The Admiral Benbow: The Life and Times of a Naval Legend: The Life and Times of a Naval Legend (Hearts of Oak Trilogy Vol.2) - Hardcover

Sam Willis

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1849160368 ISBN 13: 9781849160360

Publisher: Quercus Publishing Plc, 2010

Synopsis

xxxv + 410pp, inc. b/w & coloured illus, maps, cloth, jacket, 24x16cm

About this title

Review:

'a vibrant picture of life in the British Navy in the century or so leading up to the great age of Nelson' Mail on Sunday. (Mail on Sunday)

'A must-read account of the life of a man who embodies a forgotten and undervalued period in Britain's maritime history' Dan Snow. (Dan Snow)

'Willis is a magnificent describer of the realities of fighting ships at sea' Sunday Times. (Sunday Times)

'Fascinating ... One of the best naval biographies to appear for many years' BBC History Magazine. (BBC History Magazine)

'A fascinating biography ... Willis has done a tremendous job of reassessing this neglected period in our rich naval history' Mail on Sunday. (Mail on Sunday)

From the Back Cover:

Admiral John Benbow was an English naval hero, a fighting sailor of ruthless methods and indomitable courage. In 1702, however, when Benbow engaged a French squadron off the Spanish main, other ships in his squadron failed to support him. Grievously injured, Benbow fought on - but the French escaped and he succumbed to his wounds. When the story of his 'Last Fight' reached England, 'Brave Benbow' was elevated from national hero to national legend, his valour immortalized in broadsheet and folksong. Ships were named after him and Tennyson later feted him in verse. For the very first time, Sam Willis tells the extraordinary story of Admiral Benbow through an age of dramatic change, from his birth under Cromwell's Commonwealth; to service under the restored Stuart monarchy; to the Glorious Revolution of 1688; to the French wars of Louis XIV; and finally to the bitter betrayal of 1702. All aspects of seventeenth-century naval life are covered in vivid detail, from strategy and tactics to health and discipline. The second volume in the Hearts of Oaks trilogy, from one of Britain's most exciting young historians, The Admiral Benbow is a gripping and detailed account of the making of a naval legend.

About this edition

• Publisher: Quercus Publishing Plc
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1849160368
• ISBN 13: 9781849160360
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320