The World Of Jack Aubrey Summary and Reviews

The World Of Jack Aubrey
by David Miller

The World Of Jack Aubrey
Our Price: $16.72
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $3.68 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: David Miller
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-10-16
ISBN: 0762416521
Number of pages: 96
Publisher: Running Press

Book Reviews of The World Of Jack Aubrey

Book Review: A good book, but needs editing
Summary: 3 Stars

This slim volume is very attractively put together. The layout is pleasing, and the many photos and historical paintings are easily the best part of the book. Past that, though, the quality drops off.

The text is reasonably well written, but doesn't always flow well. Often you'll turn the page and be surprised that the chapter is over. Or you'll read fairly detailed information on one subject, yet find gaps in others. For instance, there is a detailed chart of the actual weight of cannon shot depending on the nationality of its manufacture. This is interesting, but seems oddly out of place. In many places the book feels like a hastily organized jumble of facts. A bit more effort, and the services of a decent editor, would have improved this book.

Another improvement that could have been made by an editor is the removal of numerous typos and glitches. On one page, two illustrations have their captions transposed. In many other places obvious typos are present. If I can catch them by reading the book once, they shouldn't be there.

Perhaps the worst flaw of this book is its incompleteness. It's missing a serious discussion of how ships were sailed, information on battle tactics, and recurring locales from the novels. Worse, the book uses terms that it never explains. For instance, the caption of one illustration mentions that the bowsprit gammoning is ommitted for clarity. But gammoning is not in the glossary. (As it turns out, if you google for "bowsprit gammoning" you'll find an amazing online reference, geared towards model ship builders, with more detail than you can shake a stick at) The book is filled with such omissions. I'm pretty familiar with nautical terminology, but I'd worry for someone who got this book as their only reference.

Overall, I enjoyed the book; I received it as a gift and am happy with it. The numerous contemporary illustrations and photos of actual items are a joy, and the book did contain facts that I had not previously been aware of. However, as a reference book, it is somewhat lacking.

England Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in England Books
King Edward VIII: The Official Biography ImageKing Edward VIII: The Official Biography
by Philip Ziegler
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd; Published: 1990-09-27; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $26.15
Court Lady and Country Wife: Two Noble Sisters in Seventeenth-Century England ImageCourt Lady and Country Wife: Two Noble Sisters in Seventeenth-Century England
by Lita-Rose Betcherman
HarperCollins Canada; Published: 2005-09; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.72
Price in other shops: $36.95
Read My Heart: A Love Story in the Age of Revolution ImageRead My Heart: A Love Story in the Age of Revolution
by Jane Dunn
Harpercollins Canada; Published: 2008-10-21; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $8.94
Price in other shops: $29.95
No Graves As Yet (World War One Novels) ImageNo Graves As Yet (World War One Novels)
by Anne Perry
Ballantine Books; Published: 2004-08-31; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.88
Price in other shops: $7.50
The Oxford History of Britain ImageThe Oxford History of Britain
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2010-06-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.95
Price in other shops: $18.95
The Nature of Monsters ImageThe Nature of Monsters
by Clare Clark
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Published: 2007-05-07; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $0.01
Price in other shops: $25.00
Selkirk's Island: The True and Strange Adventures of the Real Robinson Crusoe ImageSelkirk's Island: The True and Strange Adventures of the Real Robinson Crusoe
by Diana Souhami
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Published: 2002-02-07; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $1.86
Price in other shops: $30.00
The Great Hunger: Ireland: 1845-1849 ImageThe Great Hunger: Ireland: 1845-1849
by Cecil Woodham-Smith
Penguin Group; Published: 1992-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.22
Price in other shops: $18.00
The Mitfords: Letters Between Six Sisters ImageThe Mitfords: Letters Between Six Sisters
by Charlotte Mosley
Harper; Published: 2007-11-06; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.00
Price in other shops: $39.95
The Professor and the Madman ImageThe Professor and the Madman
by Simon Winchester
Harper; Published: 1998-08-26; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.49
Price in other shops: $23.00
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
Desolation Island  (The Aubrey/Maturin Novels, Book 5) ImageDesolation Island (The Aubrey/ Maturin Novels, Book 5)
by Patrick O'Brian
W. W. Norton & Company; Published: 1991-08-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.56
Price in other shops: $15.95
The Mauritius Command (Vol. Book 4)  (Aubrey/Maturin Novels) ImageThe Mauritius Command (Vol. Book 4) (Aubrey/ Maturin Novels)
by Patrick O'Brian
W. W. Norton & Company; Published: 1991-05-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.34
Price in other shops: $14.95
Jack Aubrey Commands: An Historical Companion to the Naval World of Patrick O'Brian ImageJack Aubrey Commands: An Historical Companion to the Naval World of Patrick O'Brian
by Brian Lavery
US Naval Institute Press; Published: 2003; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $99.00
21: The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey (Vol. Book 21)  (Aubrey/Maturin Novels) Image21: The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey (Vol. Book 21) (Aubrey/ Maturin Novels)
by Patrick O'Brian
W. W. Norton & Company; Published: 2010-09-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.38
Price in other shops: $18.95
Men-of-War: Life in Nelson's Navy ImageMen-of-War: Life in Nelson's Navy
by Patrick O'Brian
W. W. Norton & Company; Published: 1995-11-17; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.99
Price in other shops: $23.00
The Frigate Surprise: The Complete Story of the Ship Made Famous in the Novels of Patrick O'Brian ImageThe Frigate Surprise: The Complete Story of the Ship Made Famous in the Novels of Patrick O'Brian
by Geoff Hunt, Brian Lavery
W. W. Norton & Company; Published: 2009-05-18; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $399.99
Lobscouse and Spotted Dog: Which It's a Gastronomic Companion to the Aubrey/Maturin Novels (Patrick O'Brian) ImageLobscouse and Spotted Dog: Which It's a Gastronomic Companion to the Aubrey/ Maturin Novels (Patrick O'Brian)
by Anne Chotzinoff Grossman, Lisa Grossman Thomas
W. W. Norton & Company; Published: 2000-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.50
Price in other shops: $19.95
Harbors and High Seas, 3rd Edition : An Atlas and Geographical Guide to the Complete Aubrey-Maturin Novels of Patrick O'Brian, Third Edition ImageHarbors and High Seas, 3rd Edition : An Atlas and Geographical Guide to the Complete Aubrey-Maturin Novels of Patrick O'Brian, Third Edition
by Dean King, John B. Hattendorf
Holt Paperbacks; Published: 2000-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.29
Price in other shops: $22.99
Patrick O'Brian's Navy: The Illustrated Companion to Jack Aubrey's World ImagePatrick O'Brian's Navy: The Illustrated Companion to Jack Aubrey's World
by Richard O'Neill
Running Press; Published: 2003-09-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $16.04
Price in other shops: $30.00
A Sea of Words, Third Edition: A Lexicon and Companion to the Complete Seafaring Tales of Patrick O'Brian ImageA Sea of Words, Third Edition: A Lexicon and Companion to the Complete Seafaring Tales of Patrick O'Brian
by Dean King, John B. Hattendorf, J. Worth Estes
Holt Paperbacks; Published: 2000-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.50
Price in other shops: $18.99