Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
New York : Henry Holt, 1995.
Description
A guide to the British Royal Navy in the Napoleonic Age for fans of the Aubrey-Maturin series: "A gem of a book" (Minneapolis Star Tribune). What is a sand-grouse, and where does it live? What are the medical properties of lignum vitae, and how did Stephen Maturin use it to repair his viola? Who is Admiral Lord Keith, and why is his wife so friendly with Captain Jack Aubrey? More than any other contemporary author, Patrick O'Brian knew the past. His twenty Aubrey-Maturin novels, beginning with 1969's Master and Commander, are distinguished by deep characterization, heart-stopping naval combat, and an attention to detail that enriches and enlivens his stories. In this revised edition of A Sea of Words, Dean King and his collaborators dive into Jack Aubrey's world. In addition to their invaluable glossary, the authors provide essays on the age's politics, naval medicine, and the many ships that Jack Aubrey sailed, sighted, and fought against. For both the curious fan and the O'Brian aficionado, A Sea of Words is an invaluable tome on the British Royal Navy.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member DarthDeverell
Dean King's A Sea of Words is a must-read for any landlubber fan of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series. The introductory essays by John B. Hattendorf and J. Worth Estes provide excellent context about the Royal Navy and shipboard medicine during the War of the French Revolution and the
King's extensive lexicon naturally fills the vast majority of the book and serves as both a dictionary and an encyclopedia for O'Brian's novels. Though a reader could keep this book at hand while reading the Aubrey-Maturin series, constantly turning to it would interrupt a reader's enjoyment of O'Brian's work. It is better to follow King's own advice from his introduction and page through this at one's leisure, moving around between associated terms and so teaching oneself about sailing in the early nineteenth century.
Though it is possible to read the Aubrey-Maturin series and guess at definitions from context, A Sea of Words will answer any and all questions that should occur to the curious reader. A must-have for any fan of Patrick O'Brian.
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Napoleonic Wars. These essays are followed by maps and diagrams of naval battles, types of ships, and the rigging used in various ships.King's extensive lexicon naturally fills the vast majority of the book and serves as both a dictionary and an encyclopedia for O'Brian's novels. Though a reader could keep this book at hand while reading the Aubrey-Maturin series, constantly turning to it would interrupt a reader's enjoyment of O'Brian's work. It is better to follow King's own advice from his introduction and page through this at one's leisure, moving around between associated terms and so teaching oneself about sailing in the early nineteenth century.
Though it is possible to read the Aubrey-Maturin series and guess at definitions from context, A Sea of Words will answer any and all questions that should occur to the curious reader. A must-have for any fan of Patrick O'Brian.
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LibraryThing member justjim
An excellent companion to the Patrick O'Brian Aubery/Maturin 20-volume continuous novel. Read the essays and study the diagrams as soon as you get your copy, then use the lexicon next time you're reading an episode and feel like a lubber.
LibraryThing member JudithProctor
Working with a Kindle dictionary or online dictionaries will not produce results as useful as this book. I know, I tried several terms both ways.
Many of the words here are not to be found in online dictionaries (or at least, not with the naval definition) or else you spend ages looking though
This book doesn't have everything, but it does surprisingly well. Latin phrases, terms for all kinds of shipboard items including sails, pulleys, food, etc.
I keep this book beside me while reading and it adds a lot to my enjoyment of the novels and is also good to browse at random.
Many of the words here are not to be found in online dictionaries (or at least, not with the naval definition) or else you spend ages looking though
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Google and often as not drawing a blank.This book doesn't have everything, but it does surprisingly well. Latin phrases, terms for all kinds of shipboard items including sails, pulleys, food, etc.
I keep this book beside me while reading and it adds a lot to my enjoyment of the novels and is also good to browse at random.
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LibraryThing member ursula
Dictionary-format companion to the Aubrey-Maturin novels. A great resource for everything from nautical terms to French and Latin phrases.
LibraryThing member auntieknickers
Very useful reference for landlubbers reading the Aubrey-Maturin series.
LibraryThing member Griff
A treasure trove of information to explain the language of the time found in O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series.
LibraryThing member MuffyMorrigan
Dean King's Sea of Words is one of the best “companion” books I have ever found. The book is aimed at readers of Patrick O'Brian, but it is an indispensable reference book for anyone reading Napoleonic Era nautical fiction and even non-fiction.
The book is arranged like a dictionary, offering
The book is arranged like a dictionary, offering
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definitions of unfamiliar terms covering everything from sailing jargon to food and life aboard ship. Of particular note are the careful explanations of battles and battle terminology. King's descriptions will make these confusing entries in O'Brian clear to even a novice reader, and will definitely increase the over all enjoyment for anyone, even long time fans. Show Less
LibraryThing member sriemann
Very helpful to get even more enjoyment from the series.
LibraryThing member bragan
I've read the first four of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series, and have enjoyed them for the characters and for their sense of humor. But I do have one major problem with them: my complete ignorance of anything to do with ships or sailing means that there are times when I can read entire
It starts off with a couple of articles. One is on medicine during the time of the Napoleonic Wars. I found that quite interesting, and mildly horrifying. Once again, I am deeply grateful to live in the 21st century, where medicine is mostly not based on made-up craziness. The other article is about the British Navy of the time: its structure and functioning and the role it played in the war. This was pretty dry, but did contain some useful information.
Most of the book, though, is taken up by a dictionary. Entries include various nautical terms, of course, but also medical terms, contemporary vocabulary and slang, medical terms, historical terms, and names of various birds and other animals. There are also entries, some of them rather long, on specific ships, historical figures, and events. It seems fairly comprehensive, and was reasonably interesting to browse through -- enough so that I kept it around for months to occasionally pick it up and read or skim through it a few pages at a time. Whether I've actually retained anything useful from it in my memory, though, remains an open question. I suspect it hasn't actually done all that much for my understanding, but I'm hoping that keeping it handy when I finally get back to the series and using it to look up specific terms as I encounter them may be helpful.
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chapters and have absolutely no idea what just happened. Oddly enough, this was never much of an issue for me with the Horatio Hornblower books. C. S. Forester was, I suppose, good at at least giving me the illusion of following his naval action, but O'Brian is not nearly as kind to us landlubbers. So, I thought this book might help. It starts off with a couple of articles. One is on medicine during the time of the Napoleonic Wars. I found that quite interesting, and mildly horrifying. Once again, I am deeply grateful to live in the 21st century, where medicine is mostly not based on made-up craziness. The other article is about the British Navy of the time: its structure and functioning and the role it played in the war. This was pretty dry, but did contain some useful information.
Most of the book, though, is taken up by a dictionary. Entries include various nautical terms, of course, but also medical terms, contemporary vocabulary and slang, medical terms, historical terms, and names of various birds and other animals. There are also entries, some of them rather long, on specific ships, historical figures, and events. It seems fairly comprehensive, and was reasonably interesting to browse through -- enough so that I kept it around for months to occasionally pick it up and read or skim through it a few pages at a time. Whether I've actually retained anything useful from it in my memory, though, remains an open question. I suspect it hasn't actually done all that much for my understanding, but I'm hoping that keeping it handy when I finally get back to the series and using it to look up specific terms as I encounter them may be helpful.
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Language
Original publication date
1995
Physical description
411 p.; 21 cm
ISBN
9780805038163
DDC/MDS
| 422 |