audiobook Madness; Betrayal and the Lash by Stephen Bown in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Triumph and Tragedy: The Life of George VancouverBy John A MeyerA fascinating picture of the battle for dominance of the Northwest and Hawaiian Islands during the late 18th century. England had lost the colonies but was still active in exploring and settling the areas from southern Oregon to Vancouver and the trade routes to the Orient. Spain was in decline and the US was adventurous but inexperienced at colonizing.George Vancouver had at the age of thirteen accompanied Captain James Cook on his epic voyage to the south seas. Now he was the commanding officer of a ship charged with exploring and charting the west coast of the U.S. This history recounts the grueling life at sea from long passages between ports with rotting food; to scurvy and other illnesses to cold wet sleeping conditions. Bown says the life of a sailor in the those days was brutal and short. Vancouver's life itself was a tragedy. After an unprecedented voyage; he returned home expecting to be famous; but was overshadowed by war and a rival who dedicated his life to destroying him;.A good read.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Some Madness maybe; Betrayal in part; and a lot of Lash. Life in the Royal Navy in 1790.By Mark T. Patterson IIThis is a refreshing account of a man who history has forgotten notwithstanding all the names given by him and other people encountered in the book to places on the Pacific Northwest Coast. The work also gives one a glimpse into life in the Royal Navy at the time of the American Revolution; the mutiny on the Bounty; and the commencement of the Napoleonic wars.Captain Vancouver also played a role in the British relationship across the Pacific as well; according to Brown; who clearly has researched his topic well.For the historian who prefers to look at a period of time as a slice and compare what was going on this book works well. Not everything from 1770 to 1800 is covered of course; but the reader can get a sense of the forces and knowledge that lead Vancouver to make the decisions he did during his voyages.I drop a star because the title is apparently chosen to sell the book. He could leave out the three elements mentioned; Madness et. al; and I still would have purchased the book.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Madness;Betrayal and the lash:the epic voyage of george vancouverBy geojimI have always enjoyed accounts of exploratory expeditions such as the Lewis and Clark expedition. This book is exactly an exploratory expedition story! Exactly what interests me. The reason that I became particularly interested in Vancouver is because I saw a small monument citing his travels. This monument is on Maui along the south shore between a major thoroughfare and the beach .Jim