Quarterdeck Historical Fiction Newsletter June 2009

Qu arte rd eck

Interviews: Geoff Hunt Roy & Lesley Adkins

May/June 2009

CONTENTS May/June 2009

DEPARTMENTS 3

Scuttlebutt The latest in news about authors and forthcoming titles in nautical and historical fiction.

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By George! Bookshelf The Frigate Surprise by Brian Lavery and Geoff Hunt.

FEATURES 6

Geoff Hunt English marine artist Geoff Hunt chats about his career and new book, The Frigate Surprise, produced in collaboration with naval historian Brian Lavery.

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Roy and Lesley Adkins British naval historians and archaeologists Roy and Lesley Adkins describe their approach to researching and writing about the Age of Fighting Sail.

RECENT ARRIVALS 14

Toll-Free Order Line: 1-888-BOOKS11 (1-888-266-5711) Tel: (607) 272-2114 Fax: (607) 273-6068 Email: [email protected] Website: www.mcbooks.com

Geoff Hunt’s Eyes.

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Quarterdeck is published by McBooks Press, Inc. ID Booth Building 520 North Meadow Street Ithaca NY, 14850

Zulu Hart by Saul David Veil of Lies by Jeri Westerson Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell

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The Killing Way by Tony Hays Blood Rock by James Jackson Captain Rawson Series by Edward Marston

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Oathsworn Novels by Robert Low Under Enemy Colors by S. Thomas Russell

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Billy Boyle World War II Mysteries

Our telephone lines are normally open Monday-Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time.

PUBLISHER Alexander Skutt [email protected] QUARTERDECK EDITOR George Jepson 269-372-4673 [email protected] EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Jackie Swift [email protected] CUSTOMER SERVICE DIRECTOR Robin Cisne [email protected] IT DIRECTOR [email protected]

Prices are subject to change without notice.

Cover: Detail from Flying Kites HMS Surprise by Geoff Hunt (© Geoff Hunt), which appears on the cover of The Frigate Surprise by Brian Lavery and Geoff Hunt (see page 5).

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SCUTTLEBUTT DEWEY LAMBDIN Nashville-based author Dewey Lambdin reports that he is working with his St. Martin’s Press editor on the final manuscript of King, Ship and Sword, the sixteenth Alan Lewrie naval adventure, which is scheduled for publication in February 2010. The Dewey Lambdin book follows The Baltic Gambit, which is currently available in a hardcover edition. A new McBooks Press trade paperback edition of HMS Cockerel, book six in the Alan Lewrie series, is now available. GEORGE D. JEPSON The June issue of WoodenBoat magazine features an article by Quarterdeck Editor George Jepson on the history of Great Lakes schooners during the 1800s. The magazine is now available on newstands. Jepson also has written profiles of two wooden vessels, which will appear in WoodenBoat Magazine’s Small Boats 2010 issue, which will be on newstands in December.

N EW B OO K P UB LI C ATI O N D ATES 2009 - 2010 US (United States) UK (United Kingdom) PB (Paperback) TPB (Trade Paperback) HC (Hardcover)

May The Frigate Surprise (USHC) by Geoff Hunt and Brian Lavery The Tide of War (UKHC) by Seth Hunter The Hawk (UKPB) by Peter Smalley Contentious Captains (USHC) by Louis Norton

JAMES L. NELSON James L. Nelson, Maine-based author of the Revolution at Sea Saga and maritime historian, presented a talk in March at the Prizker Military Library in Chicago, IL. Nelson spoke on his most recent naval history, George Washington’s Navy. The entire talk is available to view on line at the Pritzker Military Library’s website at (www.pritzkermilitarylibrary.org), or as a podcast, which may be downloaded from the Pritzker site. Nelson is currently writing a new history, George Washington’s Great Gamble, which discusses how Washington, whose understanding of the need for a naval force was chronicled in George Washington’s Secret Navy, finally understood that the Revolutionary War was not going to be won without naval supremacy. S. THOMAS RUSSELL Vancouver Island-based novelist S. Thomas Russell is at work on the sequel to Under Enemy Colors. The book’s working title is The Corsican. No date of publication has been announced.

June The Glory Boys (UKPB) by Douglas Reeman

July The Gathering Storm (UKHC) by Peter Smalley Julian Stockwin’s Maritime Miscellany (UKHC) by Julian Stockwin

October Invasion (USHC) by Julian Stockwin The Privateer’s Revenge (USTPB) by Julian Stockwin

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BY GEORGE!

Geoff Hunt’s Eyes ...

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n an autumn evening in the early 1990s, I stopped by J.R. Rollins, my favorite independent bookshop in Kalamazoo, MI, which sadly is no longer. Outside the entrance were tables covered with books offered at discounts. Browsing through the hundreds of volumes, I chanced upon several trade paperbacks by an author called Patrick O’Brian. I was drawn to them by their cover art, which portrayed scenes at sea during Britain’s wars with Revolutionary and Napoleonic France. Although I had read C.S. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower stories and was particularly fond of Alexander Kent’s Richard Bolitho novels, Patrick O’Brian was still unknown to me. After reading a few Detail from “HMS Artemis” passages in the books, I by Geoff Hunt was uncertain as to whether they were my cup of tea. But I fancied the cover art by a fellow called Geoff Hunt, and I was soon headed home with several titles under my arm. It wasn’t long before I found Patrick O’Brian’s work to be a pure joy. I was thrilled to have found another window into the time of Nelson. There were then fifteen titles featuring Captain Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin, and O’Brian was at last gaining broad recognition. Better yet, W.W. Norton was releasing the entire series with cover art created by Geoff Hunt, whose paintings had captured my emotions, and were 4

exquisite visual companions to O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin novels. A decade later, after Amy and I had assumed the helm of Tall Ships Books, I was interviewing Geoff for Bowsprit – the publication which preceded Quarterdeck – when he recommended a new author named Julian Stockwin. Geoff had been commissioned to create a painting of HMS Duke William for the cover of Kydd, the author’s debut novel. Within the year, we were in England on a busman’s holiday, based in Guildford south of London, the fictional home of Julian’s character, Thomas Kydd. Julian’s second novel, Artemis, was about to be launched, and we were invited to the festivities at the Royal Naval Museum within the Historic Dockyard at Portsmouth. Also among the guests was Geoff Hunt, who unveiled his original oil painting portraying the crack frigate HMS Artemis. By then, Geoff ’s work had been embraced by collectors on both sides of the Atlantic, and his limited edition naval prints were in great demand. On another occasion, we accompanied Julian and Kathy Stockwin on a visit to Geoff ’s studio in Wimbledon, which stood on the grounds of Merton, the home of Nelson and Lady Emma Hamilton. Seeing the environment – reference books, small models, easel, paint tubes, palettes, brushes and sketches – in which he created his magnificent art was an experience we will never forget. Seldom a day passes that I do not take a journey – however brief – to the world of Nelson, Aubrey and Kydd through the eyes of Geoff Hunt.

George Jepson

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BOOKSHELF

The Frigate Surprise By Brian Lavery & Geoff Hunt “Geoff Hunt’s pictures, perfectly accurate in period and detail, but very far from merely representational, are often suffused with a light reminiscent of Canaletto.” Patrick O’Brian

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here is no more famous a vessel in naval fiction than HMS Surprise, the principal ship in Patrick O’Brian’s much-celebrated AubreyMaturin naval fiction series. Yet, this 28gun frigate also had an eventful real career, serving in both the French and the British navies. She was captured from the French by the Royal Navy in 1796, and took part in the famous cutting-out action on the frigate HMS Hermione, which the Spanish had taken after a savage mutiny. In 1802, after the Peace of Amiens, HMS Surprise was decommissioned, and in 1973 she was delivered into the fictional captaincy of Jack Aubrey by novelist Patrick O’Brian in HMS Surprise. This sumptuous new volume – a collaboration between distinguished naval historian Brian Lavery and marine artist Geoff Hunt – narrates the career of HMS Surprise in both her historical and her fictional roles, and presents an all-embracing construction and fitting-out history of

this historic vessel. Readers are treated to a perceptive introduction by Nikolai Tolstoy, Patrick O’Brian’s stepson, who describes the relationship between Geoff Hunt and O’Brian, which began in 1987 when the artist was commissioned to do the first of his cover illustrations for The Letter of Marque. Brian Lavery’s history of Surprise offers interesting nuggets of information about such things as the ship’s first British commanding officer, Ralph Willett Miller, who “was the only son of a colonist who lost most of his property through his loyalty to the British crown during the American Revolution.” Thirty-five of Geoff Hunt’s brilliant paintings – some specially commissioned – compliment historical illustrations, maps, artifacts, and photographs. Fifty line plans have been drawn by the marine draftsman Karl Heinz Marquardt, who is well known for his work with the Anatomy of a Ship series. The Frigate Surprise is a fitting companion not only to Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin novels, but to those who enjoy the period of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, including the novels of Julian Stockwin, whose covers have also featured Geoff Hunt paintings. HARDCOVER | 144 PAGES | $39.95 (50 color illustrations; 70 black-and-white drawings; maps)

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GEOFF HUNT

Artist & Historian “It’s the source material which is so fascinating, the wealth of logbooks and other first-hand material ...”

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hen English marine artist Geoff Hunt creates an oil painting, he opens a window into the past, bringing the days of the Royal Navy during Nelson’s time – as well as other historical periods – into focus. Viewing an original Hunt painting or print often brings to mind English authors Patrick O’Brian and Julian Stockwin, whose Geoff Hunt novel covers bear fine representations by the artist of the ships portrayed in prose within. Geoff Hunt first became associated with Patrick O’Brian in 1988 when The Letter of Marque was published, beginning a collaborative relationship that resulted in Hunt paintings gracing the covers of each of the twenty-one Aubrey-Maturin novels, as well as many compaion volumes produced over the years. In 2001 – in the year following Patrick O’Brian’s death – a cover painting by Hunt portraying British ship-of-the-line HMS Duke William launched Kydd, Julian Stockwin’s debut novel featuring impressed seaman 6

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GEOFF HUNT Thomas Paine Kydd. Hunt’s wellresearched and historically accurate paintings have irrevocably linked him to the O’Brian and Stockwin novels. This month, The Frigate Surprise: The Complete Story of the Ship Made Famous in the Novels of Patrick O’Brian (see BOOKSHELF on page 5), a collaboration by Hunt and distinguished naval historian Brian Lavery, is being released in the United States. The book follows The Marine Art of Geoff Hunt: Master Painter of the Naval World of Nelson and Patrick O’Brian, which was published in 2004 and carried a foreword by Julian Stockwin. Both coffee table-sized volumes are richly illustrated with paintings by the artist. Geoff Hunt recently responded to questions from Quarterdeck in this interview:

were there artists, either from earlier periods or your contemporaries, who influenced your work? I am not really conscious of influences specific to marine art, though in general I know what kind of painting I like, and which of my contemporaries I now admire. I guess if there was an early influence in my book-cover work it would have been Chris Mayger, a fine British illustrator no longer with us, alas. What is your opinion of the histori-

Has your approach to your work changed much over the years? Still office hours, still can’t find enough of them, particularly the daylight ones. I don't think my general approach has really changed, though I sometimes hope the work itself has improved. You have focused a great deal of work on the American Revolution and the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. Is there still more for you to accomplish during these periods?

“I just start reading contemporary accounts ... before I know it, I am irresistibly drawn to start wondering what that scene would have looked like ...”

What is it about ships and the sea that brings you back time and again to produce your wonderful work? It’s the source material which is so fascinating, the wealth of logbooks and other first-hand material. I just start reading contemporary accounts, and before I know it, I am irresistibly drawn to start wondering what that scene would have looked like, what it would have been like to be there. But the same kind of thing also applies to modern ships once I get involved in them – for example, I love to pore over ships’ plans. As you developed your unique style,

cal accuracy of paintings done during the Napoleonic period versus the work accomplished by modern artists? You get a feeling for an artist's accuracy and the same thing applies whether they lived in the eighteenth century or now – or even the sixteenth century, as I have recently been discovering in connection with the Mary Rose. You find that certain artists are consistently credible, so you feel you can depend on what they portray, and others are not. Do you still keep “office hours” at your studio in Merton Place on the grounds of Nelson’s former home?

Yes, always more. As in the first answer, the original source material we have from that period is of such high quality and there is so much of it.

You have also done recent paintings of fast sailing ships during the Great Age of Sail. Will you do more in the near future?

I’m hoping to get back to some of those soon. Do you still enjoy creating paintings to serve as cover art for sea novels? I do very few book covers these days, but I have very much enjoyed working with Julian and Kathy Stockwin on the Kydd series. Have you observed much of a change in the publishing world since you began creating cover art for Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin novels?

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GEOFF HUNT I’d say the biggest change has been the steady deterioration in the status of the book-cover artist, mainly due to the fact that [publisher’s] art directors and designers have become accustomed to regarding everything that arrives in their computer as just another graphic element which they can do with as they wish. The computer has made everything ephemeral – including, of course, illustrations themselves, which are now often created by illustrators on the computer itself. For those artists, their work is merely a digital file and has no physical existence, and I think they themselves are now coming to regard their work as disposable, of no real value, just another input. I really think we have lost something in this process. What was the driving force behind The Frigate Surprise? This book was my original idea, but a very casual one. I was chatting to the publisher, John Lee, over a pub lunch one day, and I happened to suggest that the Surprise might make a very good Anatomy of the Ship subject. It was John who did all the hard work, recruiting Brian and Karl, and developing the concept into the much more ambitious book it became.

reproduction rights to the Mary Rose Trust, as a tiny contribution to a mountainous amount of fund-raising they are having to contemplate. The painting’s first outing will probably be on the book cover of Peter Marsden's forthcoming volume, an academic study which will probably not be widely available; thereafter we are looking at producing it in a variety of different print formats, and so on. For anyone interested, here’s the Mary Rose website address: www.maryrose.org.

Are there other areas you would like to explore with your work? Detail from “Speedy 14-gun brig” by Geoff Hunt

opportunity for 25 years to create an artist’s impression of this 500-yearold ship reflecting all the latest archaeological and documentary evidence. Very challenging, too, since all the obviously interesting parts of the ship in pictorial terms – the

I am still interested in modern ships and shipbuilding, and would like to do more in this field. I recently painted one of the Royal Navy’s new Type 45 destroyers under construction on-site, and that was very interesting. Has the end of your term as presi dent of the Royal Society of Marine Artists opened up more time for painting or recreation?

“This has been very exciting, the first opportunity for 25 years to create an artist’s impression of this 500-year-old ship ... Very challenging, too ...”

Tell us about your new project with the English vessel Mary Rose ? That has been very exciting, the first 8

masts and sails, the upperworks, the colouring – are all missing, so practically every single brushmark in these areas has to represent a bestguess, requiring a great deal of thought. Regarding the Mary Rose, I have donated the painting and all its

My five-year term ended in October 2008, and it has temporarily freed up a good deal of time, but needless to say other commitments are beginning to loom up to fill the vacancy! Do you still sail?

Still do, and still get seasick all the time.

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ROY & LESLEY ADKINS

Naval Historians “What sparked our interest was our first ever visit to the Trafalgar Cemetery in Gibraltar ...”

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British naval historians and archaeologists Roy and Lesley Adkins have made their mark in naval history, after a distinguished career in archaeology. Jack Tar, their most recent book, has been extremely well-received on both sides of the Atlantic, though its availability in the US is limited. McBooks Press stocks the title, along with The War for All the Oceans and Trafalgar, also by the Adkins. The Adkins recently chatted about their career in this interview with Quarterdeck: What motivated you to write naval history after distinguished careers in archeology?

Roy and Lesley Adkins

Lesley: We have been writing books from virtually day one as professional archaeologists, and one of our books was The Keys of Egypt: The Race to Read the Hieroglyphs. This starts off with Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt and the discovery of Egyptian antiquities, including the Rosetta Stone. And of course it involves the destruction of Napoleon’s fleet in Aboukir Bay by Nelson. We were fascinated by that element of the story and in this roundabout way we became hooked on naval history. We weren’t total newcomers, though – both of us had visited HMS Victory on many occasions as schoolchildren, and I myself was brought up very close to Portsmouth and its dockyard, so the sea, the navy and HMS Victory were always present in my early life. Did either of you read naval history and/or sea fiction?

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ROY & LESLEY ADKINS Roy: I certainly have done so, and I spent much of my youth reading the novels of C.S. Forester, Alexander Kent, Patrick O’Brian, and others. I also read other types of historical fiction, and one of my favorite authors is Dorothy Dunnett. I have also always read many non-fiction history books on all sorts of topics, which is very important to get a rounded view of the world. What place does naval fiction today play in providing context for modern readers about the history of the Royal Navy and the world during the Age of Sail?

as reality, and this is how they learn about history. For me personally, it can be frustrating when reading some novels not to be able to tell fact from fiction. That’s usually the sign of a skillfully written book! Many people only ever read fiction, yet at the same time they may visit sea-related events, places and museums, so it is really important to harness people’s enthusiasms and passions in any way. What drew you to write about Trafalgar in light of all the books

would be fascinating to write a book that was geared not so much around tactics and officers, but on what the men experienced. The anniversary was a bonus. We were still some way off from the 2005 commemoration of the battle, so there was no way of telling how many books would be published on the battle and on Nelson. In the UK it was published in autumn 2004 as Trafalgar: The Biography of A Battle, but in the US the book came out a year later, and the publisher decided on the title Nelson’s Trafalgar: The Battle that Changed the World, which reviewers then criticized! Publishers and booksellers love anniversary books or TV tie-in books, because they expect free publicity in the media.

“We have written three nonfiction books on naval history, and many people have told us they read like fiction, which we take very much as a compliment.”

Lesley: We have written three non-fiction books on naval history, and many people have told us that they read like fiction, which we take very much as a compliment. If we can inform and entertain at the same time, then we feel that that is an immense achievement. In my view, the best historical fiction books are ones that interweave their story with a real background. If readers of fiction can be transported back in time to that age and go away feeling entertained, then that is great. Fiction serves a different purpose to non-fiction, though. Its primary role is to entertain. I find that what I choose to read depends on my mood and on the level of physical and mental tiredness, and that must apply to other readers. Roy: There is a danger with fiction (not just naval fiction) that some readers accept everything they read 10

coming out at the time of the bicen tennial? Roy: What sparked our interest was our first ever visit to the Trafalgar Cemetery in Gibraltar, even though the cemetery barely has any Trafalgar-related burials. We were on a coach tour of Spain, and most of our party went on tours to the Upper Rock, but we have a fascination for old cemeteries and churchyards. All life is there, you might say. We couldn’t wait to get home to research the cemetery further and see what books were available on Trafalgar. We were surprised to find that very little had been done in recent years, and decided that it

How did you research Trafalgar? Did you uncover any surprises?

Roy: The main aim was to put together a very readable story and not simply to overwhelm the reader with new research. The most important aspect was the selection of material so that it flowed together as a coherent story. It was important not just to research manuscripts, but also to have a look at previously published primary material, especially little gems tucked away in, say, old newspapers and magazines. Two surprises spring to mind. First, the number of women who were present. Up to then, it was assumed that very few women were on board Royal Navy warships at this period. The Trafalgar research proved that

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ROY & LESLEY ADKINS this was not the case, and in our subsequent research we have come across increasing instances of women being aboard – not huge numbers, sometimes none and sometimes ten, twenty, or more, and sometimes children were on board as well. The other surprise of Trafalgar was the effect of the storm afterwards, which some called a hurricane, so you can tell how terrifying it was. Most Trafalgar books up to then had glossed over the storm. In meteorological terms today, it probably wasn’t technically a hurricane, but if you think you’re going to die, then technical terms don’t count for much. What was moving about the storm is the humanity that was displayed by the opposing sides. What motivated you to research and write The War for All the Oceans and then Jack Tar? Lesley: Having focused on a single battle, we thought it would be good to take on the challenge of writing a readable account of a much broader period of the Napoleonic Wars, particularly if we could include the 1812 war with the US. So that’s what led us to do The War for All the Oceans. We started with the Battle of the Nile, which was Napoleon’s first defeat at sea, and ended the book with his final defeat on land at Waterloo. We were asked by the publisher not to deal with Trafalgar, so we only cover that battle briefly. Roy: Many readers told us that they especially enjoy the information on how the seamen lived, something we tried to weave in and out of the previous two books. This is an aspect which is of particular interest to us

NAVAL HISTORY

Jack Tar By Roy & Lesley Adkins “If you've read the Hornblower novels and Master and Commander, you may think you already know about life with Nelson's Navy. Jack Tar will make you think again. Here, for a change, is a book devoted to the life of ordinary seamen below decks; a self-contained world of comradeship, savage discipline and scurvy, punctuated by grog, song and dance, women and bursts of violent carnage. An extraordinary read.” Daily Mail (November 2008)

The Royal Navy to which Admiral Lord Nelson sacrificed his life depended on thousands of sailors and marines to man the great wind-powered wooden warships. Drawn from all over Britain and beyond, often unwillingly, these ordinary men made the navy invincible through skill, courage and sheer determination. Yet their contribution is frequently overlooked, while the officers became celebrities. Jack Tar gives these forgotten men a voice in an exciting, enthralling, often unexpected and always entertaining picture of what their life was really like during this age of sail. Through personal letters, diaries and other manuscripts, the emotions and experiences of these people are explored, from the dread of press-gangs, shipwreck and disease, to the exhilaration of battle, grog, prize money and prostitutes. Jack Tar is an authoritative and gripping account that will be compulsive reading for anyone wanting to discover the vibrant and sometimes stark realities of this wooden world at war. HARDCOVER | 429 PAGES | $39.95

Coming in the July/August issue: Interviews with Peter Smalley and Julian Stockwin, plus Quarterdeck joins the cyber generation ...

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ROY & LESLEY ADKINS as well, and so we decided to research and write Jack Tar. Our intention was to concentrate much more on the ordinary seamen as they are invariably overshadowed by the officers. We also wanted to deal with the marines, as they were an important element of each ship’s crew, but they tend to be overlooked as well. Where did your research take you for these titles? Lesley: We went to any place that we thought might possess a rich seam of material or might answer specific questions, in the time that was available, and we also tracked down information in private hands. For the lives of ordinary seamen in Jack Tar, the same quotations tend to be used time and again (not always accurately!), so we wanted to discover different sources of information. The most important archives for us to look at were The National Archives at Kew (London), where most of the Admiralty records are held, the Royal Naval Museum at Portsmouth, the nearby Royal Marines Museum at Southsea, and the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich. Surprisingly, there were many untapped sources of information in these archives. You start the day in these places by ordering up a few of their archives, never knowing if they are going to be of no use whatsoever, or whether they will be a treasure trove of information.

Roy: It’s also good to visit places that figure in a book. A trip to Gibraltar for Trafalgar research stands out, as local historians took us under their wing and showed us everything they could think of, an incredible kindness. Other places are closer to home, such as the memorial to those American prisoners-ofwar from the 1812 war who died during their captivity at the hated Dartmoor prison. This is situated within the present-day prison grounds, and is only 20 miles from where we live. Inevitably, with any book, you can go on forever with research, but you have to draw a line

the sort of conditions suffered by the seamen. On the research side, much of archaeology involves studying the remains of ordinary people and trying to reconstruct their lives. We feel that we have come into naval research from the lower decks, Is there a highlight from your work that is a particularly memory? Roy: There are many such memories. For Jack Tar, we were fascinated by Aaron Thomas. One of his diaries was published in 1968, and the diary itself remains in private hands in Nova Scotia. Another diary is now in the special collections of the University of Miami, and from the two records we were able to piece together his life, including the various people he mixed with, such as the drunken boatswain and his equally drunken wife. He is a very witty writer, but his diary came to an end when he was taken ill, in September 1799. He had so many plans for his future life that we very much hoped he had managed to return to England, but in searching the muster books in The National Archives in Kew, we eventually came across a note that he had died in the hospital at St Kitts on December 13th. We have to admit that this was quite a tearful moment, solving the problem and discovering the personal tragedy.

“... we have spent many horrible times working on archaeological excavations in the most dreadful weather, even in snow and ice, with very little heating ...”

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and say, “That’s it, time to tidy up the manuscript and hand it in to the publisher.” How did your experiences in archeology contribute to your work in naval history? Lesley: On a practical note, we have spent many horrible times working on archaeological excavations in the most dreadful weather, even in snow and ice, with very little heating in the wooden site huts. It was truly miserable on many occasions, when you never felt warm all day long! We think that these experiences have given us a good understanding of

Do you have plans to write more naval history?

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ROY & LESLEY ADKINS Lesley: We have plenty of ideas for naval and maritime history, and we would very much like to start something new. We are trying out a few things at the moment and hope to tempt a publisher before too long. Are you currently working on a new book? Lesley: The same answer applies! At the moment we’re not working on anything, for almost the first time in thirty years of writing, which is very strange. We’re taking the opportunity to renovate our very dilapidated house – everything tends to get neglected when writing, as the writing and research takes over your life. You become totally obsessed by everything you are researching and normal life is suspended! We have almost finished renovating one room, and the transformation is amazing. Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers? Roy: Well, firstly we would like to share our website, which is www.adkinshistory.com and to invite your readers to sign up for our occasional newsletters (we send them out every two or three months). We would also like to encourage everyone to support books, either by buying them for yourself or as gifts for others, borrowing them from libraries, reading them (of course), passing on your recommendations to friends and family, perhaps join a reader’s group, go to book-related talks. There are several seafaring books aimed at

Naval HISTORY

The War for All the Oceans By Roy and Lesley Adkins

As they did with his much lauded Nelson’s Trafalgar (see below), the Adkins thrust readers into the perils and thrills of early nineteenth-century warfare. This is an adventure story – a superb account of the naval war that lasted from Napoleon’s seizure of power in 1798 to the War of 1812 with the United States, providing a ringside seat Naval HISTORY to the decisive battles, as well as detailed and vivid portraits of sailors and commanders, press-gangs, prostitutes, and spies. TRADE PAPERBACK | 534 PAGES | $17.00

Nelson’s Trafalgar By Roy Adkins

In the tradition of Antony Beevor’s Stalingrad, Nelson’s Trafalgar presents the definitive blow-by-blow account of the world’s most famous naval battle, when the British Royal Navy under Lord Horatio Nelson dealt a decisive blow to the forces of Napoleon. The Battle of Trafalgar comes boldly to life in this definitive work that recreates those five momentous, earsplitting hours with unrivaled detail and intensity. TRADE PAPERBACK | 392 PAGES | $16.00

children, fiction and non-fiction, so catch them at an early age! Aim to carry a book with you and encourage children to do the same, so you are never stuck on, say, a train, with nothing to do. And if you’re driving an automobile, then try audiobooks – and with luck more relevant audiobooks will be produced. We know that for readers of Quarterdeck, we are speaking to the converted, but the message is worth

repeating to others. For those who might initially regard books as a chore (perish the thought), it soon becomes a pleasure, and from books, other pleasures arise, especially with naval and maritime books. You might want to visit the actual locations mentioned in a book, or visit a surviving ship or a museum, watch a relevant film (such as Master and Commander) or a TV program (like the excellent Hornblower series).

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RECENT ARRIVALS Historical Fiction

Zulu Hart

Agincourt

By Saul David

By Bernard Cornwell

Bullied at school for his suspiciously dark skin and lack of a father, Hart soon learns to fight – and win. At eighteen, he is shaken by his mother’s revelation that his anonymous father is willing to give him a vast inheritance – provided he can prove himself as an officer in the King’s Dragoon Guards. Racism and prejudice are rife in Victorian society, and Hart struggles to come to terms with his identity. Forced to leave the army, he heads to South Africa, and a fresh start. But soldiering is in his blood, and now he is caught between two fierce and unyielding forces as Britain drives towards war with the Zulus.

Crispin Guest, disgraced knight, has lost everything and must live by his wits on the streets of 12th-century London, taking odd investigative jobs. When his client is murdered, Guest draws the unwanted attention of the Lord Sheriff of London, who has a grudge against him. Worse, the Veil of Christ, a religious relic that seems to hold all the answers, is now missing. This genre is usually populated by monks and nuns, but Crispin is more Sam Spade than Brother Cadfael.

Young Nicholas Hook is dogged by a cursed past – haunted by what he has failed to do and banished for what he has done. A wanted man in England, he is driven to fight as a mercenary archer in France, where he finds two things he can love: his instincts as a fighting man, and a girl in trouble. Together they survive the notorious massacre at Soissons, an event that shocks all Christendom. With no options left, Hook heads home to England, where his capture means certain death. Instead he is discovered by the young King of England – Henry V himself – and by royal command he takes up the longbow again and dons the cross of Saint George. Hook returns to France as part of the superb army Henry leads in his quest to claim the French crown. But after the English campaign suffers devastating early losses, it becomes clear that Hook and his fellow archers are their king’s last resort in a desperate fight against an enemy more daunting than they could ever have imagined. One of the most dramatic victories in British history, the battle of Agincourt – immortalized by Shakespeare in Henry V – pitted undermanned and overwhelmed English forces against a French army determined to keep their crown out of Henry’s hands. Bernard Cornwell resurrects the legend of the battle and the “band of brothers” who fought it on October 25, 1415. An epic of redemption, Agincourt follows a commoner, a king, and a nation’s entire army on an improbable mission to test the will of God and reclaim what is rightfully theirs. This is Bernard Cornwell is at his best.

HARDCOVER | 288 PAGES | $22.95

HARDCOVER | 464 PAGES | $27.99

UK HARDCOVER | 376 pages | $26.95

Veil of Lies By Jeri Westerson

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RECENT ARRIVALS Historical Fiction

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By Tony Hays

By Edward Marston

It is the time of Arthur, a young and powerful warrior who some would say stands on the brink of legend. Britain’s leaders have come to elect a new supreme king, and Arthur is favored. But when a young woman is brutally murdered and the blame is placed at Merlin’s feet, Arthur’s reputation is at stake. Arthur turns to Malgwyn ap Cuneglas, a man whose knowledge of battle and keen insight into how the human mind works has helped Arthur come to the brink of kingship. Malgwyn is also the man who hates Arthur. HARDCOVER | 343 PAGES | $24.95

Blood Rock By James Jackson

The legendary Hospitaller Knights of St John have retreated to the small island of Malta, fighting the tide of Islam around the Mediterranean, and robbing from rich traders to survive. But Ottoman Emperor Suleiman the Magnificent now wants the Knights wiped off the map altogether, and dispatches one of the greatest armadas that ever set sail to annihilate them. The Order seems doomed until the extraordinary bravery of one Englishman, Christian Hardy, attracts the attention of the Grand Master himself. PAPERBACK | 501 PAGES | $19.95

Soldier of Fortune This is the first in an exciting new adventure series, set at the start of the eighteenth century and featuring Captain Daniel Rawson, soldier, spy, linguist and ladies' man. Whether he is extracting valuable intelligence from the wife of a French general or leading his men in a Forlorn Hope, Rawson is a man on whom the Duke of Marlborough can always rely. Seething with intrigue and packed with swashbuckling heroics, the novel follows the Confederate army on the long, perilous trek across Europe to meet the French and their allies at the ferocious battle of Blenheim. MASS MARKET PAPERBACK | 413 PAGES | $15.95

Drums of War Captain Rawson, deep inside the war-ravaged borders of Europe, fights alongside the brave and resolute Earl of Marlborough to defeat the “invincible” French army. Yet victory is short-lived, blunted by the dissenting voices of the Dutch, who secretly seek to wrestle the power and life from Marlborough. In these hostile and insecure times, Captain Rawson is called on to rescue a celebrated tapestry-maker turned spy from inside the fortified Bastille. HARDCOVER | 310 PAGES | $29.95

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RECENT ARRIVALS Historical Fiction

Oathsworn Novels 1 - The Whale Road

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Life is savage aboard a Viking raider. The Oathsworn are a notorious crew selling their services to the highest bidder. Hired as relic-hunters by rich merchants, they search for a sword of untold value to the Christian religion. Their quest will lead them toward the cursed treasure of Attila the Hun – and to a challenge that will test the very bond that holds them together!

Orm, the leader of Oathsworn, is reluctant to leave the safety of their homestead. But the Oathsworn are fighting men and so, when their settlement is attacked by an old adversary, they are more than ready to return the favor. The band of brothers is thirsty for action. When two of their number are taken hostage, the Oathsworn are bound by their oaths to each other to come to their rescue.

TRADE PAPERBACK | 343 PAGES | $15.95 HARDCOVER | 359 PAGES | $31.95

2 - The Wolf Sea The Oathsworn, Viking warriors committed only to each other, find themselves washed up in a hostile city, battle-weary and out of luck. The leader's legendary sword, Rune Serpent, has been stolen. The Oathsworn embark on a dangerous mission to the Middle East to reclaim the mighty Rune Serpent and are caught up in the treacherous battles between the rulers of Constantinople and the Arabs. TRADE PAPERBACK | 366 PAGES | $15.95

Robert Low is a Scottish journalist and historical novelist, with novels based on the Viking Age. He was a war correspondent in Vietnam and also several other locations, including Sarajevo, Romania and Kosovo, until "commonsense, age and the concerns of my wife and daughter prevailed."

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Naval Fiction

Under Enemy Colors By S. Thomas Russell

At the time of the French Revolution, one of Britain’s most skillful naval officers, Charles Saunders Hayden, is a young lieutenant, the son of an English father and a French mother. His abilities and his loyalty to the king of England are beyond dispute, yet his career seems doomed. Assigned to the aging frigate Themis, under the command of Captain Josiah Hart – known as “Faint Hart” throughout the service – Hayden finds himself caught between his superior and a mutinous crew. TRADE PAPERBACK | 497 PAGES | $17.00

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HISTORICAL FICTION

Billy Boyle World War II Mysteries By James R. Benn

1 - Billy Boyle Billy Boyle barely made detective back in Boston when the U.S. entered WWII. Nevertheless, he lands a job on the staff of Eisenhower, who wants him to investigate the Norwegian government in exile. The invasion of Norway is being planned, but Ike fears there’s a German spy amongst the Norwegians. Billy doubts his own abilities, but he’ll have to pull out all the stops if he’s to survive. Billy Boyle tells the story of the beginning of Billy’s transformation from a self-centered wise guy interested only in his own survival, to a reluctantly heroic figure. Typically American, Billy never loses his disdain for authority or the cynicism of a city cop as he slowly grows into his role as Ike’s secret investigator. The climatic scene of the story takes place in Nordland, along the rocky coastline and the rugged mountains of this northern-most province of Norway. Nordland becomes Billy’s land of legends, a distant place to which this reluctant hero must journey to seek the truth, and which reveals to him his true self, changing him forever. TRADE PAPERBACK | 304 PAGES | $13.00

2 - The First Wave Billy must help arrange the surrender of the Vichy French forces in Algeria. But dissension among the regular army, the militia, and DeGaulle’s Free French allows black-marketeers in league with the enemy to divert medical supplies to the Casbah, leading to multiple murders. Billy must find the killers while trying to rescue the girl he loves. The First Wave is a novel about the ultimate choice that war can force on an individual, and how one man struggles to make that choice an honorable one. Billy Boyle tells his story in his unique voice, a reluctant hero slowly coming to grips with the moral and physical minefields of the Second World War.

3 - Blood Alone Billy Boyle awakens in a field hospital in Sicily with amnesia. In his pocket is a yellow silk handkerchief embroidered with the initial L. Gradually he remembers: he has been sent ashore in advance of the troops with this token from Lucky Luciano to contact the head of the Sicilian Mafia. But he must also thwart a murderous band of counterfeiters of Army scrip led by Vito Genovese. HARDCOVER | 320 PAGES | $24.00

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TRADE PAPERBACK | 320 PAGES | $13.00

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