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Title: Cochrane: The Life and Exploits of a Fighting Captain by Robert Harvey ISBN: 0-7867-0923-5 Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub. Date: 09 November, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (10 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: An interesting, but biased history
Comment: I bought this book because I wanted to learn more about cutter and brig anti-privateering and sea-land battle tactics. Cochrane was a true master at both of these things, and this book did provide some useful insights.
The author seems on a mission to put Cochrane on a pedestal. He spends too much time sniping at Cochrane's enemies, and whitewashing his misconduct. This makes an otherwise interesting story difficult to read at times.
A much more indepth treatment of how Cochrane achieved his many victories without the political commentary would have been more interesting to me.
Rating: 5
Summary: The greatest sailor - EVER
Comment: What an excellent book, both the content and the delivery! This reads more like a novel than a biography, understandably, as it is the basis for almost all of the Aubrey/Maturin series.
The descriptions of the naval exploits almost defy belief, if they weren't so patently true - and the land-based politicking, double-dealing and chicanery are incredible, only to be corrected half a century later in the Great Reform Act.
The intuitive brilliance of Cochrane as a sea-commander is totally at odds with the gullible naivety of his political career; his devout moral ethics made it very difficult for him to ignore wrongs or slights against himself or any defenseless group (specifically Jack Tar), and he carried his attempts to redress the balance to extremes, putting himself in very real danger, both physically and financially.
His moral stance was such that he was abstemious, never had a man flogged, never lied, never used his position to personal advantage and never philandered (although counter claims have been made in that direction, but it is hard to believe that a man made of such high moral fibre would cuckold another man or his own wife).
This brilliance also extended to inventions, all (I believe) of which he failed to patent, leaving the kudos to others; the Admiralty failed him in ignoring his suggestions and it was only off his own bat that the advantages were seen (explosive ships, steam vessels etc).
Mr.Harvey covers all this in a very readable style, elaborating in detail on some of the more important episodes in Cochrane's life, but never boring us. He includes snippets from Cochrane's autobiography, where we see his droll, laconic prose used to great effect (particularly in antagonising the Admiralty against him).
In contrast to Nelson, whose claim to fame was by some very suspect naval maneuvres with huge losses of life and parading himself round Britain & Europe, Cochrane stands out head and shoulders higher, in terms of naval brilliance, invention, support for the underdog, attacking jobbery, and humility.
He deserves to be re-instated as the finest sailor EVER. *****
Rating: 2
Summary: too much of some, not enough of the other
Comment: This biography makes too much of the "enemies" that Cochrane made in his career, and how they brought him down. But frankly, I was left thinking that like many heroes throughout the ages, he too had feet of clay - fabulous at sea, and an idiot on land, (and undoubtably a crook too).
As the title of the book is the "life and exploits of a fighting captain" I would have appreciated more of the exploits (and flavour) of his expeditions than were laid out.
However, it did introduce me to someone besides Nelson (and his Captains etc) who was lionized (then forgotten at home) and who may be more famous today in Chile and Brazil than England.
Worth the read, but don't expect too much depth.
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Title: Lord Cochrane, Seaman, Radical, Liberator: A Life of Thomas, Lord Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald (Heart of Oak Sea Classics Series) by Christopher Lloyd ISBN: 080505569X Publisher: Owl Books Pub. Date: October, 1998 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: The Autobiography of a Seaman by Admiral Lord Cochrane ISBN: 1585740616 Publisher: The Lyons Press Pub. Date: 01 March, 2000 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Broadsides: The Age of Fighting Sail, 1775-1815 by Nathan Miller ISBN: 0471078352 Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Pub. Date: 31 August, 2001 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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Title: The Sea Wolf: The Life of Admiral Cochrane by Ian Grimble ISBN: 184158035X Publisher: Birlinn Ltd Pub. Date: November, 2000 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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Title: Patrick O'Brian's Navy: The Illustrated Companion to Jack Aubrey's World by Richard O'Neill, Chris Chant, David Miller, Clive, Dr., Phd Wilkinson ISBN: 0762415401 Publisher: Running Press Pub. Date: March, 2004 List Price(USD): $30.00 |
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