A Naval History Nerd’s Christmas
My new volumes from the Navy Records Society next to the quarterlies (The Mariner’s Mirror) I receive from the Society for Nautical Research.
A Naval History Nerd's Christmas Haul
Well, dear readers, I hope your holiday season was as delightful as mine! As we sail into 2025 (pun absolutely intended), I have to share something that made my Christmas especially memorable. My wonderful wife, Peggy, who clearly knows what makes me tick, gifted me with nine volumes from the Royal Navy Records Society.
And all I got her was a new laptop!
The Treasure Trove
Have you ever opened a gift and found yourself staring slack jawed at its contents, astounded that someone gave you exactly the write present that you didn’t know you just had to have until that moment? That was me on Christmas morning. These aren't just any books – we're talking about carefully curated collections published between 1950 and 1965, absolutely packed with primary source material from the Age of Sail. For someone who writes fantasy novels set in a world similar to the late 18th and early 19th centuries, this is like striking historical gold!
The Nelson Letters
Among these gems, there's one volume that particularly caught my attention: a collection of letters from Admiral Nelson to his wife while he was at sea. There's something incredibly intimate about reading these personal correspondences. Here's this legendary naval commander, writing home about everything from naval strategies to mundane daily life aboard ship. It's a reminder that even the greatest figures in history were real people with real relationships and real concerns (and occasionally with real soap opera drama, as was the case with Nelson, thanks to his extra-marital relationship with Emma Hamilton).
There's a bone-deep authenticity in Nelson's voice that I could not fabricate. History books can tell us a lot about the figures that tramp across their pages, but these are the words of the man himself.
Admiral Keith's Papers
But wait, there's more! Two of the volumes contain Admiral Keith's personal papers, and let me tell you, this is fascinating stuff. Keith might not be as widely known as Nelson, but his career was absolutely remarkable. These documents offer an incredible window into naval operations during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
Why This Matters (And Why I Can't Stop Grinning)
For those of you who've read THE PRICE OF REDEMPTION, you know that I'm slightly (okay, maybe more than slightly) obsessed with getting the naval details right in my fantasy world. I’m mortally certain these books will contribute mightily to my efforts.
In my first skim through them, I ran across a number of interesting revelations and reminder, such as:
The surprisingly informal language officers sometimes used in their private correspondence
Detailed accounts of day-to-day ship operations that rarely make it into history books
Personal observations about weather conditions and their effects on naval operations
Fascinating insights into the logistics of ship and fleet management
Complaints about bureaucracy that sound surprisingly modern
Looking Ahead to 2025
As we begin this new year, I'm committed to updating this website more frequently. I plan to share interesting information I find in the Records Society volumes and other books in my ever-expanding research collection, both to share my pleasure in learning new things about nautical life in the period, and to give you some incite into some of the strange and perplexing naval traditions and regulations that occasionally bedevil our heroes, Enid d’Tancreville and Rue Nath.
For those of you who share my enthusiasm for naval history, I'd love to hear your thoughts. If you have any resources, whether in the form of history books, websites, societies, or what have you, please share them with me. I’ll do the same for you!
If there are any topics related to the similarities and differences between the British and Albionic Royal Navy, please drop a comment below or reach out on social media – I'm always up for a good discussion about ships, history, or both!
A Final Note
Before I wrap this up, I want to wish all of you a very Happy New Year! May 2025 bring you fascinating books, exciting discoveries, and maybe even a spouse who enables your historical obsessions as cheerfully as mine does.
And to my dear wife, if you're reading this: Thank you for going the extra mile to find me something wonderful that I never would have thought to look for myself. You are a rock star.
Until next time, here’s wishing you fair winds and a following sea!
