Dr Sam Willis is a maritime historian and archaeologist. His writing is infused with his own experience and knowledge of seafaring. On graduating he spent eighteen months at sea on square-rigged sailing ships which included work on the Hornblower TV series and on Channel 4's award winning film Shackleton. The Shackleton project involved building a replica of Shackleton's ship the Endurance and sailing her into an arctic ice pack.
On his return from the arctic Sam worked in the curatorial department of the historic ship, I.K. Brunel's ss Great Britain, as the final stages of her innovative conservation plan were implemented. To arrest the rusting of the iron hull, a glass 'sea' was constructed that sealed the hull from the elements. In 2005 the ss Great Britain won the coveted Gulbenkian Prize for museums.
As well as writing books Willis has published a number of articles on a wide variety of subjects in maritime history. In 2004 Sam was awarded the Canadian Nautical Research Society's Keith Matthews award. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, and an Honorary Fellow of the University of Exeter's Centre for Maritime Historical Studies.
AOS Naval Non-Fiction |
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| Series: The Hearts of Oak Trilogy | ||
| Year | Book | Comment |
| The Fighting Temeraire | H.M.S Temeraire, one of Britain's most illustrious fighting ships | |
| The Admiral Benbow: The Life and Times of a Naval Legend | When Benbow engaged a French squadron other ships in his squadron failed to support him. His leg shattered by a cannon-ball, he fought on | |
| The Glorious First of June | Tells the gripping story of an epic and complex battle | |
| Series: Fighting Ships - Book 3 is set in the Modern Era |
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| Year | Book | Comment |
| Fighting Ships: From the Ancient World To 1750 | Beginning with Ramses III's dramatic defeat of the 'sea people' in 1176 BC | |
| Fighting Ships 1750-1850 | Focuses on the navies of all the major Atlantic sea powers of the time, | |
| Fighting Ships 1850-1950 | Features the ships of the two world wars | |
| Series: n/a | ||
| Year | Book | Comment |
| Fighting at Sea in the Eighteenth Century: The Art of Sailing Warfare | The rough chronology of a sea fight from initial contact to damage repair, | |
| In the Hour of Victory | The Royal Navy at War in the Age of Nelson | |
| The Struggle for Sea Power | A Naval History of the American Revolution | |
AOS Other Non-Fiction |
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| Series: n/a | ||
| Year | Book | Comment |
| Shipwreck | A History of Disasters at Sea | |
The author’s official web site is sam-willis.com