Nelson's Navy: The Ships, Men and Organization, 1793-1815

Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: A must have, if you are into this topic.

Rating:
Summary: This One's Easy
Review: As you will infer from the other reviews, rating this book is a snap: it ain't got no five-star average for nothing! If you're interested in Nelson's Navy and this fascinating period of history, just order the book and get on with your life. Until it arrives, that is, and then you'll have to drop everything else and delight in its reading. Nothing less than the epitome of a well-written, illustrated history.

Rating:
Summary: Words are not enough
Review: Being introduced to the period by Patrick O'brian's books, I have found that this volume is THE one to get about the British Navy during the Napoleonic wars. Full of scanned documents, diagrams, drawings/photos/art, a virtual encyclopedia of knowledge about everthing from how to provision a ship to how to sail it. Do not let this one sail away!

Rating:
Summary: The best reference work available on the subject
Review: I've read a number of nonfiction books lately on the Royal Navy during the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, and this is far and away the best of them -- no comparison, not even Lavery's own _Jack Aubrey Commands_ (2003), which is in many ways merely a cut-down version of this encyclopedic volume. This is 350 pages of highly detailed, heavily illustrated discussion of every conceivable subject and all its subtopics, from the engineering principles of ship design and the differences among each of the different rates, to the divisional organization of the Royal Marines, to the truth (with statistics) behind the press gang system, to a disquisition on the differences in naval fighting tactics between the British and French and Spanish fleets -- and a great deal more. And there are even graphs, flow charts, and organization tables to bring disparate informatiion together. It's actually a very slow read because there's so much to absorb, even for the experienced fan of Forester and O'Brian -- but that's certainly not a criticism! I'll be referring back to this gorgeous, oversized book for many years to come.

Rating:
Summary: Best single book on the subject
Review: If you are truly interested in the Navy of Lord Nelson and all the various aspects of its functioning and operation, this is THE book to own. It's hard to imagine a better book on this topic ever being written - it's that good. If you enjoy Civil War navies, there are two companion volumes in the same "series" by the same publisher. Lincoln's Navy and The Confederate Navy. Both from Conway. Excellent books, all.

Rating:
Summary: Best single book on the subject
Review: If you are truly interested in the Navy of Lord Nelson and all the various aspects of its functioning and operation, this is THE book to own. It's hard to imagine a better book on this topic ever being written - it's that good. If you enjoy Civil War navies, there are two companion volumes in the same "series" by the same publisher. Lincoln's Navy and The Confederate Navy. Both from Conway. Excellent books, all.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent overview of the Royal Navy in Nelson's Time
Review: If you can only afford one book about the Royal Navy during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, then this is the one. Covering every aspect of the RN during the time of Horatio Nelson this book has it all from an historical background; details of the life on board for officers, men and marines; aspects of ship handling, weapons and tactics; and just about everything else immaginable. Extremely well illustrated, perhaps the only negative comment might be that it would be nice if a portion of the illustrations were in colour

Rating:
Summary: A complete collection in itself
Review: Lavery has compiled the entire history of the Royal navy in one tomb. Wonderful stuff, covering aspects from history to construction, fitting and rigging. This is facinating stuff for historian,enthusiast and modeller. I have yet to see a publication in this genre put togeather so well and in one volume you negate the need for so many other books.

Rating:
Summary: Nelson's Navy the ship, men and organization 1793-1815
Review: The text is wonderful and informative. The reason I gave it a four star rating instead of five is that I would like to have seen the illustrations in color, but don't let that stop you from getting this great book. As stated by Patrick O'Brian in the Forward of this book "You name it, Nelson's Navy has it."

Rating:
Summary: Great!!!!!!
Review: This book is an unbelievable overview of the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic wars. It goes over all details an every subject in every category. If you need one thorough, complete reference book this is the one