Author Description

Nelson's years in the West Indies as the young captain of the frigate HMS Boreas were an important period in the hero's life that both shaped and predicted his role as a major player on history's stage. Yet even the best Nelson biographies have not significantly explored that formative period. In this new study, by an admiral in the U.S. Navy whose two other books on Nelson have established his reputation in the field, we see critical elements of Nelson's character emerge, elements that carried him through his legendary actions at the Nile, Copenhagen, and Trafalgar. Joseph Callo gives readers a full understanding of the challenges in leadership Nelson faced in the mid-1780s. It was a time of career-threatening conflict - with local British officials, the local populace, and even his own naval commander - that forced Nelson to decide if he was going to do what he considered the right thing or what almost everyone else wanted him to do. Callo further explains how under these turbulent circumstances Nelson met his future wife, Fanny Nisbet, and how their relationship influenced his behavior throughout his extraordinary career. While the romantic elements of this book add to its "Hornblower" appeal and give much needed balance and perspective to Nisbet's character, Callo's overall analysis of the period will appeal to a broad audience of readers, not just Nelson devotees. A foreword by the well-known Nelson scholar Stephen Howarth and a collection of woodcuts from a rare Nelson book, plus illustrations from the maritime museum in Greenwich, England, enhance the text.--BOOK JACKET.