The starting point of Roger Knight's magnificent new biography is to explain how Nelson achieved such extraordinary success. Knight places him firmly in the context of the Royal Navy at the time. He analyses Nelson's more obvious qualities, his leadership strengths and his coolness and certainty in battle, and also explores his strategic grasp, the condition of his ships, the skill of his seamen and his relationships with the officers around him - including those who could hardly be called friendly. This biography takes a cool look at Nelson's status as a hero and demolishes many of the myths that were so carefully established by the early authors, and repeated by their modern successors. Nelson was a shrewd political operator who charmed and impressed political leaders and whose advancement was helped by the relatively weak generation of admirals above him. He was a difficult subordinate, only happy when completely in command, and capable of great ruthlessness. He was flawed, but brilliant - and not to be crossed.

Pursuit of Victory: The Life And Achievement Of Horatio Nelson

Biographies & Memoirs

Knight, Roger

Historical

Penguin Uk

From Roger Knight, established by the multi-award winning The Pursuit of Victory as 'an authority ... none of his rivals can match' (N.A.M. Rodger), Britain Against Napoleon is the first book to explain how the British state successfully organised itself to overcome Napoleon - and how very close it came to defeat For more than twenty years after 1793, the French army was supreme in continental Europe. How was it that despite multiple changes of government and the assassination of a Prime Minister, Britain survived and eventually won a generation-long war against a regime which at its peak in 1807 commanded many times the resources and manpower? This book looks beyond the familiar exploits (and bravery) of the army and navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. It shows the degree to which, because of the magnitude and intensity of hostilities, the capacities of the whole British population were involved: industrialists, farmers, shipbuilders, gunsmiths and gunpowder manufacturers. The intelligence war was also central; but no participants were more important, Knight argues, than the bankers and international traders of the City of London, without whom the armies of Britain's allies could not have taken the field. ROGER KNIGHT was Deputy Director of the National Maritime Museum until 2000, and now teaches at the Greenwich Maritime Institute at the University of Greenwich. In 2005 he published, with Allen Lane/Penguin, The Pursuit of Victory: the life and achievement of Horatio Nelson, which won the Duke of Westminster's Medal for Military History, the Mountbatten Award and the Anderson Medal of the Society for Nautical Research. The present book is a culmination of his life-long interest in the workings of the late eighteenth-century British state. 'Superb' - Spectator

Britain Against Napoleon: The Organization Of Victory; 1793-1815

History

Military

William IV, 'the Sailor King', is best known for his naval career and for living for 20 years with the actress Mrs. Jordan, with whom he had 10 children. Knight's book shows that William was pretty much a disaster in whatever field he found himself.

William IV: A King at Sea (Penguin Monarchs)

Allen Lane.

William IV (Penguin Monarchs)

Penguin

Convoys: The British Struggle Against Napoleonic Europe and America

During the Napoleonic Wars thousands of merchant ships crisscrossed narrow seas and wide oceans, protected by Britain's warships. These were wars of attrition and raw materials had to reach their shores continuously: timber and hemp from the Baltic, sulfur from Sicily, and saltpeter from Bengal. Britain's fate rested on the strength of its economy--and convoys played a vital role in securing victory. &nbsp; Leading naval historian Roger Knight examines how convoys ensured the protection of trade and transport of troops, allowing Britain to take the upper hand. Detailing the many hardships these ships faced, from the shortage of seaman to the vicissitudes of the weather, Knight sheds light on the innovation and seamanship skills that made convoys such an invaluable tool in Britain's arsenal. The convoy system laid the foundation for Britain's narrow victory over Napoleon and his allies in 1815 and, in doing so, established its naval and mercantile power at sea for a hundred years.

Europe

Yale University Press

How did Horatio Nelson achieve such extraordinary success? In this authoritative biography, the eminent scholar Roger Knight places him firmly in the context of the Royal Navy of the time. Nelson was passionate and relentless from the outset of his career; his charisma and his coolness in battle are legendary. But his success depended also on the strength of intelligence available to him, the quality of the ships he commanded, the potency of his guns, and the skill of his seamen. Based on a vast array of new sources, this biography demolishes many of the myths that have for two centuries surrounded Nelson. Knight demonstrates that this great Romantic hero was in his time a shrewd political operator and often a difficult subordinate. He was occasionally naive, often impatient, and only happy when completely in command. Readers will emerge from this biography with a greatly enriched understanding of this singular man-one who was brilliant, severely flawed, and never to be crossed. Errata pp. 638 - 665: http://www.perseusbookspromos.com/docs/KnightErrataPP638-665.pdf

The Pursuit of Victory: The Life and Achievement of Horatio Nelson

Basic Books

Destined to be the definitive account of Horatio Nelson's life for generations, the dazzling biography greatly enriches our understanding of this extraordinary man.

Edwin Muir: An Introduction to His Work (Longman Paperback)

Edwin Muir: An Introduction to His Work

Literature & Fiction

Addison-Wesley

Shipped from UK, please allow 10 to 21 business days for arrival. Very Good, FIRST EDITION. ALLEN LANE / PENGUIN, LONDON, 2005. A very good, near fine copy in red cloth boards, gilt title to front cover and spine, with a very good dust jacket. DJ in a clear protective wrapper. Roger Knight. xxxv, 873 p., 24 p. of plates, ill. (some co

Nelson: A New Biography

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Knight, Roger. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Knight, Roger

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Knight, Roger. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Pursuit of Victory: The Life And Achievement Of Horatio Nelson

Britain Against Napoleon: The Organization Of Victory; 1793-1815

William IV: A King at Sea (Penguin Monarchs)

William IV (Penguin Monarchs)

Convoys: The British Struggle Against Napoleonic Europe and America

Convoys: The British Struggle Against Napoleonic Europe and America

The Pursuit of Victory: The Life and Achievement of Horatio Nelson

The Pursuit of Victory: The Life and Achievement of Horatio Nelson

Edwin Muir: An Introduction to His Work

Nelson: A New Biography