Nelson's Trafalgar: The Battle That Changed the World (ISBN 0143037951)

Education and Information:
Mr. Adkins wrote a very well researched, well written book on the Battle of Trafalgar. He included enough information about the lifes and times of the sailors to paint a thorough picture in the reader's head of what things must have been like. Best of all he uses a terrific set of maps with estimations of the locations of the various ships involved in the battle as it unfolded. These maps made reading the book and tracking what was happening when very easy.

Well Written and Readable Account of the Last Great Battle of Wooden Ships:
Adkins provides a highly readable account of the Battle at Trafalgar where Napoleon's fleet with his Spanish allies are virtually crippled by highly effective British crews that are the actual turning point in the last great battle of wooden ships. The book is particularly welcome to those unfamilar with nautical terms as Adkins slides in definitions and illustrations that help a landlubber know the difference between starboard or port and for everyone he describes the life of a crew member from grog to the unique ways they treated their clothing and sails. The book is full of brief but effective biographies obviously with Nelson receiving the full treatment. In additionm there are descriptions of the various crew titles and responsibilities that provide a full appreciation for how an early 19th century ship was run. Also contrasted with the British fleet is the difficult relationship between the Spanish and French that may have contributed to a somewhat fractured command. The battle details are written with first hand accounts with mapping showing the intricate locations of ships durig the development of the battle. It is quite amazing that the ship positions could be reproduced with such relative accuracy. The less appreciative may grow weary of the lengthy detail of the battle but anyone who appreciates naval history will be impressed with these almost individual accounts of the ship battles as ships virtually fight in clusters or as individuals as Nelson's plan is to go right at them. Also fascinating is Napoleon's heavy but not so effective influence on the French fleet. The outcome of course effects the strategic situations on land contributing to the future land campaign against Napoleon.

An enjoyable yet detailed look at the battle:
Nelson's Trafalgar is, as the title implies, a look both at Nelson and at the mechanics of the Battle of Trafalgar itself. Nelson is the archtypal British admiral; as such, a look at his career and his naval tactics is a look at the entire British navy in the age of sail. As pointed out in this book and many others, the key to British naval supremecy was not the quality of their ships (in fact, French and Spanish ships were generally thought to be superior fighting ships). Nor was it the quality of the average seaman at "enlistment" (many of whom where forced into the service against their will). Ultimately, it was the "victory or death" mentality that the British brought into battle with them. A number of British admirals and captains had been subjected to courtsmartial for not pressing an attack - it was far better to be sunk than to come home without a victory. This attitude was played out in the battles and tactics of the various fleets - the British aim was to kill and destroy the enemy's ships (by firing into the hulls to try and destroy the enemy's ability to fire back), while the French and Spanish would often aim for the sails and rigging in order to destroy the enemy ships' maneuverability (and allow themselves to escape if necessary). To sum up, the British standing order was basically "Attack!" while the French standing order was "Do not give battle unless assured of victory." Thus, when 27 British ships of the line encountered a slightly larger combined French/Spanish fleet off Cape Trafalgar, they moved to the attack. The best parts of this book are the details of the battle. Key to the explanation are a series of time-lapse maps spaced through the middle chapters, fully anotated, showing the positions of the ships and coloured by nationality. It is a confusing enough battle without the fact that there were multiple ships of the same name (for example, the French, British, and Spanish all had a battleship named "Neptune"). Adkins does a good job at breaking down the aspects of the battle - from the first ordered lines (two British columns intersecting one long line of battle of the Combined Fleet) to the more general melee that ultimately resulted as dismasted and drifting ships paired up and drifted apart in the smoke of battle. Naturally, an expert on the battle might find material to disagree with - after all, clocks on the ships were not synchronised, and in the heat of battle time tends to dilate (or dialate, depended on whether you're in the firing line or slowly trying to get to the battle). Adkins also does a good job in describing the everyday life at sea for the average sailor in his introductory chapters. Similarly, he gives a good description of the storms that plagued the survivors of the battle, and an entertaining account of the race to bring the news back to England. Not as informative is the cursory setup to the battle - for example, if you did not already know about the Battle of the Nile and the course of the Napoleonic wars in general, the Battle of Trafalgar might not seem significant out of context. Ultimately, I would also question the subtitle of the book: "THE Battle that Changed the World." Sure, it was an imporatant battle, and ended up being the last major battle of the age of sail (and some might argue, the tactically inconclusive Jutland notwithstanding, that it was the last decisive "ships only" battle). It also set the stage for English language and institutions to become dominant in the world (latterly through their ex-colonies). But ultimately, Napoleon probably would never have been able to invade England and the French empire may well have collapsed at his death anyways. But these are nitpicky complaints - presumably a reader interested in this book would have some knowledge of the era, and would be looking for details about Trafalgar itself. This book delivers those details well, in an easily readable and entertaining prose.

Naval Warfare upfront , broadside, personal and brutal:
This book took me there! Written with style and authority. It's a page turner full of personal tales from the surgeon, the man who was not thrown overboard presumed dead, the legless and armless captain, the cabin boy, the gunners, the women, the captains and of course the 2 big names Nelson and Napoleon. The battle may have changed the World in some ways, but War carries on in our World with a relentless futility and ever more brutality. If you "like" Nelson's Trafalgar try for seconds "A Hard rains gonna fall" about the Vietnam War, compare the styles of writing and the technology of warfare. Both books show us the fear of the ordinary soldier as well as the pride and pomposity of some of the leaders.

Balanced overview, though a bit scattered:
I received "Nelson's Trafalgar" as a gift and I found it interesting and very informative. I came to this book as a fan of Patrick O'Brian's writing, and so am already familiar with life aboard ship in Nelson's navy. I was interested in learning the events of the Battle of Trafalgar. The battle is described fairly well here, but the author's narrative method is to follow the events along briefly until an opportunity presents itself for launching into a discussion of some aspect of life aboard ship. Or Naval food. Or gunnery. Or clothing,etc,etc. This tangential, stop-and-start method was frustrating for me and I often skipped many pages at a time to get back to the battle. Other minor quibbles are the lack of wind direction on the maps, and the fact that the ships' names are not always followed by their numbers of guns. An appendix is provided which lists each of the ships involved, along with its nationality, number of guns, and captain's name, but the constant flipping is annoying. Quibbles aside, I found this book to be a very informative and well-balanced account of Trafalgar as well as the storm and shipwrecks which followed, the political aftermath, and the fate of Nelson's mistress (although the daughter's circumstances are not discussed.) Anyone who seeks an introduction to the general subject of Nelson's navy might rate this four or even five stars.