Memoirs of a seafaring life the narrative of william spavens

by William Spavens

Part of a series of naval and sea-life memoirs, this title offers an alternative to the usual top-down history, and has much to say on the topic of press gangs. It includes an eyewitness account of Hawke's great victory in Quiberon Bay in 1759.

Genres: History, Memoir, Naval History, Nonfiction

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1796

Reviews

[James Kinsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, so yes, the 'Introduction to Geography' section is so dry, the eyes sometimes slide right off the page, and the language and sentence structure render some passages very hard work. But, as an insight into the life of a regular seaman in the 1750s and 1760s, this is fascinating. The way Spavens comes to life in his own writing; the straightforward way he relates his adventures (including being pressganged, jumping ship, being a prisoner of the Dutch); the level of education he's clearly had, which is way beyond what one would imagine men of his standing to have received; his 'Brief Description of Several Countries' - that this document, from this time, exists is a treasure. And any history fan of this era should devour it, as I did.

[Todd Kruse · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read but editors should have added some white space and sub-headings to better guide readers.

While the original artwork was interesting I would have liked to see Folio Society add a map detailing his world travels