Product Description

Nelson explores the professional, personal, intellectual and practical origins of the 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. The most authoritative biography of Nelson from Britain's foremost naval warfare historian Very well received in hardback A blockbuster paperback edition to reach all fans of historical adventure and military history 2005 is the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #245523 in Books
• Published on: 2005-07-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 356 pages

Review
"'It addresses Nelson's career with energy and good sense.' Max Hastings, Sunday Telegraph 'Good on the influence of sea power on history, and also examines in some detail the two controversial episodes of Nelson's life: his treatment of his wife, Fanny, after leaving her for Emma Hamilton, and his alleged betrayal of the armistice given to the defeated Jacobin rebels at Naples, followed by the execution of the Neapolitan officer Francesco Caracciolo.' Evening Standard 'No previous biography has attempted anything so comprehensive... fascinating' Observer"

About the Author
Andrew Lambert is Professor of Naval History at King's College, London. His books include Trincomalee: the Last of Nelson's Frigates and The Foundations of Naval History, and his history of the British Navy was broadcast on BBC2 in spring 2004.

Customer Reviews

Nelson
This is a good look at the life of Nelson. It focuses on his career, rather than his private life, although these aspect are explored. It also looks at his affect on British warfare and as an Icon of his age. I found it to be a little dry in places (Hence the 4 stars), but the battle scenes were genuinely exciting to read and it was fascinating to read about this national hero. Lambert has obviously done his research for this book, and overall the writing style is easy to read and enjoy. If you like this period of history, or want to learn more about Nelson's life then this is a pretty good starting place.

Kings College London is now 'the' centre for Nelson Studies
This book is as good as Lambert's colleague's book: FOR GOD AND GLORY: LORD NELSON AND HIS WAY OF WAR, by KCL defence lecturer Joel Hayward. King's College London is now certainly outdoing the NMM in terms of innovative Nelson scholarship. Hayward's book was full of new interpretations based on what was then the known body of Nelson documents, and Andrew Lambert's is not so original in interpretations but does draw upon, and illustrate, the New Nelson papers uncovered by Colin White and others. How terrific for Nelson readers like me.

Nelson gets the Lambert Touch
This is one of best biographies I've read, probably because it was written by a top naval historian with no axe to grind except to wrest Nelson from all the over-weighted nonsense that's been made of his affair with Emma Hamilton. Lambert doesn't ignore her: he puts her in context, and sets the record straight on Britain's strategic need for his aiding the King of Naples rather than for any love of Emma.

Lambert does not shy of criticising Nelson's own self-advertising, hypochondria and psychosomatic illnesses, or how he got an early leg up in his career more by patronage than his later claims of it being solely his own hard work and ability. By including all this within the setting of the changing nature of warfare, and the political history and strategic and personal correspondences and so on, Lambert provides a well rounded biography of Nelson and why he is one of this country's greatest heroes.