Re: Hornblower-yes

["Neil Sinclair/Peggy Rintoul" <rinsin@globalserve.net>]

Laurel;
Yes grab it immediately - this is the biographical book. The fact that it is
the fiction section has to do with staff of book stores having no clue as to
what they are stocking, new titles included. Now that you have a "bead" on
the book I will forego the interesting items in it. It is long out of print
as are the original CS Forrester series. Funny how you and I gravitated to
the same stories of adventure, where truth is stranger than fiction. The
pictures of Hornblower are in Parkinsons book along with what I regard as
the mysteries of the century. Thjer are a lot of interesting parts that are
left out of the Hornblower series that deal with his later career in the
military and Admirality. I havent touched this topic is some 35 years and it
is exciting sharing the inspirations of our youth with someone else. You
will also find the names and descriptions of the ships and battle tatics
very accurate for a reason you especially will appreciate. The Admiralty
took great pains to write everything down in painstaking detail. We forget
that in the days of the quill pen careful records were kept in exact detail.
Let me give you a Canadian illustration. In Nova Scotia there is a
reconstruction of a French Town and fort called Louisburg. It was the 3rd
largest city on the eastern seabord in its day which dated to the early
1700's. Now because of the Federal Government of Canada wanting to employ
the region's population (Cape Breton) they threw all the money they could at
reconstruction. What turned up was every French record at the time allowing
a fully exact duplication of what existed, down to the cloth for the
clothes, the herbs and vegetation and the plans, and details of every bit of
commerce. Twenty nine million dollars later we have a full reconstruction of
the past, and totally exact.

So accolades to historians such as you that find the values of the past and
carry them forward to the present for the future. Have fun; Neil
-----Original Message-----
From: Spirit One Email <laurel@spiritone.com>
To: sinclair@jump.net <sinclair@jump.net>
Date: 14 April, 1999 1:08 AM
Subject: Re: Hornblower


>
>Neil/Peggy,
>I have located this book: "Life & Times of Horatio Hornblower by C. Northco
>Parkinson.  IS this the book? But it says that it is in the Popular Fiction
>section.  Why would that be?
>It's $10.95.  Should I get it?
>Laurel
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Neil Sinclair/Peggy Rintoul <rinsin@globalserve.net>
>To: sinclair@jump.net <sinclair@jump.net>
>Date: Tuesday, April 13, 1999 11:09 AM
>Subject: Re: Hornblower
>
>
>>
>>Laurel; One of the great oddities regarding Hornblower (made real by C.S.
>>Forrester )was that he was a real figure and that his exploits as were
>>depected by CS Forrester were accurate. The C. Nortcote Parkinson did an
>>excellent biography some years ago but it is long out of print. This
>>provides a good illustration of how perceived fiction becomes history.
>>Now as for the conditions of sailing ships on the migrations away from
>>Scotland there are some interesting observations. One is that there was a
>>full range of experience good and bad depending on when the migration
>>occured. The 1860's was not like the 1780's. One observation I do make is
>>that the migrations were not easy, physically or emotionally. It was a one
>>way trip by in large, people leaving families behind did not expect to
ever
>>return. Secondly not everyone embarking disembarked because of the ease of
>>disease spreading on shipboard and of course no health requirements for
>>boarding. Then there was seasickness, combined with the smells, the
>rocking,
>>darkness, closeness of unwashed bodies for weeks, and lack of plumbing
>below
>>decks. Sound like fun? Again generalizations are too easy and Sinclairs
>>arriving had a wide variety of experiences no doubt. Keep up your fine
>work;
>>Yours aye; Neil Toronto-PEI-Argyll
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Spirit One Email <laurel@spiritone.com>
>>To: sinclair@zilker.net <sinclair@zilker.net>
>>Date: 12 April, 1999 10:13 PM
>>>        Now I hope that everyone that has access to cable TV is watching
>>the
>>>Horatio Hornblower shows.  I have read all 12 books while using a map to
>>>chart each adventure.  Really, the tiny details of everyday crowded and
>>>squalid living conditions onboard ships of the early 1800's are
>>fascinating.
>>>Has anyone else read them?  This gives us a better picture of what our
>>>ancestors went through as they sailed over here or to Australia, etc.
>>>Laurel
>>
>>[ This is the Sinclair family discussion list, sinclair@jump.net.
>>[ To get off or on the list, see http://www.mids.org/sinclair/list.html
>>
>
>[ This is the Sinclair family discussion list, sinclair@jump.net.
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