Nastyface, among other accounts. In that, there is not much that the reader with any depth of knowledge of maritime literature will find particularly new. Indeed, therein lies one of Sons of the Waves’s biggest weaknesses. In telling the tale of Jack Tar, Taylor feels compelled to set the scene with background that will already be quite familiar to many readers. No one with a passing knowledge of this history will be much surprised or enlightened to read about how Jack lacked any sort of restraint ashore, or was greatly taken advantage of, or that naval discipline was brutal or life on shipboard harsh. Certainly, the examination of these things is rendered more interesting when read in the sailors’ own words, but they are nonetheless aspects of seafaring life that few who have made a study of maritime history will find terribly unique. Nearly half of Sons of the Waves, unsurprisingly, is devoted to the years of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, the time of Nelson’s Navy and the high-water mark of British naval power. Of that time period, considerable attention
is given to the mutinies at Spithead and the Nore. Again, this is hardly surprising, given that those mutinies represent Jack’s most vocal moment. But the history of the mutinies is a familiar one and has been told many times by many other historians. It is interesting, certainly, to read that tragic story in the words of the men on the lower deck, but it does not make them any less familiar. In the book’s preface, Taylor writes that the British sailor “who emerges bears a surprisingly strong resemblance to the Jack of folklore.” This is certainly true. But it also means that the Jack of Sons of the Waves is a figure already well known to readers of maritime history. This is not to say Sons of the Waves is not a worthy book — it is admirably researched and written, and a pleasure to read. For readers just coming to the naval history of the 18th century, this book will prove a fascinating and enlightening study, but it contains little new for the reader who has long consumed tales of ships and the sea. James Nelson West Harpswell, Maine
Britain’s Island Fortresses: Defence of the Empire, 1756–1956 by Bill Clements (Pen & Sword, South Yorkshire, UK, 2019; 320pp, illus, appen, gloss, notes, biblio, isbn 978-1-52674-030-4; $49.95hc) If you are looking for a detailed account of how Britain erected, maintained, and armed the fortifications of their island possessions, then look no further. Bill Clements’s thoroughly researched book takes you through the planning and construction of some of your better-known locations, from Malta all the way to the remote island of St. Helena where Napoleon was banished. The strength of the British Empire relied largely on the strength of the Royal Navy. Having island bases around the world was crucial to maintaining sea routes and providing safe bases for the watering, provisioning, repair, and bunkering of naval ships. The strategic nature of these bases made them wartime targets, which required their extensive and careful fortification. Located in so many different parts of the world, each necessitated its own individual design and implementation. Clements’s
America’s longest painting in the palm of your hand
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Volume I: The story behind the 1848 Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage ‘Round the World Volume II: The entire 1,275 ft. Panorama reproduced with narrative details store.whalingmuseum.org 508-997-0046 ext. 127
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