Non-Fiction Releases
This section lists upcoming and recently released non-fiction books about the Age of Sail. They will also appear in the Non-Fiction Listings
British Frigate Vs French Frigate: 1793 to 1814 (PB)
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- Non-Fiction Releases
- Created on Saturday, 09 February 2013
- By Richard Woodman
Author Mark Lardas has a new book British Frigate Vs French Frigate: 1793 to 1814 which is now available for pre-order in paperback. It will be released worldwide on 21 May 2013.
In the "Age of Fighting Sail" (1650-1820), ambitious officers of the navies of many nations sought command of a frigate. Speedy, nimble and formidably armed, frigates often operated independently, unlike the larger ships of the line. Legendary sailors such as Edward Pellew and Charles-Alexandre Leon Durand, Comte de Linoise, found that commanding such a ship offered numerous opportunities for wealth. In this book, four representative frigate duels are examined: first, a battle fought between two closely matched ships (HMS Nymphe (36) vs La Cleoptre (32); second, a victory won by an inferior British frigate over a superior French frigate (HMS Pallas (32) vs Minerve (40); third, a victory - the only one - by an inferior French frigate over a superior British frigate (HMS Ambuscade (32) vs Baonnaise (24), and fourth, victory of a superior British frigate over an inferior French frigate (HMS Indefatigable (44) of Hornblower fame vs La Virginie (40). Featuring specially commissioned artwork and offering expert analysis, this study provides a vivid account of the bloody combats fought by the most romantic warship of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic era - the frigate.
The Merchant Navy (PB)
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- Non-Fiction Releases
- Created on Wednesday, 06 February 2013
- By Richard Woodman
Author Richard Woodman's latest book The Merchant Navy is now available for pre-order in paperback. It will be released in the UK on 10 April 2013 and in the US on 23 April 2013.
At one time British ships carried half of the world's trade, transporting all manner of goods from and to all four corners of the world. Two World Wars nearly destroyed that mighty system, yet through them both determined, brave and tenacious convoys battled through to save Britain from starvation. This book relates this entire colourful history, but also looks in detail at the day-to-day existences of the seamen involved and at their experiences as part of Britain's merchant navy.
In the Hour of Victory (HC)
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- Non-Fiction Releases
- Created on Thursday, 31 January 2013
- By Sam Willis
A new book by Sam Willis, In the Hour of Victory: The Royal Navy at War in the Age of Nelson, will be released in hardcover worldwide on 1 February 2013.
Between 1794 and 1815 the Royal Navy repeatedly crushed her enemies at sea in a period of military dominance that equals any in history. When Napoleon eventually died in exile, the Lords of the Admiralty ordered that the original battle dispatches from the seven major fleet battles in the period - The Glorious First of June (1794), St Vincent (1797), Camperdown (1797), The Nile (1798), Copenhagen (1801), Trafalgar (1805) and San Domingo (1806) - should be gathered together and presented to the Nation. These letters, written by Britain's Admirals, Captains, Surgeons and Boatswains and sent back home as updates in the midst of these conflicts, were bound in an immense volume, to be preserved and admired as a jewel of British history. Sam Willis stumbled across the volume quite by chance in 2010 languishing in the bowels of the British Library. Now we can rediscover this treasure of world history, and hear once more the voices of the officers describing the naval triumphs that made Britain great. Cogently introduced by a naval historian at the height of his powers, In the Hour of Victory tells their story.
Elizabeth's Sea Dogs (HC/K)
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- Non-Fiction Releases
- Created on Monday, 19 November 2012
- By Hugh Bicheno
Hugh Bicheno's new book, Elizabeth's Sea Dogs: How England's Mariners Became the Scourge of the Seas, was released recently worldwide in hardcover and for Kindle.
Elizabeth's Sea Dogs investigates the rise and fall of a unique group of adventurers - men like Francis Drake, John Hawkins, Martin Frobisher and Walter Raleigh. Seen by the English as heroes but by the Spanish as pirates, they were expert seafarers and controversial characters. This riveting new account reveals them for what they were: extremely tough men in extremely hard times. They sailed, fought, looted and whored their way across the globe; in the process, they established a lasting British presence in the Americas, defeated the Spanish Armada, and made Queen Elizabeth I very wealthy, if seldom grateful. Author Hugh Bicheno sets the Sea Dogs in historical context and reveals their lives and exploits through diligent historical research incorporating contemporary testimony. With additional appendices, colour plates, the author's own maps and technical drawings, Elizabeth's Sea Dogs tells their vivid, extraordinary story as it was lived, in the author's trademark engaging style.
Ships of Oak - Guns of Iron (HC/K)
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- Non-Fiction Releases
- Created on Saturday, 17 November 2012
- By Ronald D. Utt
Ronald D. Utt's new book, Ships of Oak - Guns of Iron: The War of 1812 and the Forging of the American Navy, will be released in hardcover in the US and for Kindle on 4 December 2012. The UK release will be on 20 December 2012.
The War of 1812 is typically noted for a handful of events: the burning of the White House, the rise of the Star Spangled Banner, and the battle of New Orleans. But in fact the greatest consequence of that distant conflict was the birth of the U.S. Navy. During the War of 1812, America's tiny fleet took on the mightiest naval power on earth, besting the British in a string of victories that stunned both nations.
In his new book, "Ships of Oak and Guns of Iron: The War of 1812 and the Birth of the American Navy," author Dr. Ronald Utt not only sheds new light on the naval battles of the War of 1812 and how they gave birth to our nation's great navy, but tells the story of the War of 1812 through the portraits of famous American war heroes. From the cunning Stephen Decatur to the fierce David Porter, "Ships of Oak and Guns of Iron" relates how thousands of American men and boys gave better than they got against the British Navy. The great age of fighting sail is as rich in heroic drama as any epoch.
Flinders: The man who mapped Australia (HC/K)
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- Non-Fiction Releases
- Created on Friday, 02 November 2012
- By Rob Mundle
Rob Mundle has a new book just released in hardcover in Australia and for Kindle elsewhere, Flinders: The man who mapped Australia.
Shipwreck, storms, death and danger – and the race to beat the French
Two hundred years ago, in the romantic age of exploration, Matthew Flinders became the first to circumnavigate and chart the treacherous Terra Australis coastline. Literally, he is the man who put Australia on the map.
Inspired to follow a life at sea after reading Robinson Crusoe, Flinders rose through the ranks of the British navy to become a great seafarer, an accomplished leader and an exceptional navigator and cartographer, often braving the boiling fury of a storm-lashed ocean in boats hardly seaworthy in the name of science and discovery.
British Naval Captains of the Seven Years' War (HC)
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- Non-Fiction Releases
- Created on Sunday, 23 September 2012
- By A. B. McLeod
A. B. McLeod has a new book just released in hardcover worldwide, British Naval Captains of the Seven Years' War: The View from the Quarterdeck.
'We have always known who were the captains of the Seven Years' War, in the sense of having lists of their names. A few of them, who later became famous, we knew personally at least a little, but until now most of them have never been more than names. The genius of this book is to bring them to life as individuals; to show their hopes and fears, their faults and virtues, and to fill in the details of their working lives. Far from the grand narrative of battles and campaigns, this book illuminates the everyday world and everyday thoughts of a generation of 18th-century naval officers.' N.A.M. Rodger, All Souls College, Oxford
This book provides a detailed insight into the operations of the British Navy during the Seven Years' War by examining the experiences of the cohort of men promoted to the rank of captain in 1757. Byrne McLeod outlines their early careers, discusses how they were selected for promotion and examines the opportunities for making reputations and fortunes through action first against the French and then also the Spanish. She also demonstrates the iron control wielded by the Admiralty over its captains and shows that, although connections and interest assisted greatly with promotion, allegations of 'corruption' were misplaced. The navy in this period was highly effective: an extremely complex and efficient bureaucracy where merit was most definitely rewarded.
The Transformation of British Naval Strategy (HC)
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- Non-Fiction Releases
- Created on Sunday, 09 September 2012
- By James Davey
James Davey has a new book available for pre-order in hardcover, The Transformation of British Naval Strategy: Seapower and Supply in Northern Europe, 1808-1812. It is will be released worldwide on 15 November 2012.
After the Battle of Trafalgar, the navy continued to be the major arm of British strategy. Decades of practice and refinement had rendered it adept at executing operations - fighting battles, blockading and convoying - across the globe. And yet, as late as 1807, fleets were forced from their stations due to an ineffective provisioning system. The Transformation of British Naval Strategy shows how sweeping administrative reforms enacted between 1808 and 1812 established a highly-effective logistical system, changing an ineffective supply system into one which successfully enabled a fleet to remain on station for as long as was required.
James Davey examines the logistical support provided for fleets sent to Northern Europe during the Napoleonic War and shows how this new supply system successfully transformed naval operations, enabling the navy to pursue crucial objectives of national importance, protect essential exports and imports and attack the economies of the Napoleonic Empire. The Transformation of British Naval Strategy is a detailed study of national policy, administrative and political reform and strategic viability. It delves into the nature of the British state, its relationship with the private sector and its ability to reform itself in a time of war. Bureaucratic restructuring represented the last stage in a century-long process of logistical improvement. As a result of the reforms, the navy was able to conduct operations beyond the realms of possibility even twenty years earlier and saw the reach of its power transformed. Military and Napoleonic historians will find this book invaluable.