Cochrane: The Real Master and Commander

Thomas Cochrane (1789-1872) was one of the most daring and successful naval heroes of all time. Patrick O'Brian, C. S. Forester and Captain Marryat all based their literary heroes on the man Napoleon nicknamed "the sea wolf." Yet Cochrane's real life adventures far exceeded the daring and romantic exploits of his fictional counterparts. From the bestselling author of 'Under the Black Flag' comes the definitive biography of Thomas Cochrane, the swashbuckling nineteenth-century maritime hero who "packed [in] enough drama and history to shame both Horatio Nelson and Sir Francis Drake" (Ken Rignle, Washington Post) In this fascinating account of Thomas Cochrane's extraordinary life, David Cordingly ('Under the Black Flag' and 'The Billy Ruffian') unearths startling new details about the real-life "Master and Commander"¿from his heroic battles against the French navy to his role in the liberation of Chile, Peru, and Brazil, and the stock exchange scandal that forced him out of England and almost ended his naval career. Drawing on previously unpublished papers, his own travels, wide reading, and original research, Cordingly tells the rip-roaring story of the archetypal Romantic hero who conquered the seas and, in the process, defined his era. Text is supplemented with full color replications of paintings plus B&W illustrations and maps. As new paperback privately owned. No marks. Copyright 2007. 1st published in 2007 as a hardcover, this paperback edition published 2008. Full print-line indicates this copy is from 1st print-run. IBN-13: 978-1-59691-587-9. ISBN-10: 1-59691-587-0. No LCCN. MSR = $18.00.…