From the bestselling author of Under the Black Flag comes the definitive biography of the swashbuckling nineteenth-century maritime hero upon whom Jack Aubrey and Horatio Hornblower are based. Nicknamed le loup des mers ("the sea wolf") by Napoleon, Thomas Cochrane was one of the most daring and successful naval heroes of all time. In this fascinating account of Cochrane's life, historian David Cordingly unearths startling new details about the real-life "Master and Commander," from his daring exploits against the French navy to his role in the liberation of Chile, Peru, and Brazil, and the shock exchange scandal that forced him out of England and almost ended his naval career. Drawing on previously unpublished papers, his own travels, wide reading, and the kind of original research that distinguished The Billy Ruffian, Cordingly tells the rip-roaring story of the archetypal romantic hero who conquered the seas and, in the process, defined his era.
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"Really good book. A "must read" for fans of Patrick O'Brian. Cochrane was a complex figure born of the aristocracy that spent his life crusading for liberty while trying to make a buck. Or should I say pound? " — Chris (4 out of 5 stars)
"Really good book. A "must read" for fans of Patrick O'Brian. Cochrane was a complex figure born of the aristocracy that spent his life crusading for liberty while trying to make a buck. Or should I say pound? "
John Lee's deep, booming voice and skill with every accent make him the ideal narrator for an audiobook swimming in a sea of nineteenth-century nautical words.
“Thomas Cochrane was one of the Royal Navy’s greatest frigate captains and most controversial figures during the Napoleonic Wars…Small wonder that Cochrane’s career was a major source of Patrick O’Brian’s popular series, though Cochrane might have considered Jack Aubrey a bit of a bore."
“John Lee’s deep, booming voice and skill with every accent make him the ideal narrator for an audiobook swimming in a sea of nineteenth-century nautical words.”
" Really good book. A "must read" for fans of Patrick O'Brian. Cochrane was a complex figure born of the aristocracy that spent his life crusading for liberty while trying to make a buck. Or should I say pound? "
" A true character. Sea captain, MP, Swindler (The jury's out), Revoltionary. But well written. As thrilling as Hornblower and Aubrey who are based on him. "
" great supplement to my reading of the Hornblower books also supplied history of the liberation of Chile and Peru. This was the day when a sailor may serve in many navies. "
" A good biography of the man said to be the model for Patrick O'Brian's Capt.Jack Aubrey. A good read for Age of Sail fans. "
" That men were once that bold. "
" Very readable account of a hitherto unknown to me Scotsman. "
" Immensely readable biography of the Scottish naval hero on whom many series of books have been based. "
" If you are a fan of the Patrick O'Brien Aubry/MAturin series, this books tells of the real life British hero "Lucky Jack" is based on. "
David Cordingly was keeper of pictures and head of exhibitions at the National Maritime Museum for twelve years, where he organized such exhibitions as “Captain James Cook, Navigator,” “The Mutiny on the Bounty,” and “Pirates: Fact and Fiction.” His books include Life among the Pirates, Heroines and Harlots, and the highly praised The Billy Ruffian. He lives by the sea in Brighton, England.
John Lee is the winner of numerous Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. He has twice won acclaim as AudioFile’s Best Voice in Fiction & Classics. He also narrates video games, does voice-over work, and writes plays. He is an accomplished stage actor and has written and coproduced the feature films Breathing Hard and Forfeit. He played Alydon in the 1963–64 Doctor Who serial The Daleks.
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