[Sca-cooks] 'Feeding Nelson's Navy'

[Rikke D. Giles]

On 2005.10.02 21:19, Stefan li Rous wrote:
> Devra mentioned:
>> Then there's 'Feeding Nelson's Navy' from Stackpole - around $40  
>> hc.
> 
> What years does this book cover? I can't remember if Nelson was  
> period or post-period and if the latter, how long after period. I'm  
> wondering if this book might be a good reference for those wanting  
> to know more about period shipboard menus, life at sea and/or the  
> provisioning of the ships.
> 

Nelson, Hero of Trafalgar.  There is a burst of interest in this  
right now because the 200th year anniversary of Trafalgar was  
celebrated this year.  Which gives you the time period, 1805.  He was  
a highly complex and very interesting man, and the sailors in his  
navy were better treated than those in just about any other (up to  
that time).

It's an intensely interesting period, the height of  'wooden ships,  
iron men'  and just about the height of the British Empire too.  I'm  
not sure how much would have changed between Medieval times and then,  
but I would reckon, a lot did change, including foods and  
provisioning; nevermind tactics, ship production, outfitting, etc.

A good general book, if anyone is interested, is 'War at Sea in the  
Age of Sail' by Andrew Lambert, 2000, Cassell and Co, London,  
England.  It covers from about 1650 onward, until the dawn of the  
iron ships.  It does discuss, a bit, sea power in earlier times.   
There are many fictional books, some based on excellent research,  
about this period.  The Hornblower series (dramatized on A&E) by  
C.S.Forester is one of them.  Another is the Ramage sagas, by Dudley  
Pope.   Pope also wrote 'Life in Nelson's Navy' (1987, Billings and  
Son, London) which is very good, although very dry.  He writes  
fiction so much better!

Aelianora