Sir Francis Drake

View other editions of Sir Francis Drake.
View books by Harry Kelsey.

La Dragontea - Rated
This is a reasonably written character assassination. Kelsey's case theory is simple - Drake was a thief with a ruthless streak, who bungled his way to riches and a 'round the world trip, and who manipulated the religious and political differences of the time for his own ends. Kelsey never wavers from this. His objective is to kill the hero. Which is where Kelsey loses his balance and lets the book down.

Obviously well researched, the narrative is coloured throughout by prejudice. And whilst fairly easy to read, the need to denounce Drake becomes stylistically palpable. For instance Kelsey has the habit of repetition, even within the same paragraph; and the rhetorical closing section is clumsy - like an A Level student trying to wrap up an exam question in the last five minutes. All this is based on the fact that throughout a five hundred-page book Kelsey has no sympathy with his subject. He is a barrister for the prosecution and getting a conviction is all that matters.

Drake himself remains an enigma, perhaps even more so after Kelsey's attack. Not once does he make a proper appearance in the narrative. Hostile witnesses give their evidence, Kelsey puts his own biased interpretation of events, and all the while El Drago looks placidly back from his portrait. The Shillingley narrative isn't referred to at all.

While there's certainly evidence that Drake's story is not simply 'Kelly's Heroes' in a galleon, this biography is too biased and with too little understanding of the man to make a proper, rounded study.

Bring on the Dogs of War! - Rated
For afficionados of Drake, Elizabethan England, or nautical history, this is a first rate read! The scholarship is thorough and well documented without leaving the prose too dry. Author Kelsey exegetically strips the gloss which has been after-added to most accounts of Drake's life (my brother, who is a nautical archaeologist, found it professionally worthwhile). Unfortunately, Kelsey's apparent bias against Drake's commercial focus prevents a discussion of Drake's larger role as an economic multiplier in the Elizabethan fiscus. The cash brought in by Drake's expeditions and similar ilk were probably critical in enabling the crown to finance the struggle against the Spaniards. Still, all in all, highly recommended.

Drake is the greatest pirate of all times! - Rated
I love the story of Sir Francis Drake and his adventures in the Spanish Main and was eager at this chance at such a thourouh telling of his story.

the captains and the kings depart! - Rated
Hee - anybody who reads biography as a genre has a barely-suppressed sweet tooth for Soviet-style icon-destruction, and this big book satisfies that craving in spades! Drake was looooong overdue for his de-Errol Flynnification, but it's a rare and wonderful thing when the vitriol is under tight control and matched with fine research and writing. This book will draw you in and keep you in - it's worth the price and the time involved.