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The War for All the Oceans: From Nelson at the Nile to Napoleon at Waterloo | 
 enlarge | Authors: Roy Adkins, Lesley Adkins
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Category: Book
List Price: $17.00
Buy New: $3.45
You Save: $13.55 (80%)
New (28) Used (8) from $3.45
Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 1098165
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 560
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.3
ISBN: 0143113925
Dewey Decimal Number: 359
EAN: 9780143113928
ASIN: 0143113925
Publication Date: July 29, 2008
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Condition: Brand new.Gift quality.In stock and ready to ship now.
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Product Description
As he did with his much lauded Nelsons Trafalgar, Roy Adkins (now writing with wife Lesley) again thrusts readers into the perils and thrills of early-nineteenth-century warfare. From its very first page, this is an adventure storya superb account of the naval war that lasted from Napoleons seizure of power in 1798 to the War of 1812 with the United States. Providing a ringside seat to the decisive battles, as well as detailed and vivid portraits of sailors and commanders, press-gangs, prostitutes, and spies, The War for All the Oceans is a rollicking, patriotic account of the Napoleonic wars that will go down well with Master and Commander fans (The Telegraph).
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 A War for all the Oceans July 8, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Excellent book about the Napoleonic war period and the influence of the Royal Navy on all the campaigns of the period, preventing trade to France and harrasing those allied to Napoleon
 Try elsewhere January 4, 2008
6 out of 11 found this review helpful
Ok I really wanted to enjoy this book, but that was not the case. As someone who has read "The Naval Chronicle" and "A Naval History of Great Britain", by James, I was surprised to discover that what I was reading in "The War for all the Oceans" were just extended extracts from both "The Naval Chronicle" and "A Naval History of Great Britain", with no synthesis offered by the Adkins'. The most shocking aspect was p. 165 footnote, where the authors refers you to "Trafalgar The Biography of a Battle", by Roy Adkins for an account of the battle of Trafalgar. That was a bit much, to write a history of naval warfare in the Napoleonic Age and not cover the battle of Trafalgar is quite bush league. It would be like the Battle of Midway being excluded, from the book "Two Ocean War" because Morrison had already covered the material in a previous naval history. I am surprised that the publisher allowed the Adkins' to do that. I am hoping that the book "The Line Upon a Wind: An Intimate History of the Last and Greatest War Fought at Sea Under Sail", by Mostert is more fulfilling.
An Attempt to Hang Onto the Bandwagon January 2, 2008
3 out of 8 found this review helpful
The "War for all the Oceans" appears to have been rushed to publication to catch the wave of enthusiasm for Patrick O'Brian's multi-volume naval adventure epic. There are some rolicking good chapters, such as the account of Lord Cochrane's capture of the "Gamo," the Battle of the Nile and the seige of Acre. But much of the account lacks the context one would expect in a broad survey and the book often digresses into obscure episodes, such as the escape of British sailors from French prisons, while slighting major events such as the battle of Trafalgar.
An excellent historical account November 20, 2007
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
The book is well researched and well written. It is the best historical account I have found for the time period in question. It provides some significant details omitted from other accounts.
The book starts with a prologue giving a description of the action between the Brig sloop Speedy, under the command of then commander Lord Cochrane, and the Spanish frigate Gamo resulting in the amazing capture of the Gamo. This is a much better account then what I found in Cochrane's own autobiography (which is surprising considering he was not known for his modesty). The book then proceeds with action starting in 1798 with Captain Sir William Sidney Smith's escape from captivity in Paris, and General Napoleon Bonaparte's descent on Egypt which resulted in the Battle of the Nile (Admiral Nelson victorious), and the defense of Acre (Captain Smith victorious - the only military setback of Napoleon on land prior to his retreat from Moscow).
The book is mainly about naval action, but includes details of some significant land campaigns starting with the aforementioned defense of Acre. It covers various actions up through 1815 including the war between England and the United States (there is a good account, for example, of the Battle of New Orleans). There is some commentary on the political situations of the time period.
There are some helpful details on other aspects of the war, including the Hot Press of 1803 when England needed to man its ships in a hurry. Men and boys were snatched off the street, out of theaters, off ships, from their jobs, etc., with no regard to their occupations, naval experience (if any) and other commitments. In some cases there were pitched battles with townsmen.
There are also some details of atrocities. The French advance up the coast from Alexandria was accompanied by the French massacre of Turkish prisoners. The Turks reciprocated in kind by torturing and beheading French prisoners. There is also an account of the deliberate massacre of American prisoners held in Dartmoor Prison in 1815, after the war had ended.
It might be noted that this was a time period when officers still led from the front, and many officers including Admirals and Generals were killed or wounded. When Admiral Nelson commanded the British fleet at the Nile, he was blind in one eye and missing an arm as the result of earlier actions.
There are some side discussion of interest, including the relationship between Admiral Nelson and Lady Hamilton. Overall it is a very good reference book for anyone studying the period. There are footnotes to various references, a listing of recommended reading, and an extensive bibliography at the end of the book. There is also an index, and the book contains various maps and illustrations.
Gives you the feel of what it was like to be a sailor 200 years ago. October 18, 2007
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
To me, history can be done well in a couple of ways. The first provides a clear point-by-point time line and narrative of how a series of events unfolded. While this book has a little of that, it isn't where it excels. This book succeeds tremendously on the second front; giving its reader a tangible sense of what the lives of British and French naval sailors and officers were like around 1800.
Adkins obviously spent a lot of time looking for first-hand accounts of each of the events in the book. He quotes from the journals and manuscripts of the people who were actually present in the battles, prisons and treaty signings to put you right into the action. You really get a feel for what it was like to be firing a cannon on a British ship as the French fired back. You understand the hesitation and the commitment of officers as they make decisions in the heat of battles.
The book really doesn't do as good a job of conveying the ebb and flow of the Napoleonic Wars, but I don't think that is its goal. Interestingly, Adkins seems to switch into that mode when he moves over from the war in Europe to the War of 1812 versus the United States. He does it quite well.
This book would need to be great on both fronts to get five stars, but I recommend it highly as a very solid four star book that will put you on board a naval vessel in 1800.
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