John Nicol (1) (1755–1825)

Tim Flannery is to be commended in resurrecting this book, first published and 1822 and last reprinted in 1937. But just as Flannery has brought this tale of a humble sailor in the merchant and Royal Navies of the late 1700's back into print, it was also the work of another man, John Howell, who first wrote down Nicol's story and published it. Howell directed all of the profits of the book to providing Nicol, who had fallen on hard times, with a comfortable old age. There's a charm in the story, as there must have been in the man, to have touched so many of his contemporaries, and indeed his story still resonates with the modern reader.

Every fan of C.S.Forrester or Alexander Kent should read this authentic account of a common sailer in the days of Nelson. Whether he's stuck below decks in the Battle of the Nile, or falling in love with a convict girl on a transport ship to Australia, or in any of a hundred encounters with folk quite unlike himself, Nicol observes himself and all around him with a wonderfully accurate gaze. Through privations, heartbreak and poverty, Nicol never loses that moral compass that directs him to do the best he could by others and think the best of them, despite witnessing and relating tales of utmost horror and despair amongst ships' crews around him. Along with Dobree and Manwaring's 'The Floating Republic' this is a rare and engaging story of life below decks in the days of sail. Highly recommended.… (meer)