| Master and Commander
(1970)
|
| Front Cover |
Book Details |
|
| Genre |
Fiction |
| Subject |
Aubrey, Jack (Fictitious character); Maturin, Stephen (Fictitious character); Napoleonic Wars |
| Publication Date |
11/1/1994 |
| Format |
Hardcover (8.7
mm)
|
| Publisher |
W. W. Norton & Company |
| Language |
English |
| Extras |
Dust Jacket; Dust Jacket Cover |
|
| Personal Details |
| Rating |
0 |
|
| Product Details |
| LoC Classification |
PR6029.B55M37 1994 |
| Dewey |
823/.914 |
| ISBN |
0393037010 |
| Edition |
Norton uniform ed. |
| Series |
Aubrey & Maturin Novels |
| Cover Price |
$22.50 |
| No. of Pages |
412 |
| First Edition |
No |
| Rare |
No |
|
| Original Details |
| Original Publication Year |
1970 |
| Notes/Review |
This is my second time through this, the first of the Aubrey and Maturin books.
Master and Commander starts us off on our six or seven thousand page journey. It probably took me more than ten years to make the trip the first time, but that was partly because O'Brian was still working on it when I started. I may very well take as long to make the second pass through, but I begin somewhat better prepared - I already have A Sea of Words and Harbors and High Seas, both by Dean King. One helps me navigate the terminology and language of the story, the other helps me navigate the places. I recall seeing a cookbook with recipes for drowned baby and spotted dick, but I managed to forgo it.
I've heard this series called the best historical fiction ever written. I certainly can't judge, not having great experience with the genre. But I can say O'Brian does a wonderful job of transporting me to the time (the first decade of the 19th century) and places (just about everywhere asea) he has his characters explore.
O'Brian starts us with the evening Aubrey and Maturin meet and ends with our protagonists observing the Battle of Algeciras Bay (early July, 1801) from the heights of Gibraltar. In between, we are treated to their travels around the Mediterranean in the sloop Sophie. This is one of the few books of the series that starts at the beginning and ends at the end of a tale. O'Brian often ends a book before the completion of a story, or completes a story before the end of a book.
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