COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS (PB)

The brilliantly told life of the real naval hero on whom Patrick O'Brian's Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower and Captain Marryat's Frank Mildmay were all based. Previously unpublished papers reveal the real-life exploits of Scots born Admiral Thomas Cochrane (1775-1860) which were far more daring and exciting than those of his fictional counterparts. Serving during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars in the Royal Navy, his naval successes led Napoleon to nickname him le Loup des Mers (the Sea Wolf). He was a man of action, whose bold and impulsive nature meant he was often his own worst enemy. Writing with gripping narrative skill and drawing on his own travels and original research, this is the rip-roaring story of a flawed Romantic hero who helped define his age.