Trafalgar: The Biography of a Battle
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The blazing TRAFALGAR is at least the equal of STALINGRAD in blood, pace and detail, but it also boasts a welcome twist to the genre with a lacing of black humour (INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY )
Masterful in explaining why Nelson's men were so much more efficient ... Adkins has written a compelling account (MAIL ON SUNDAY )
Well-written and makes good use of first-hand accounts (LITERARY REVIEW )
[Adkins's] painstaking digging, sifting, arranging and questioning take him everywhere on Nelson's fleet ... His account of the battle is a gripping album of snapshots from the quarterdecks and gun decks of the ships themselves ... A most eclectic but engagi (SPECTATOR )
Masterful in explaining why Nelson's men were so much more efficient ... Adkins has written a compelling account (MAIL ON SUNDAY )
Well-written and makes good use of first-hand accounts (LITERARY REVIEW )
[Adkins's] painstaking digging, sifting, arranging and questioning take him everywhere on Nelson's fleet ... His account of the battle is a gripping album of snapshots from the quarterdecks and gun decks of the ships themselves ... A most eclectic but engagi (SPECTATOR )
Frank McLynn, The Independent
'Excellent ... Adkins is at his best on the nuances of seamanship and the minutiae of life within the wooden walls'
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First Sentence
From 1793 to 1815 there were only thirteen months of peace between France and Britain. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
From 1793 to 1815 there were only thirteen months of peace between France and Britain. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
43 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I found this book fascinating, absorbing, moving, and very hard to put down once started. The conflict is described from all three sides; British, French and Spanish. By using many letters and reports written by the sailors and officers, as well as other first hand accounts Adkins describes the battle, and its aftermath from the view of the men and women who fought and their relatives back home. He portrays their world so vividly you feel these people are your friends and family writing, not long dead strangers from an alien past. The preparations, tactics, and details of the 5 hour battle along with individual exploits are astonishing enough, but he also covers the background and lead up to Trafalgar, the hurricane that followed and the scenes of devastation on the Spanish coast, the victory celebrations, Nelson's funeral and why he became an adored and iconic hero, and the exhausting years maintaining the naval dominance until the end of the Napoleonic War. He finishes with the differing treatment of their sailors by the British, French and Spanish governments - there is always a sting in the tale of a 'glorious victory'.
I read this book to learn more about my great, great, great, great grandfather who fought at Trafalgar, and to find out why we should still be celebrating the battle after 200 years. Before I finished I had fulfilled both aims. This is a biography of a battle as fought by ordinary people not a history of politicians and emperors. I shall be reading it again.
I read this book to learn more about my great, great, great, great grandfather who fought at Trafalgar, and to find out why we should still be celebrating the battle after 200 years. Before I finished I had fulfilled both aims. This is a biography of a battle as fought by ordinary people not a history of politicians and emperors. I shall be reading it again.
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a haunting, thrilling book, which beautifully narrates the events leading up to the fateful day of 21 October 1805, the Battle of Trafalgar, when the British won, but Nelson was killed. The events surrounding the battle are skilfully described, and interwoven with the scenes are descriptions of many aspects of life in the navy, such as food, clothing, medicine, artillery and even women and children. The battle led to the surrender of many French and Spanish ships, but no British, yet worse was to come, because a violent storm immediately hit them, with dreadful loss of life. Adkins then goes on to describe events after the battle, including the news reaching various parts of the world, and the mixed reception in England: joy at the victory and grief at the loss of Nelson. A terrific read.
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A brief extract from this excellent book
"It was now a few minutes past one o'clock, just over an hour after the battle had begun.At the heart of the fighting, where the two British columns had cut the French and Spanish line, the flow of blood from the decks into the gutters and out through drain holes had left scarlet streaks down the sides of the ships.The sea itself was taking on a dull crimson cast alternatively lit by flashes from the muzzles of the cannons and shaded by the pall of dust and smoke......" and so it goes on!
In 1805, Britain was at risk from iminent invasion from the superior and very experienced armies of Napoleon and with little in the line of defence to counter this attack. That is of course excluding the Royal Navy under the command of one Admiral Horatio Nelson!
This book tells of the hardships of life aboard a Royal Navy Battleship during 1700/1800's, the very uncomfortable living conditions, the poor diet, the disease and suffering and perhaps worst of all, the horrors of the surgeons table.
The details of the battle will most certainly leave you in awe of the bravery of each and every individual including both officers and able seamen and others on board. You will read amazing details of battleship technique and the description of the effect of red hot cannon balls and musket balls and the horrendous carnage that left decks looking like a butchers yard.
Finally of course you will learn of the brilliance of Horatio Nelson and the hero that he ultimately became.
The personal accounts written by those who were there (both British, French and Spanish) are superb actually taking you 'there'.
In this, the Trafalgar Bicentenary Year and as a Norfolk Man, I thoroughly recommend that you read this book!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Trafalgar. My opinion
This book is excellent. It gives a lot of information about life in Nelson's Navy as well as going into great detail about the battle itself. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Steve
Bio of an iconic battle brought to life
This was a superb book, a biography of a famous battle, the story of the men (and women) who fought it and how they lived and fought in their warships. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Linda Collison
Good enough.
This is a decent book that probably gives someone new to the Trafalgar history everything they'd need to know. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Spartan
An excellent read
Very well written and very interesting to read. There's a strong narrative taking you through the events leading up to, and through, the battle. Read more
Published 18 months ago by A. J. Williams
Trafalgar
Very good account of the battle. I often wondered if there had been any dives around the battle site? The sense of terror and drama is captured well. Read more
Published 23 months ago by J. C. Foster
is it true?
How do we know ny of it is true?? Did i miss the links to the factual references??
Published on 13 Dec 2009 by James Pryal
Informative chronology of the battle itself
Most books about the Battle of Trafalgar tend to focus on Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson. Nothing wrong with that, as he was, in my humble opinion, the greatest Englishman who ever... Read more
Published on 23 May 2009 by S. J. Wilde
Very comprehensive
This is the only book i've read upon Trafalgar and found it so comprehensive, I had no need to read any others. Read more
Published on 27 Dec 2008 by Pete. S. (UK)
Cracking good read
Quite apart from the compellingly written and fine detail on the battle and the subsequent storm, the author employs a discursive narrative style which leads him down all sorts of... Read more
Published on 23 Sep 2008 by Mr
Outstanding
Just the battle, no more no less but everything you would like to know about it -- everything that happened, including the lead-in and the knock-on effect it had. Read more
Published on 11 Feb 2007 by John Bland
Listmania!
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