audiobook Jack Tar by Roy Adkins in History

Review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. In a word -- Superb!By lscollisonThe Adkins' book; Jack Tar: The extraordinary lives of ordinary seamen in Nelson's navy; is a welcome addition to my naval history library and I've given it a special place on the "frequently used" shelf alongside N.A.M. Rodger's The Wooden World: An Anatomy of the Georgian Navy. The husband-and-wife archaeologists Roy and Lesley Adkins have collaborated on four books and have written others independently. Having read two of them (Jack Tar and Roy's Nelson's Trafalgar: The Battle That Changed the World) I will certainly be reading more by these historians.Jack Tar is a beautiful piece of historical writing. The authors incorporate so many first hand accounts of officers and seamen - well chosen bits of letters; logs; and diaries - all of which bring the ship to life without the authors ever having to add imagined detail or other intrusions. The result is imagery so real it often seems to jump off the page. The authors' skillfully include all the angles of life aboard a British sailing ship during the "Age of Nelson"; adding bits of explanation and insight where necessary. The result is a complete and compelling experience of the British warship during this period. Chapter notes; bibliography; index; timeline; charts and other images make this a valuable resource for writers as well as readers of history and maritime fiction.Jack Tar is one of the best nonfiction books in my maritime library; alongside Nelson's Trafalgar: The Battle That Changed the World (Roy Adkins)and the work of N.A.M. Rodgers. Although there is some overlap in the material presented in Jack Tar and Nelson's Trafalgar; these books have different scopes and neither is redundant for the naval enthusiast. For the more general reader looking for just one book covering the period and depicting life aboard a British warship I would recommend Jack Tar.I will certainly be referring to the Adkins' work and re-reading for pleasure and amazement the "extraordinary lives of ordinary seamen in Nelson's navy."In a word; superb.Linda Collison; author of Barbados Bound (Patricia McPherson Nautical Adventure) and SURGEON'S MATE: Book Two of the Patricia MacPherson Nautical Adventure Series4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Ordinary Seaman; Extraordinary LivesBy Richard E. SpilmanJack Tar: Life in Nelson's Navy by Roy Leslie Adkins; subtitled "the extraordinary lives of ordinary seamen in Nelson's navy" is a fascinating look into life aboard British war ships during the Napoleonic wars.One of the criticism of many books addressing Nelson's time are that they either romanticize or are overly harsh is their descriptions of conditions aboard the ships of the Royal Navy. Jack Tar does neither. It provides a wealth of detail and description; which neither glorifies nor vilifies the complexity and contradiction of life aboard a man of war. The image that emerges is full and nuanced; sketching the mix of culture and rank in the teeming and cramped society that was a King's ship.Beyond an introductory note to provide the reader an historical timeline and a bit of background about the ships themselves; Jack Tar stays focused exclusively on the seamen and officers of the fleet. In a literal sense; Jack Tar gives the long lost lost sailors voice; by the extensive use of letters; excerpts from diaries; and official reports. The hopes; fears; concerns; grievances and often wry humor of the seamen and their officers come through vividly to a modern reader.We hear the stories told by pressed men; carried away from their homes or from merchant ships; as well as sailor's complaints about food; both the monotony and quantity. We read of fogs and bad weather and storms and ship's sinking. Likewise; in the Chapter "A Wife in Every Port" we hear of the women aboard ships; the legions of prostitutes and even a few wives; rowed out to be with their men while the ships were at anchor. The sailors were rarely allowed ashore to prevent desertion.There are chapters on shipboard routine and discipline; on sailing with convoys and the results of enemy capture; of shipboard medicine and surgery; as well as leisure time. We also see the ships and sailors in bloody battle. The details are vivid and the prose is gripping. The final chapter addresses victory; prize money and finally peace; when the Royal Navy; which employed 145;000 dropped to less than 20;000 in 1817; sending many thousands of sailors ashore without employment or prospects.Roy Leslie Adkins are both archaeologists; historians and authors. Individually and as a team they have written numerous books over a wide range of historical or archeological topics. Roy Adkin's Nelson's Trafalgar: The Battle That Changed the World is widley admired as is Leslie Adkin's Empires of the Plain: Henry Rawlinson and the Lost Languages of Babylon. In 2008 they teamed up to write; The War for All the Oceans: From Nelson at the Nile to Napoleon at Waterloo and wrote Jack Tar in 2009. Available in Great Britain; it has only recently become available in paperback in the United States.Jack Tar is immersive and fascinating. Highly recommended.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. To enjoy this book you do NOT need an interest in ...By M. SmithTo enjoy this book you do NOT need an interest in sailing; Lord Nelson's navy; the Napoleonic wars; etc.. If you enjoy the backstories the history books don't cover; learning about the day to day experiences of people of a certain eras; and the fun stuff that doesn't find its way into scholarly print; you'll enjoy Jack Tar. There is nothing boring about the way Roy and Lesley Adkins write about past lives and events; in fact; they bring it all to life!