Hardcover)

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• This item: Patrick O'Brian's Navy: The Illustrated Companion to Jack Aubrey's World by Richard O'Neill

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• A Sea of Words: Lexicon and Companion for Patrick O'Brian's Seafaring Tales by Dean King

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• Harbors and High Seas: An Atlas and Geographical Guide to the Complete Aubrey-Maturin Novels of Patrick O'Brian by Dean King

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A Sea of Words: Lexicon and Companion for Patrick O'Brian's Seafaring Tales by Dean King 4.3 out of 5 stars (9)  £8.39

Harbors and High Seas: An Atlas and Geographical Guide to the Complete Aubrey-Maturin Novels of Patrick O'Brian by Dean King 4.0 out of 5 stars (5)  £11.19

The Reverse of the Medal by Patrick O'Brian 5.0 out of 5 stars (5)  £7.19

The Hundred Days by Patrick O'Brian 3.2 out of 5 stars (5)  £6.39

Blue at the Mizzen by Patrick O'Brian 3.3 out of 5 stars (9)  £6.39

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Product Description
From the moment that Master and Commander, the first of Patrick O'Brian's sequence of novels about the 19th century naval office Jack Aubrey and his surgeon colleague Stephen Maturin, was published in 1970, critics hailed the book as a masterpiece of historical recreation. Patrick O'Brian died in 2000 not long after the publication of the twentieth novel in the series (Blue At The Mizzen) and by that time his reputation was secure. Reviewers were generous in their praise "Pure gold...O'Brian by the very scale and consistency of his achievement has gone further than just classic storytelling intertwined with high scholarship. I think that he has shown that late on in our literary silver age, authentic gold can still be mined" (The Daily Telegraph). What is so compelling about the Jack Aubrey novels is that they take the reader inside the navy of Napoleonic times and give us an incredibly vivid impression of what it must have been like to serve on board a warship in the age of fighting sail. O'Brian himself was enormously well-read in the subject and the fruits of his encyclopedic knowledge of the period leap off the page. But the books are so richly textured that it is easy to miss some subtle detail or fascinating historical fact in the process of following the plot, and this where this illustrated companion to the novels comes in. Written by an author who is both a military historian and a passionate devotee of the Aubrey-Maturin sequence, this book is a perfect accompaniment to the novels. It explains the historical background clearly and provides a wealth of information about the fighting warships of the period, the life of the serving sailor (both office and ordinary seaman), how ships were built, manned and sailed, how they actually fought one another, and the rewards that awaited a successful crew. It also relates this information back to the novels themselves to that readers can return to individual titles to explore the intricacies of O'Brian's fictional world with far greater insight. Illustrated in colour throughout with contemporary paintings and engravings, studio photography of naval artefacts, maps, diagrams and annotated drawings, Patrick O'Brian's Navy will prove the essential companion to one of the great contemporary works of historical fiction.

About the Author
Richard O'Neill is a writer and editor who has specialised in military history for the past 40 years. He is the author of Suicide Squads, a history of the weapons and missions of the Special Attack units of WWII. He has contributed to many books on weaponry and military history including The Complete Encyclopedia of Battleships and Battlecruisers, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Warships, The Vietnam War and most recently, An Illustrated History of the Royal Navy (Salamander 2002). He has read all of Patrick O'Brian's novels and is a confirmed fan and aficionado.

First Sentence
Hardly a breeze was stirring off the French naval base of Brest on January 2nd, 1793 as Captain Robert Barlow (captain by courtesy-he was a "Master and Commander," like Jack Aubrey in the Sophie) allowed the flood tide to carry his brig-sloop HMS Childers, armed with 14 or 16 guns according to different sources, toward the harbor. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover

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6 Reviews 5 star:  (4) 4 star:  (1) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.5 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   66 of 70 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Life of Jack Aubrey, 21 Nov 2003 By  SM OWEN (WOKING, SURREY United Kingdom) - See all my reviews Fans of Patrick O'Brian will love it and so should anyone who loves the sea, sailing ships and our fascinating maritime history. At first glance this seems like a 'coffee table' book - to be admired, but not necessarily read. Closer examination reveals an impressively well-researched book, packed full of excellent illustrations. There is a wide range of well-reproduced paintings of famous ships and battles. There are maps, sketches, cartoons, engravings, diagrams, portraits and water-colours. Every aspect of a 19th century sailor's life is described clearly, accurately and in an interesting manner. Links to Jack Aubrey are scattered through the book, with a welcome 'Cast of Characters' on 4 pages, as well as a glossary of nautical terms found in the Patrick O'Brian books. You might want to buy two of these books - one for your coffee table and one to read and re-read. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   50 of 53 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Marvelous! Even better than I'd hoped!, 16 Jan 2004 By  drjekyl (Paris, France) - See all my reviews I really must say I loved this book. It's quite beautiful, with many stunning paintings and illustrations. Plus, it is full of helpful and interesting information the time period of the M & C books. I had primarily been looking for some maps, more detail about the ships and perhaps a more detailed explanation of naval ranks and uniforms, and I found all of this and so very much more. Books like this one add so very much to one's enjoyment of the novels. I heartily recommend it. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   11 of 12 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Hazard warning!, 6 Dec 2006 By  a reader from London - See all my reviews This is a very useful book to read as background for the Aubrey series, BUT it should come with a warning - if you read it before you finish the series (as indeed you would want to) it will spill the beans on some of the story lines... Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 6 customer reviews...		Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Just what I was hoping for I'm now up to Far Side of the World and returned to this book last night. I'd forgotten just how good it is. Read more Published 3 months ago by N. Green 5.0 out of 5 stars all pond live should read Spent 22 years in the Andrew as R M,and this book is a ideal companion to all O,BRIANS BOOKS and anybody interested in british naval history. Published 3 months ago by Anthony Barton 3.0 out of 5 stars good book but doesn't feel like it was written for the purpose This book is good and the illustrations and photos are great but it really seems as if the book was written as a generic guide to the Royal navy and then they added on the Jack... Read more Published 13 months ago by Donal Quinn Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 6 customer reviews...

Aubrey and Maturin series - in order: A list by S. Hunt "stephen--hunt"   PATRICK O'BRIAN 'Aubrey & Maturin' Novels - In Order: A list by A. Rose   My All-Time Favourites (So Far): A list by Gilly McGillicuddy Create a Listmania! list

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