
The Command of the Ocean
A Naval History of Britain, 1649--1815
N. A. M. Rodger(Author)
WW Norton & Co (Publisher)
Published on 10. May 2005
Book
Hardback
976 pages
978-0-393-06050-8 (ISBN)
Description
The Command of the Ocean describes with unprecedented authority and scholarship the rise of Britain to naval greatness, and the central place of the Navy and naval activity in the life of the nation and government. Based on the author's own research in a dozen languages over more than a decade, it describes not just battles, voyages, and cruises but also how the Navy was manned, supplied, fed, and, above all, how it was financed and directed.
N. A. M. Rodger provides convincing reassessments of such famous figures as Pepys, Hawke, Howe, and St. Vincent. The very particular and distinct qualities of Nelson and Collingwood are illuminatingly contrasted, and the world of officers and men who make up the originals of Jack Aubrey and Horatio Hornblower is brilliantly brought to life. Rodger's comparative view of other navies-French, Dutch, Spanish, and American-allows him to make a fresh assessment of the qualities of the British.
N. A. M. Rodger provides convincing reassessments of such famous figures as Pepys, Hawke, Howe, and St. Vincent. The very particular and distinct qualities of Nelson and Collingwood are illuminatingly contrasted, and the world of officers and men who make up the originals of Jack Aubrey and Horatio Hornblower is brilliantly brought to life. Rodger's comparative view of other navies-French, Dutch, Spanish, and American-allows him to make a fresh assessment of the qualities of the British.
Reviews / Votes
"As Mr. Rodger demonstrates on almost every page, if you do not understand the importance of British maritime history, you can never fully understand Britain." -- The Economist "Rodger illuminates the world of Nelson and Hardy and its portrayal by C. F. Forrester in the Hornblower novels and Patrick O'Brian in the Aubrey and Maturin cycle . . . to understand the Royal Navy at its peak, Rodger's account is indispensable" -- Washington Post Book WorldMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Illustrations
24 pages of illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 244 mm
Width: 165 mm
Thickness: 51 mm
Weight
1391 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-393-06050-8 (9780393060508)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
N. A. M. Rodger is emeritus fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, and professor of naval history at the University of Exeter. He has been awarded the Julian Corbett Prize in Naval History, the Duke of Westminster's Medal for Military Literature, and the Hattendorf Prize. He lives in Oxford.