Nelson as a young captain by Francis Rigaud BHC2901 (c) National Maritime Museum, London



 

16 colour, 24 b/w 8 line illus., 600 pp 978 1 84383 299 7 £14.99/US$27.95 Paperback Now available

Nelson – The New Letters, edited by Colin White, presents over 500 of the most important letters uncovered during the course of the epic Nelson Letters Project, a five year search of archives throughout the world, which in total unearthed some 1,200 previously unpublished letters. 

Dating from 1777 and including the earliest extant Nelson letter, this collection shows us both Nelson the officer and Nelson the private man, and, uniquely among the plethora of new Nelson books, it records his life and exploits in his own words. 

Written in Nelson’s free-flowing and conversational style, these letters introduce a very real and human figure bringing us much closer to an otherwise distant historical hero. Colin White’s accompanying annotations and essays place Nelson’s life and letters in full context.

So alongside letters to the Duke of Clarence (later King William IV), Prime Minister Addington, and dignitaries like the King and Queen of Naples, covering treaty negotiations, battle orders and campaign plans, we can also read warm missives to family and friends, informal notes and instructions to colleagues and subordinates and some eloquently passionate letters to Emma Hamilton. 

Other highlights include Nelson’s account of the Battle of Copenhagen; detailed orders for the Trafalgar and Nile campaigns; notes of his careful diplomatic negotiations; his network of personal contacts; and his concern with his public image.

Read more about Colin White’s exhaustive search for these hitherto unpublished letters, or read a letter detailing Nelson’s bombardment of the French defences at Bastia in February 1794.