Men-of-War

January 1, 1996
O'Brian, author of the Aubrey/Maturin sea novels (e.g., The Commodore, Norton, 1995), has compiled this 96-page collection of facts on Lord Nelson's navy. The author describes the ships, guns, crew's life, and songs of the sailors. Most of this information can be found elsewhere and none of it will be new to dedicated naval buffs. Readers of the novels of Dudley Pope, C.S. Forester, and O'Brian who are interested in the difference in armament between frigates and men-of-war or the daily rations of sailors in Nelson's time may find this of value. At $23, it would seem suitable for libraries with strong collections in naval history.--Stanley Itkin, Hillside P.L., New Hyde Park, N.Y.

December 1, 1995
O'Brian's 17-volume series of fictional sea sagas (latest: "The Commodore" ) reflects his drawing power, and for his fans comes this description of the warships in which his protagonists Aubrey and Maturin tooled around the world. British warships were the acme of wooden-ship technology, and O'Brian, with the assistance of drawings, takes a word tour through the rigging and innards of ships of the various classes, from swift frigates to lumbering 100-gun monsters. Then he details the smoky, noisy scene of firing the guns, followed by the story of the crew's routine when not girding for battle. Regarding the men, O'Brian outlines an officer's career from midshipman to admiral and contrasts that with the miserable lot of sailors rounded up by the press gang. Their main solace was grog and ballads, which O'Brian helpfully encloses (the lyrics, that is, readers must furnish their own rum). With numerous contemporary color paintings of battle scenes, this overview sails merrily in the wake of O'Brian's seagoing soap operas. ((Reviewed December 1, 1995))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1995, American Library Association.)