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Maybe someday
40
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
63/100Critics
17/100Scholars
Author:
Stephen Taylor
Publisher:
Yale University Press
Date:
May 19, 2020
A fresh history of the common seaman in the age of sail, and his role in Britain's trade, exploration, and warfare.
What The Reviewers Say
Taylor uses memoirs, diaries and letters to let seamen and officers speak, as far as possible, for themselves. Usually plain, though sometimes literary and poetic, their words conjure visions for us. Some are glimpses of all-too-frequent horror.
...[a] rollicking narrative of life at sea in the age of sail.
This is not a book for naval buffs interested in grand strategy, tactics or the majestic ships of the Royal Navy, much less their captains. Besides muster rolls, ships’ logs and court-martial proceedings, Mr. Taylor relies heavily upon seamen’s memoirs, of which some dozen afford full-length accounts, augmented by shorter written recollections. No other book resurrects the wooden world of Jack Tar in such captivating and voluminous detail.
