Letters From America


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The Private Papers of John, Earl of Sandwich


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The Fourth Earl of Sandwich was First Lord of the Admiralty (for the third time in his long career) from 1771 to 1782. Blamed by the Whig opposition for many of the disasters of the American War, he was additionally loaded by 19th-century Whig historians with the false image of a corrupt libertine. It was the publication of these volumes of his correspondence and papers (then in the family home, now in the National Maritime Museum), covering the years 1771 to 1782, which restored his reputation as a conscientious and imaginative naval administrator and reformer, especially of the dockyards and of the timber question. Without entirely rescuing his status as a strategist, they showed very clearly the weaknesses at the heart of the North administration which damaged its handling of the war, and undermined Sandwich’s efforts. A fifth volume intended to cover his handling of naval patronage was overtaken by the war. This volume is from 1781 to 1782. The planned fifth volume was never completed.




The Spectator


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Nelson


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'Fascinating . . . Shot through with fresh insights . . . No previous biography has attempted anything so comprehensive.' ObserverNelson is a thrilling new appraisal of Horatio Nelson, the greatest practitioner of naval command the world has ever seen. It explores the professional, personal, intellectual and practical origins of one man's genius, to understand how the greatest warrior that Britain has ever produced transformed the art of conflict, and enabled his country to survive the challenge of total war and international isolation. In Nelson, Andrew Lambert - described by David Cannadine as 'the outstanding British naval historian of his generation' - is able to offer new insights into the individual quality which led Byron rightly to celebrate Nelson's genius as 'Britannia's God of War'. He demonstrates how Admiral Nelson elevated the business of naval warfare to the level of the sublime. Nelson's unique gift was to take that which other commanders found complex, and reduce it to simplicity. Where his predecessors and opponents saw a particular battle as an end in itself, Nelson was always a step ahead - even in the midst of terrifying, close-quarters action, with officers and men struck down all around him. 'Excellent . . . Worthy of the stirring events [it celebrates].' Independent




The English Catalogue of Books [annual]


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Vols. for 1898-1968 include a directory of publishers.




The Trafalgar Chronicle


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The Trafalgar Chronicle, sponsored by The 1805 Club, is the publication of choice for new research about the Georgian Navy, sometimes called ‘Nelson’s Navy’, though its scope includes all the sailing navies of the period from 1714 to 1837. Our expert contributors for 2022 reside in the UK, US, Canada, and Denmark. Their contributions tell stories of drama, political intrigue, daring, ingenuity, war, and adventure on the world’s oceans. This year’s volume is based on the theme of scientific and technological advances in the navies of the Georgian era. Theme-related articles document aspects of the Industrial Revolution, describing developments, innovations, and inventions in manufacturing, engineering, gunnery and armaments, charting and navigation, sailing tactics, shipboard medicine, and explorations of the natural world. In the tradition of recent editions, the 2022 Trafalgar Chronicle also contains biographical sketches of Nelson’s contemporaries: Sir Harry Neale and George Matcham, brother-in-law to Lord Nelson. Two additional topics of general interest include a new perspective on single ship actions in the War of 1812 and a riveting tale of a futile Danish Navy expedition to Morocco in 1751. Handsomely illustrated, this issue will make a fascinating and admired addition to any naval history library.