Can I read The Real Hornblower : The Life and Times of Admiral Sir James Gordon GCB on EtoBox?

The Real Hornblower : The Life and Times of Admiral Sir James Gordon GCB by Bryan Perrett is a book available to read on EtoBox.

What is The Real Hornblower : The Life and Times of Admiral Sir James Gordon GCB about?

Ever since C.S. Forester's fictional hero Horatio Hornblower began to delight and enthral readers, there has been speculation as to whether his adventures were based on the career of a real naval officer. Several names were suggested, the general conclusion was that Hornblower was a composite character. However, while researching the campaign that resulted in the burning of Washington's public buildings, Bryan Perret consulted Forester's Naval War of 1812 and was surprised to discover that the author had been deliberately reticent regarding a Captain James Alexander Gordon, RN, who had led his squadron up the Potomac. Further inspection of naval records revealed a startling number of parallels between the careers of Gordon and Hornblower. Subsequent research spanning a period of ten years uncovered yet more similarities - too many, in fact, to be a matter of simple coincidence. It became apparent that, while Forester certainly included other episodes in the Hornblower cycle, he was aware of Gordon when the first of his books were written, and that when he decided to expand the series he chose Gordon's career as the framework on which his hero's life would be based.As a professional

Author

Bryan Perrett

Publisher

Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Maritime

Published

2013

Language

EN

ISBN

9781473822597

Subjects

History, Biography, Memoir