N. Beetham Stark

Nellie Beetham Stark (1933- ) was born in Norwich, Connecticut and attended the Norwich Free Academy and later Connecticut College in New London, CT before graduating with a MA and a Ph.D. degree in Botany (Ecology) from Duke University.

Stark worked for the U.S. Forest Service as a botanist for six years and then joined the Desert Research Institute in Reno, Nevada where she worked on desert and forest ecology and later tropical nutrient cycling. She has consulted in many countries, working for some time in Russia, Australia and South America. She developed the theory that explains why tropical white sand soils cannot grow good food crops and described the decline processes of soils. She has also developed a science of surethology, or survival behavior which describes how humans must adapt to their environments if they hope to survive long term. She has 96 professional publications and has published in four languages.

Her life long hobby has been English history, with emphasis on naval history. Her family came originally from Tristan Da Cunha in the South Atlantic in the early 1900's. Her grandfather was a whale ship captain for a time which spurred her interest in naval history. She also paints pictures of sailing ships which she has used as covers for her historical novels. She has built several scale models of sailing ships and does extensive research on ships and naval history.

AOS Naval Fiction

Series: The Napoleonic Wars at Sea
Year  Book  Comment
1787 Humble Launching A Story of a Little Boy Growing Up at Sea
1795 Midshipman Rundel: The Wandering Midshipman Rundel is faced with slavers, pirates, court martial, tropical diseases and other challenges
1797 Mediterranean Madness: The Luckless Leftenant Rundel Rundel is present at serveral battles including the Battle of the Nile
1797-
1799
The Adventures of Leftenant Rundel Rundel learns to handle a bomb boat, serves at Quiberon Bay and Kilalla Bay
1800-
1803
Forever Leftenant Rundel Ben serves under an incompetent captain and must cover for him, while building invaluable experience as a captain
1803-
1806
Captain Rundel I: Trafalgar and Beyond Ben serves aboard Victory at Trafalgar and attends Nelson's funeral
1806-
1809
Captain Rundel II: Give Me a Fair Wind Ben struggles with ship wreckers and the capture of the wrong ship after a peace treaty has been signed
1810-
1813
Captain Rundel III: Bend Me a Sail Ben is sent to the White Sea to meet an informant with news on the progress of Napoleon's army in Russia

1814-
1846

Admiral Rundel Now a port admiral, Ben struggles to maintain his sanity amongst piles of papers and petitioners
     
Series: n/a
Year  Book  Comment
1793-
1820 
Nasty Jack Jack abuses his crew ruthlessly and eventually leaves the navy to get involved with opium in China.

AOS Other Nautical Fiction

Series: n/a
Year  Book  Comment
  Condor: Flying in Drake's Wake Thirst for adventure puts two young men on a ship with Francis Drake

The author’s official web site is nbeethamstark.com

© 2008-2024 David Hayes (Astrodene)