The Wooden World

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Superb. - Rated
Possibly the best maritime history book ever written. Certainly the best book about life on board the ships of the mid 18th Century Royal Navy. And yet it is not restricted to a simple timetable of shipboard life or a narrative history of the Seven Years War; it encompasses every social, political and economic aspect of the seamen and officers of the time.

In any other hands this might result in a dull, dry and uninteresting book but Professor Rodger is not only a skilled and thorough researcher, he is also a very accomplished writer. As a result the book is both enthralling and enlightening.

Excellent.

Excellent - Rated
Even the general reader will find this useful book absolutely fascinating. The author uses a rich legacy of archive material to bring to life the real Royal Navy of the Georgian period and in so doing blows away some of the misconceptions surrounding it. For example; ships were kept scrupulously clean and bedding was aired daily, if possible. Also, the Admiralty bought only the best produce to feed the crews and new methods of preservation and stock rotation were developed. Absorbing stuff.

Yet to be surpassed - Rated
Published a few years ago but has yet to be surpassed or discredited. A wonderful book for anyone studying the Royal navy in this period. Also provides a useful incite into socierty and government at the time

A Superb Account of the mid-Eighteenth Century British Navy - Rated
A social rather than narrative history, Rodger examines the working of the navy... from the boys, seamen and officers manning the men-of-war to the Admirality at the time of the Seven Years War (1755-1763).

The complex organisation of society on board a man-of-war is examined in depth. The myth of the navy of that time being based on harsh and brutal discipline is soon, surprisingly perhaps, dispelled. Punishments were rare and usually light, seamen having far more freedom and liberty than would be tolerated in the modern service. Seamen were valuable experienced experts and in short supply at time of war. The Admiralty took great efforts over their care especially in terms of diet (meat four times a week was more than most landsmen could hope for) and medical needs were addressed with new hospitals (including Haslar - at the time the largest brick building in Europe) established. Grievances were taken seriously and investigated - more than one captain was replaced after complaints from seamen. It becomes apparent that the whole ship's company cooperated to create a smooth and efficient machine, which greatly aided British superiority at sea.

The problem of finding seamen is examined - the use of the impress gangs was widely detested, although they did not round up all and sundry but only those who worked at sea. Desertion was guarded against, but great lenience was exercised in dealing with defaulters, especially those who had merely absented themselves for a few days. This should not imply that all seamen sought to escape - very few true desertions took place and there were always experienced seamen who volunteered for service.

A very interesting topic is the use of patronage and interest in the promotion of officers. Far from being an inefficient system, it worked surprisingly well, producing some great naval heroes. Its operation is detailed, noting that unlike on land, skill and experience were essential factors in promotion.

Rodger writes smoothly demonstrating an extensive mastery of the sources (mainly based on official and private letters) and skillfully blending quotations into the text without disruption. The direct use of so much source material is highly effective and gives a real insight into comtemporary society and the views of naval personnel. The result is a scholarly yet highly readable book with extensive footnotes placed unobtrusively at the rear and tables and graphs placed in appendices.

Required reading for the amateur historian. - Rated
A must-have for every naval history buff; this amazingly detailed & incredibly well-researched book dispels a lot of urban legends and sets the record straight of a much-maligned Naval Administration (at least for the 7-years war period covered:- 1754-1765) - I just wish the same could be done during the Napoleonic era, as a comparison.

Dr. Rodger debunks the popular view of the rule of rum, sodomy and the lash ... it's hard to reconcile the amazing fighting record of HMRN with a mental picture of drunken, debilitated incompetents. As with most urban myths, the exception becomes the rule instead of proving it; but the Appendix shows the low rates of desertion after the 1st month, which seems inconsistent with routine brutality (with a very few exceptions).
Dr. Rodger writes with real authority (having worked in the Public Records Office and the Naval History Society) and a succinct informative style that is not over-descriptive nor too academic - although the wealth of references make this an ideal vehicle for anyone wishing to do more research (a full fifth of the book is appendix, references & bibliography) - the information is ordered, yet naturally flows from one section to another, making for compulsive reading.
Tantalisingly he drops in little snippets of information that make you want to know more, but that would vastly increase the size of the book - the references are there should you want to pursue the matter.

Ideally, this should be read before any other naval books, but I fear that information overload would deter anyone not already primed with some background of naval history / terminology.

A great book and a welcome addition to any historian's library. *****