Sea Battles in Close-up, the Age of Nelson

There are few more potent images of naval warfare than that of the dying Admiral Lord Nelson at the moment of his greatest triumph, the defeat of the joint French and Spanish fleets at Trafalgar. The triumph at Trafalgar was the culmination of an era of growing British pre-eminence at sea and foreshadowed the increasing power and prestige bestowed on Britain during the 19th century through the domination of the seas by the Royal Navy. Covering many of the most significant naval actions of the second half of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, Sea Battles in Close-up: The Age of Nelson is a fascinating account of the nature of naval warfare in the era of sail and the personalities involved. Initially looking at the organisation and tactics of fighting at sea in the period, the book then examines in detail a number of major engagements. These include Quiberon Bay in 1759, The Nile in 1798 and Lissa in 1811 as well as Trafalgar itself. Also covered is an examination of single-ship actions and the attempts to defeat the Barbary Corsairs. The book is fully illustrated with a superb selection of line drawings, etchings and other contemporary pictures, which graphically explore both the theory and practice of naval combat in the period.