false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178781951m/837092.jpg 837092 3 In the late 18th century, it was widely thought that to be a sailor was little better than to be a slave. "No man will be a sailor," wrote Samuel Johnson, "who has contrivance enough to get himself into jail. A man in jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company."<p> If that were true, historian Nathan Miller suggests, then the record of sailing in the age of tall ships would likely be distinguished by few heroes and fewer grand narratives. He counters that in the regular navies of England, the fledgling United States, and most other nations, brutal captains and thuggish crewmen were rare, and professionalism was the order of the day. It was their high standard of service that made those naval forces such powerful, even indispensable arms of the land-based military. Miller's great hero throughout this fine history is Horatio Nelson, whose valor was exemplary throughout countless battles around the world. But he writes with equal admiration of lesser-known figures, such as Lambert Wickes, Pierre de Villeneuve, Juan de Cordova, and "Foul Weather Jack" Byron, who served their nations and fellow sailors well, and often heroically.<p> <I>Broadsides</I> is an entertaining, illuminating history sure to please fans of Patrick O'Brian and C. S. Forester. <I>--Gregory McNamee</I> 822701 2000 Broadsides: The Age of Fighting Sail, 1775-1815 total:15|5:4|4:9|3:2|2:0|1:0| 15 62 23 1 4 1 false false Fri Jun 26 20:00:40 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 26 20:00:59 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Nov 15 00:04:39 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 15 00:04:39 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Fri Sep 18 10:21:57 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 18 10:21:57 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sun Sep 13 11:27:00 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 13 11:27:00 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sat Sep 12 10:23:41 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 12 10:23:41 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Wed Aug 26 16:11:25 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 26 16:11:25 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Tue Aug 25 06:50:36 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 25 06:50:36 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Aug 18 19:54:08 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 18 19:54:08 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Fri Jan 30 11:28:10 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 23 13:31:19 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Fri Jan 23 08:26:44 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 23 08:26:44 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Fri Jan 16 14:20:15 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 16 14:20:18 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sun Jan 11 04:32:53 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 11 04:32:53 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Mon Mar 02 18:03:12 -0800 2009 Fri Dec 26 11:51:33 -0800 2008 Mon Mar 02 18:03:12 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Tue Dec 09 06:06:37 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 09 06:06:37 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Thu Nov 13 14:34:44 -0800 2008 Thu Nov 13 14:34:44 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Sat Oct 11 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Oct 04 21:07:52 -0700 2008 Tue Oct 14 21:22:09 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Mon Sep 08 07:14:48 -0700 2008 Sun Nov 09 17:45:52 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Wed Nov 21 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Tue Jun 17 19:01:26 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 17 19:01:26 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Sun May 11 21:27:33 -0700 2008 Sun May 11 21:27:33 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Sat Apr 05 20:11:18 -0700 2008 Sat Apr 05 20:11:18 -0700 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=837092