Jack Tar

[A] spirited and unsparing account –Nigel Jones, Literary ReviewA new thunderstorm of a book … The Adkinses have unfolded a rich and questing canvas of life in the wooden warships of the day. This is a treasure chest of incident in masterly hands, described in great broadsides of action above and below decks–Colin Gardiner, Oxford TimesPacked full of stories … dozens of colourful layers –Matt Jackson, The NewsThis description of life in Nelson’s Navy needs no narrative adornment. Sailors were expected to fight, and the carnage is impressively described. But in detailing every aspect of their lives … this emerges as a social rather than military history. The rigours they were expected to endure are extraordinary, as is, in its own way, this wonderful history –Toby Clements, The TelegraphWhat about the ordinary seamen who risked their lives in the rigging and slept like rats in the hold? Here the Adkinses give them the attention they merit … Having read widely on the subject, the authors have got into the sailors’ lives … an enthralling book –Nicholas Bagnall, Sunday TelegraphWritten with verve and enthusiasm to convey a vivid picture of shipboard life –Margarette Lincoln, Times Literary SupplementA full account of life on the lower decks in the late 18th- and early 19th-century navy … Roy and Lesley Adkins bring their world alive … the material is so rich that this is … a fascinating, even occasionally humbling study–David Mills, Sunday TimesExpertly researched and drawing on eyewitness accounts, diaries and letters to loved ones from those overlooked ordinary folk … Jack Tar gives a clear voice to the naval backbone of Nelson’s era–Jill Morris, AncestorsGritty detail springs from Jack Tar … Roy and Lesley Adkins, have allowed the salts of Trafalgar to tell their stories in their own words–Stephen Taylor, The TimesIf you’ve read the Hornblower novels and Master and Commander, you may think you already know about life with Nelson’s Navy. Jack Tar will make you think again … An extraordinary read–Daily MailRoy and Lesley Adkins possess that rare knack among historians: merging the academic with the narrative and providing a riveting read which also casts light where it is dark … Overall, this is as comprehensive - and lively - an account of the life of Jack Tar as you could hope to find–Navy News

Roy and Lesley Adkins are archaeologists and writers. They are members of the Institute of Field Archaeologists and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, and run their own independent archaeological consultancy from their base in South-West England. They have both written several books.

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