Hornblower's Navy

[Jack Tar]

Book Title:

Hornblower's Navy

Author:

Stephen Pope

ISBN:

978-1566490306

Category:

History

Format:

Paperback

Hey Everyone,
I was looking through some books in my Dad's library this weekend and came across Hornblower's Navy by Stephen Pope (http://www.amazon.com/Hornblowers-Na.../dp/1566490308). I am sure some of you own it, have heard of it or paged through a copy. But, if you haven't and happen to come across it or find it for a reasonable price I'd suggest picking it up. It has a lot of cool reference information as well as nice little facts about life in the Royal Navy and more. I thought some of the illustrations, drawings, etc were quite awesome. Well, that's all I've got, I just thought I'd share my new find with the forum at large.
I'll add that while the contents of this book are good it covers the subject broadly. If you are looking for something really in depth this may not be a good choice for you, although I did really enjoy paging through it.

Editorial Review (from Amazon Page):
C.S. Forester's fictional hero, Horatio Hornblower, provides the premise for this brief study of British naval conditions between 1794 and 1815, when Napoleon fought England for control of Europe. Historian Pope describes conditions aboard British warships during this time, beginning with a review of Royal Navy history to 1793 and describing salient developments such as the Navigation Acts, the influence of Robert Blake, technological advances, and the navy's growing professionalism in the face of both internal and external challenges. Among the naval leaders profiled is James Alexander Gordon, cited as the model for Forester's fictional commander Hornblower. While lavishly illustrated with period marine art, the book is just a brief overview of a topic that has attracted much scholarly and popular attention recently. There are also numerous spelling errors throughout the text. Readers should consult David Davies's Nelson's Navy (Stackpole, 1997) or Dudley Pope's Life in Nelson's Navy (Naval Inst., 1996) for a more in-depth treatment of this fascinating topic.

[Naharaht]

I borrowed a hardback copy from my local public library. As Marc said, the book provides a good basic introduction to the naval life of the period with many pictures and diagrams. However, despite the title, there are hardly any references to the 'life' of Horatio Hornblower so it may be a disappointment to Hornblower fans.