Items related to Cochrane
Synopsis
Bestselling account of the life of a real Horatio Hornblower
The life of Thomas, Lord Cochrane, later 10th Earl of Dundonald, was more extraordinary than that of Nelson, more far fetched than that of Hornblower or Patrick O'Brien's Jack Aubrey. Born the son of an eccentric and indigent Scottish peer, he entered the Royal Navy in 1793. In a series of outstanding and heroic actions, often against seemingly overwhelming odds, he made his name fighting Napoleon's navy as one of the most dashing and daring frigate captains of his day, before embarking on a career as a mercenary admiral.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review
This is a reprint of Thomas's 1975 biography of the sea-captain he calls "the supreme romantic hero". Thomas has a reputation as a literary biographer: His Swinburne is the standard life of that poet and his Robert Browning: A Life Within a Life was runner-up for the Whitbread Biography Award. But his biography of Cochrane reads like C.S. Forster's Hornblower or Patrick O'Brian's Blue at the Mizzen. Indeed, as Thomas puts it himself, if Cochrane's life was written as a novel readers would disbelieve it. To begin with he enjoyed a distinguished career as a naval officer during the Napoleonic Wars--seizing over 50 French vessels and destroying much of the French fleet with fireships, so that that Napoleon himself dubbed Cochrane "England's Sea Wolf". After the war he entered Parliament as a Radical politician and democrat. His enemies plotted against him, forging material to discredit his naval achievements and convict him as "one of the principal movers of the greatest Stock Exchange fraud of the century". He was imprisoned, and escaped and went off to command the Chilean navy. He became a mercenary Admiral and commanded in turn the Brazilian and Greek navies. In his old age he returned to Britain and vindication. He proposed secret weapons against the Russians in the Crimean War ("under cover of the clouds of gas from Cochrane's "stink vessels", the port of Cronstadt could be seized ...") and was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet in 1855. Thomas does justice to this rip-roaring story; the tale rattles along as good as any novel. --Adam Roberts
Book Description
Bestselling account of the life of a real Horatio Hornblower
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherStar
- Publication date1980
- ISBN 10 0352305304
- ISBN 13 9780352305305
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages384
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Stock Image
Cochrane
Seller: AwesomeBooks, Wallingford, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Cochrane This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 7719-9780352305305
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Cochrane
Seller: Bahamut Media, Reading, United Kingdom
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 6545-9780352305305
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Cochrane - a Real-life Adventurer to Rival Hornblower
Seller: Ezekial Books, LLC, Manchester, NH, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Acceptable. Book has considerable wear. No highlighting or underlining. Binding Split. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed. Seller Inventory # 51UMBA0004Z5
Quantity: 1 available
Seller Image
Cochrane: Britannia's last sea-king
Seller: Cotswold Internet Books, Cheltenham, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Used - Good. Good paperback. New edition. Light wear with some creases. Pages yellowed. A good reading copy. Seller Inventory # BOOKS273859I
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Cochrane : Britannia's Last Sea-king
Seller: June Samaras, STREETSVILLE, ON, Canada
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Soft cover. Condition: Near Fine. Reprint. The controversial Thomas Cochrane, known to many as the "Sea Wolf", is second only to Nelson himself among the heroes and legends of the Royal Navy. Renowned for his daring, skill, and enterprise, Cochrane was much revered by his men and, remarkably enough, later went on to command ships in the navies of Chile, Brazil, Peru, and Greece, providing outstanding leadership in their struggles for freedom. As a Radical Member of Parliament and a staunch supporter of reform in its darkest hour, Cochrane stood on principle rather than on practicality and constantly found himself at the center of political firestorms.383p. Seller Inventory # 045664
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Cochrane
Seller: Stirling Books, Stirling, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
PAPERBACK. Condition: Good. Pages Are Tanned With Some Foxing Throughout. Previous Owner Sticker On The First Title Page. The Soft Cover Has Some Discoloration On The Spine And Some Slight Fraying Around The Edges. Seller Inventory # 033076
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Cochrane - a Real-life Adventurer to Rival Hornblower
Seller: dsmbooks, Liverpool, United Kingdom
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
paperback. Condition: Very Good. Very Good. book. Seller Inventory # D7S9-1-M-0352305304-2
Quantity: 1 available