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Jack Aubrey Commands
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For some of us the highlight of the month is the release of a film…….sad isn't it? However if you have the slightest interest in Napoleonic naval history, the release of Master and Commander is as important as The Return of the King to the fantasy fan.
The film is based on the stories of the late Patrick O'Brian, a master storyteller, and craftsman in the use of language. His heroes, Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, are a strangely matched pair, Aubrey a consummate seaman and a talented leader full of life and hungry for adventure, while Maturin is highly intelligent, quiet, disgusted by killing but with a fierce hatred of Napoleon and his imperial ambitions. Unlike Hornblower, Aubrey is no comic book hero, and the books delve into immense detail about naval and civilian life, and do not baulk at the tedium and boredom engendered by long uneventful voyages.
It remain to be seen if Peter weir, the film's director, and Russell Crowe, who plays Jack Aubrey will be able to capture the spirit and detail present in O'Brian's writing. One thing that is sure is that Weir has a reputation for concentration on detail, and he
liases closely in preparing for this project with one of the best known writers and greatest experts on the naval affairs of the period, Brian Lavery.
Brian is curator of ship technology at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. He is the author of numerous works on the period, and his Nelson's Navy, the Ships, Men and Organisation 1793-1815, is not only an international bestseller, but also widely recognised at the authoritative work on the subject. Adding to his reputation is the latest release from Conway Maritime Press "Jack Aubrey Commands - An historical companion to the Naval World of Patrick O'Brian".
Those who have had the pleasure of reading "Master and Commander" may recall that a large portion of the book is a explanation, or even an glossary, of the myriad of naval terms, ships rope, spars, and
paraphernalia. This is essential to maintain an understanding of what is happening as the tale unfolds. Lavery has taken this idea and expanded it, adding a profusion of illustrations and diagrams to explain the technicalities of sailing an 18/19th century sailing warship.
The Chapter Headings give a good indication of the breadth of this book. Naval fact and Fiction, The World of the Seaman, The Ships, Officers, The Lower Deck, Techniques, Life at Sea, Enemies and Allies, The Navy in Action, The Experiences of War, capped off with extensive footnotes bibliography and glossary. So the subject can be seen to be extensively covered, but what about the depth? Is this just another coffee table volume, glossy and nice to look at, but as satisfying as a cream cracker to a hungry man?
Well it may not have the intricacy of detail of some of Lavery's other works, and it may not provide blow by blow accounts of bloody battles that can be found in James' History, but it holds a wealth of information. I have been reading naval fiction since I was ten, and have been studying works of non-fiction, both in the recounting of naval actions in contemporary and modern accounts and technical volumes since I was twelve. Even so I found much of interest in this book, either in the way that familiar knowledge was presented, as well as a few new nuggets I had not seen before.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good introduction to Napoleonic naval history, or who is trying to decipher the technical phrases and
manoeuvres described in sets of naval wargames rules! An excellent addition to the Christmas list!
JOS
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