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Jack Tar

Life in Nelson's Navy

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About this listen

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.

They cast a long shadow, with millions of their descendants alive today, and many of their everyday expressions, such as 'skyscraper' and 'loose cannon', continuing to enrich our language. 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 listening for anyone wanting to discover the vibrant and sometimes stark realities of this wooden world at war.

©2008 Roy Adkins, Lesley Adkins (P)2008 Hachette Audio UK Armed Forces Maritime History & Piracy Military Naval Forces World Royal Navy Sailing

Critic reviews

"An enthralling book." (Sunday Telegraph)

"Fascinating." (Sunday Times)

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After listening to Adkin's Trafalgar I was fascinating by the lives of Royal Navy sailors. Jack Tar paints their lives - in battle, at sea and in port - in incredible detail, bringing their accounts to life

incredible accounts and stories

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Whilst this is a very thorough account of all things Navy, the thing I enjoyed the most were the very frequent quotes from diaries and letters. To hear how sailors and officers really felt about life at sea was very poignant, and brought me close to the time period.

Real stories

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lovely book, none was new to me , but so beautifully put together and presented it was a joy.

The Men and women of Nelsons Navy Speak

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I absolutely loved this audiobook, I think it's the best I think it's the best overview of ship life of old.
Great narrator too with brilliant accents.

loved it

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just a very good listen very well written and more of a performance than a reading.

Jack tar

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