Sons of the Waves: The Common Seaman in the Heroic Age of Sail

by Stephen Taylor

Overview

A brilliant telling of the history of the common seaman in the age of sail, and his role in Britain’s trade, exploration, and warfare

“No other book resurrects the wooden world of Jack Tar in such captivating and voluminous detail.”—Roger Ekirch, Wall Street Journal

“[A] rollicking narrative . . . Superb”—Ben Wilson, Times
  
British maritime history in the age of sail is full of the deeds of officers like Nelson but has given little voice to plain, "illiterate" seamen. Now Stephen Taylor draws on published and unpublished memoirs, letters, and naval records, including court-martials and petitions, to present these men in their own words.

In this exhilarating account, ordinary seamen are far from the hapless sufferers of the press gangs. Proud and spirited, learned in their own fashion, with robust opinions and the courage to challenge overweening authority, they stand out from their less adventurous compatriots.

Taylor demonstrates how the sailor was the engine of British prosperity and expansion up to the Industrial Revolution. From exploring the South Seas with Cook to establishing the East India Company as a global corporation, from the sea battles that made Britain a superpower to the crisis of the 1797 mutinies, these "sons of the waves" held the nation’s destiny in their calloused hands.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300245714
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	05/19/2020
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	198,432
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 2.00(d)

About the Author

Stephen Taylor is a writer of maritime history, biography, and travel. He has worked as a foreign correspondent for The Times, The Observer, and The Economist, and is the author of The Caliban Shore,Storm and Conquest, and Commander.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations ix

Preface xiii

Prologue xix

Part 1 Rising

1 Ordeal with Anson, 1740-44 3

2 A Lincolnshire Lad, 1755-59 19

3 Man and Boy, 1756-59 37

4 Heart of Oak, 1759-61 52

5 To the Eastern Seas, 1760-70 66

6 Farther Still and Farther, 1768-88 81

7 Hands Across the Atlantic, 1775-83 97

8 Black Gold, 1750-90 113

9 Coming Home, 1771-83 126

10 Fruits of Peace, 1783-92 146

11 'A Terror to Seamen', 1788-92 162

Interlude: The Deep 178

Part 2 Atop

12 'These Valuable but Helpless People', 1792-97 189

13 Family and Friends, 1793-98 207

14 A Rising Tide, 1794-97 222

15 Revolution at Spithead, 1797 238

16 'The Machinations of Evil Incendiaries', 1797 254

17 Hellfire and Redemption, 1797-1801 274

18 Tom Bowling, 1801-03 294

19 Apotheosis, 1805 311

20 Winning Ways, 1806-09 328

21 Old Friends, Old Foes, 1803-14 343

22 Passages to Waterloo, 1809-15 354

23 Over the Side, 1816-36 369

24 Storytellers, 1810-40 387

25 Safe Moor'd, 1820-40 405

26 Pax Britannica, 1819-40 419

Epilogue 436

Notes 440

Bibliography 466

Acknowledgements 472

Index 475

Editorial Reviews

[A] rollicking narrative…[An] absorbing and original book…Superb” —Ben Wilson, Times

“There is much in Taylor’s book. It is interesting to see how pragmatically humane the navy could be, particularly in peacetime.”—David Mills, Sunday Times (London)

"An excellent book, combining an original approach to the subject with original research. Jack Tar, the quintessential British hero, emerges from this collective biography as a self-confident fellow, part of the collective body that sustained national prosperity, security and power.”—Andrew Lambert, author of Nelson

"This enthusiastic account gives a vivid picture of life below decks in the era of the sailing navy. It is a classic of its kind, brimful with riotous episodes and gripping anecdotes anchored in detailed research."—Margarette Lincoln, author of Trading in War

"The Royal Navy had some great leaders but what made their achievements possible was the thousands of unknown and unheard-from seamen who manned these vessels. This book starts the exploration of those fascinating lives."—Sir Robin Knox-Johnston

From the Publisher