Cochrane the Dauntless: The Life and Adventures of Thomas Cochrane by David Cordingly (HQ661)

Published 2007: First Edition / Hardcover / Excellent Condition / Illustrated throughout

Original black cloth with gilt titles on the spine and original pictorial dust jacket. 420 as new very clean and bright pages. Slight shelf wear might be expected. (HQ661)

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Patrick O'Brian, C.S. Forester and Captain Marryat all based their literary heroes on Thomas Cochrane, but Cochrane's exploits were far more daring and exciting than those of his fictional counterparts. 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, Cordingly tells the rip-roaring story of a flawed Romantic hero who helped define his age.

Reviews:
Fascinating biography of a great Royal Naval officer of the 19th century
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 July 2016
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Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald was not a name that featured in any of the history lessons when I was at school. Our history lessons would have been much more interesting if he had figured in them!

This biography of a man who was undoubtedly one of 19th century England's greatest naval officers is much more gripping than various works of fiction based on parts of his life.

Cochrane's accomplishments are incredible and his various careers spanned half a century. He is mainly remembered for his brilliant naval accomplishments and has probably been largely forgotten as a result of his confrontational and contemptuous attitude towards many of his superiors!

He was a member of parliament who supported and encouraged the radicals and thus made enemies of the political establishment of the day. Cochrane endured a prison sentence for a stock market fraud and fought long and hard before eventually proving his innocence. He played a major part in the successful fight for Chilean and Peruvian independence from centuries of Spanish colonial rule. He then went on to play a major part in the successful fight for Brazilian independence from Portugal. (True to character Cochrane fell out with each of his south American Employers in turn).

The book is a fascinating read not just for the exploits of of a very brave and clever naval man but also because of the historical background and the historical characters with whom Cochrane rubbed shoulders (and locked horns).

The author covers Cochrane's life in an unbiased way - which is not an easy task. His numerous brilliant naval exploits together with his fights for political reform and an end to corruption are heroic but his attacks against powerful men were often often ill-conceived and sometimes simply wrong. He made enemies where he could have made friends. The author's balanced view of Cochrane helps us to understand not just how he was able to achieve so much but also why he was unable to achieve even more.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cochrane-Dauntless-Adventures-Bloomsbury-Publishing/dp/B00SLRYAAU/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0