<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> T H E B O S U N ' S C H R O N I C L E The official Ezine of the Thomas Kydd Shipmates' network <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> VOL. 5, ISSUE 10, November 2005 Avast, Shipmates and anchors aweigh! 1 DISPATCHES 2 ASK JULIAN 3 BOOKSHELF 4 TENACIOUS PRAISE 5 SALTY SAYINGS 6 FEATURE 7 CONTEST 8 MEET THE BOOKSELLER 9 NEW ON THE WEB ==================== 1 DISPATCHES + Out and about October was a very busy month for Julian - with talks and author signings at over 25 venues around the UK. Despite his hectic schedule, the manuscript for COMMAND is going well, and on track to deliver to his UK publisher early in the New Year for publication October 2006. (Publication date for other countries is yet to be confirmed.) There are still several events scheduled for the remainder of the year - details on the website. + Book and Magazine Collector A foremost authority in the collecting world, November's edition of "The Book and Magazine Collector" featured an article on the new wave of nautical novelists. Julian led the way, with two of the four pages of the article devoted to the Thomas Kydd series. The magazine emphasised how collectable Julian is becoming and concluded "This is a quality series and quality series tend to stand the test of time." + Kydd in Japan Ron Laity's site features an interview with Julian. http://www.pagenleaf.com/julianstockwin.html See MEET THE BOOKSELLER + Writer of the Year Award Each year Julian donates a signed copy of his latest book to Macarthur School in Sydney, Australia, for their Writer of the Year. This year's winner is Stephanie Keegan; the Awards Night is November 2. + Tall Ships Books Back in the hands of George and Amy Jepson, TallShips Books led with an online chat with Julian last month. You can read the archived article: http://www.tallshipsbooks.com/Authors/StockwinJulian/StockwinFeat ure7.html + Book of the Month TENACIOUS was Book of the Month last month at Anderida Books, who report brisk sales of TENACIOUS and other first edition titles in the series. http://www.anderidabooks.co.uk/ + Trafalgar Commemorations A number of Shipmates emailed Julian about the ways in which they paid homage to Nelson's memory last month. Here's two from countries at opposite ends of the globe: New Zealand. Australian Navy Commander Steven Montgomery gave the oration on Nelson from the pulpit of Christchurch Cathedral at the Seafarers' Service, October 5, attended by 350 people. Steven gave an account of Nelson's life and achievements, and then asked the congregation to remember Nelson's dying words: "Thank God I have done my duty." Steven is currently seconded to the New Zealand Defence Force for four years as their specialist in integrated logistics support and life cycle costing. The Navy connection runs in the family - Steven's father was a Royal Navy Wardmaster Lieutenant - and arranged the diving team that researched and found HMS "Association", Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell's flagship that foundered off Gilstone Ledges, Isles of Scilly, in 1707. United States. From Alabama, Attorney David Roth reports: "This past Friday, my wife and I gathered together with a small group of friends to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. The City of Birmingham (the US one) may be quite far from Portsmouth as the crow flies, but for one evening we were close in spirit. The dinner party was a rousing success. After consultation with Julian, we were informed that it was acceptable to drink French wine at the event. While we decided to forego weevils and hardtack, we tried to be somewhat consistent by having beef and potatoes. After dessert and a robust sauterne, we had the real festivities. Thanks again to Julian, we read a toast he had written for us, culminating in: "to the Immortal Memory..." We were, of course, seated. Following that, all the guests received signed US First Editions of KYDD. As it approached 11 pm, and the last glass of wine and single malt was drunk, our guests finally left. All in all, it was a truly special night. For one evening, there was a little tract of England in the heart of the American South. Hurrah." + Nelson and Napoleon Exhibition During a recent visit to Greenwich Julian and Kathy visited the "Nelson and Napoleon" exhibition at the National Maritime Museum and were very moved by Nelson's last letter to his daughter Horatia and the other personal effects on display. The exhibition closes on November 13 - well worth a trip to Greenwich! + KYDD Memorabilia We have some new postcards available, which feature the first six books in the series. If you'd like your name to go into the hat for a pack of four (one signed by Julian to keep, and three to send to friends) email the Bosun with your full postal address and put "Postcards" in the subject line. We have four packs to give away to the first entries drawn on November 25. ===================== 2 ASK JULIAN Peter Hunting, from Kent in the UK asks: "You write about the Battle of the Nile and Nelson's famous 'Band of Brothers' in TENACIOUS. Can you tell me what happened to them; did they all remain under Nelson's command until his death?" Julian replies: "The original Band of Brothers were all captains at the battle of the Nile, and they were the elite of the Navy. They had known Nelson for a number of years and there was a unique trust and understanding between them. This was not repeated in the same degree in any other fleet Nelson commanded. But not all of the Nile captains were equally close to Nelson. We now know that there was an inner circle who he consulted regularly and they then conveyed the results of the consultations to the remainder by various means. But this inner circle was not static. Of the original Nile captains, only Hardy served in all Nelson's later battles. Ball, for example, became governor of Malta and Miller was killed in an accidental explosion at the siege of Acre. There's a poignant story about Captain George Blagdon Westcott, the only one of the celebrated Band of Brothers to die at the Nile. He was born in Devon of humble origins, and left a widow and daughter. Nelson made a point of visiting them and presented Mrs Westcott with his own Nile medal saying, "You will not value it less because Nelson has worn it." He later wrote to Lady Hamilton about their low circumstances: "The brother is a tailor, but had they been chimney-sweepers it was my duty to show them proper respect." We'll have more on Nelson's captains in future issues. ==================== 3 BOOKSHELF Illustrated History of the Royal Navy by John Winton. Published by Conway, RRP GBP 30. ISBN: 1844860078 It is very fitting in this the Year of the Sea that Conway have brought out a revised edition of Winton's splendid history of that most British of institutions, the Royal Navy. This impressive book begins with the reign of King John and concludes with the nuclear age of warships - and includes superb four-colour illustrations throughout, as well as first-hand reminiscences of life on board a warship. The sort of book you can either read from cover to cover - or just dip into at random to find something to catch the eye... + Special discount offer for Shipmates You can order your own copy of "An Illustrated History of the Royal Navy" at %5.00 off the R.R.P., plus free p&p in the UK. Order line: 0870 787 1613, quote reference CH450. And for a chance to win a copy, see CONTESTS. ==================== 4 TENACIOUS PRAISE Thank you for all your emails about TENACIOUS. Here's three selected at random, coincidentally all Ians! "Great series! Great book - TENACIOUS. I was banging on the door of the local bookshop on day of publication. Bought it and read it in a day. Reread twice since. I have never done that with another book before!" - Ian Stewart "I have just finished reading TENACIOUS. Wonderful stuff! The washing line signals were delightful! TENACIOUS handled the battle of the Nile much more originally [than other accounts I have read]. It seemed more personal and real. Much less a repeating of the historical accounts. The battle of Acre was gripping. You managed to make a battle that could only realistically have one outcome seem on a knife edge right up to the last page." - Ian Hewes "TENACIOUS was absolutely fascinating, I could not put it down, it was well worth the wait. I am learning so much about the ships and the way of navy life in those times. Keep up the good work as you are an outstanding author. Keep listening to Kathy and I hope you write many, many more books." - Ian Hobgen And on Amazon - "Another great historical tale, I'm a sucker for a good yarn and they don't come much better than the Thomas Kydd adventures. I have loved each of them and hardly have the patience to wait for the next volume." Do drop Julian a line, he answers all his emails personally and it gives him great pleasure to hear from you. ==================== 5 SALTY SAYINGS Hand over fist Today, "hand over fist" has become synonymous with financial gain due to a rapid ascent up the ladder of success. The origins of this phrase are definitely salty. In Kydd's day, Jack Tar prided himself on the speed and agility with which he could climb aloft into the rigging; this procedure involved considerable upper body strength with the free hand passing over the fist in which the rope was clenched as the sailor swarmed up the rigging. ==================== 6 FEATURE - The Kydd Collection Geoff Hunt recently returned from the States where he received the premier award at Mystic Seaport's International Show, the Rudolph J Schaefer Maritime Heritage Award. "The Marine Art of Geoff Hunt", in its third reprint this year, is drawing rave reviews around the world. (Julian was honoured to be invited to write the Foreword to the book.) Many of you have told us that Geoff's cover for TENACIOUS is the best yet in the series. The night battle of the Nile and his image of the French flagship "L'Orient" in flames is a truly apocalyptic scene. Art Marine is bringing out special prints of "Quarterdeck" and "Tenacious" this month. The Bosun spoke with MD Julian Thomas about the production process of the Kydd Collection, the limited edition signed and numbered prints of the Kydd covers: "Prints in the Kydd Collection use giclee [French for 'fine spray'] - a digital technology which affords a deep, sold light-fast image of extraordinary clarity, to the highest standards set by the Fine Art Trade Guild. These include an archival standard of light-fastness in the ink, a heavy acid-free art paper substrate and an edition size recommended of no more than 1000. The edition size of giclee prints in the Kydd collection is 550, with a small number of remarque prints. "Generally, no more than 75 or 85 signed and numbered prints in an edition are reserved to carry a small original pencil drawing by the artist in the lower left margin, signed with his initials. The subject of the drawing is usually derived from the subject of the print. Each remarque is unique." And Julian Thomas's tips for care of the prints: "It is advisable to hang the framed prints out of direct sunlight and away from any source of condensation or excessive humidity. Normal 2 mm float glass is quite sufficient although if you can afford an additional cost of about fifty pounds for a museum archival material like 'Denglas' this offers the best available protection." Although many of you feel that "Tenacious" is Geoff Hunt's best cover, Julian Thomas (and Julian Stockwin), when pressed, both nominated "Artemis" as +their+ favourite. Say Julian Thomas: "The way the shaft of sunlight is back-projected on her mainsail, the extraordinary drama of this frigate in full sail on the Great Southern Ocean - it's a brilliant example of Geoff's work." We have a print of "Tenacious" for one lucky Shipmate this month. See CONTESTS www.artmarine.co.uk ==================== 7 CONTESTS Deadline: November 25 For a chance to win a copy of the limited edition print of the cover of TENACIOUS, "Lt Kydd at the Battle of the Nile", to give it its full title, email the Bosun with the answer to this question: In which English city is Art Marine located? And for your name to go into the hat for a copy of "The Illustrated History of the Royal Navy", here's the question: Who said: "The Royal Navy of England hath ever been its defence and ornament..."? Congratulations to last month's winners: The limited edition print of "Euryalus" from Geoff Hunt's Fighting Ship series goes to Mat Cottis, who correctly identified the Spanish ship as Santissima Trinidad. Noel Wheatley wins "The Ships of Trafalgar" by Peter Goodwin, naming two previous books by Peter - "The Bomb Vessel Granado" and "Nelson's Victory". =================== 8 MEET THE BOOKSELLER Ron Laity is proprietor of Page 'n' Leaf, an internet bookseller based in Japan. He is an ex English crab fisherman turned chef who became one of the first Japanese trained sushi chefs in London. Ron moved to Japan with his Japanese wife, who he met in London, and got into the book business as a result of his own collecting activities. Ron talks about his experiences as a bookseller in his adopted country: "The Japanese have an avid fascination with the UK after having suffered an overkill of American culture and parallels exist between the UK and Japan in an historical context. There are many aspects of the conduct of the Navy officer of the eighteenth century, for example, that are seen as a reflection of the Bushido/Samurai code. Also, as the Japanese have never been a race of explorers, and subsequently not a great race of seamen, the concept of life at sea in many historical contexts is fascinating to them. Couple that with a country that is the third largest importer of paper and manic readers to boot - quality fiction such as the Kydd series (in English and in the translated version, which is smaller and easier to read on trains to work etc.) will do well." =================== 9 NEW ON THE WEB www.JulianStockwin.com Many libraries mounted special displays featuring the Kydd books this year. Take a look at one such on the website -> AUTHOR -> ON WRITING -> LIBRARY CORNER. Free display packs are available on request to librarians around the world. =================== Next month: Special Bumper Issue for December/January - great prizes and double helpings of many of your favourites... Yours aye, THE BOSUN ++ Back issues of the newsletter downloadable from the website ++