Gale Force 10: The Life and Legacy of Admiral Beaufort - Hardcover

Courtney, Nicholas

9780747272106: Gale Force 10: The Life and Legacy of Admiral Beaufort

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0747272107 ISBN 13: 9780747272106

Publisher: Headline Book Publishing, 2002

Whilst everone has heard the shipping forecast on the radio, few realize what the numbers refer to. Known as the Beaufort Scale, it has never been bettered and, as a result, never replaced. This lasting legacy of Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort is only part of his overall contribution to the world of the mariner, scientist and antiquarian. This text chronicles the life of this unsung hero whose early years come straight from the pages of "Hornblower" - pirates, wars and royalty - and whose latter life carries on from "Longitude". The story, set at the turn of the 19th century, of this corageous officer who was instrumental to the major discoveries and surveys of his day - not least the voyages of the Beagle and the subsequent fame of Charles Darwin - is told here. Whilst everone has heard the shipping forecast on the radio, few realize what the numbers refer to. Known as the Beaufort Scale, it has never been bettered and, as a result, never replaced.

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Review:

meticulously researched, beautifully written... some of the passages... bear comparison with the best of Hornblower - TLS Crisp and vivid...a considerate, considered and fascinating account of a man whose cheerful curiosity about the world around him is both a tonic and a lesson. You don't need to be a Patrick O'Brian enthusiast to be gripped by it, but if you are, you certainly will be - Alan Judd, The Spectator

About the Author:

Nicholas Courtney is a broadcaster, biographer and writer of social history, with bestselling biographies of Diana, Princess of Wales and Prince Andrew, inter alia, to his credit.

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