The Pursuit of Victory: The Life and Achievement of Horatio Nelson

Adm. Horatio Nelson became a national idol after smashing Napoleon's fleet in the 1798 Battle of the Nile. Killed in the victory at Trafalgar in 1805, he became England's greatest naval hero. The 200 years since have produced an avalanche of biographies, but Knight's book may be the best. No reader should shrink from its size because it's a page-turner. Entering the Royal Navy at 12 (the usual age), Nelson quickly demonstrated the skill, aggressiveness and charisma of a born leader. It didn't hurt that he had a genius for charming superiors, inspiring fierce loyalty from seamen and befriending colleagues. But Nelson was a man of his time, fawning over royalty, pursuing prize money, quick to defend slights to his rank and obsessively scheming for publicity and promotion. He could also be a vicious disciplinarian. In addition to this lucid, warts-and-all portrayal of his subject, Knight paints a vivid picture of the warfare in which Nelson excelled. Handling an 18th-century man-of-war required as much skill as maneuvering a 21st-century aircraft carrier. Directing a battle fleet before the age of steam and radio probably required even more. The author makes it all clear in this highly readable, authoritative and deeply satisfying biography. (Dec.)