Folio Society Published Works Number 1016
Spavens, William (ed N A M Rodger) - Memoirs of a Seafaring Life: The Narrative of William Spavens, Pensioner on the Naval Chest at Chatham
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Spavens, William (ed N A M Rodger) - Memoirs of a Seafaring Life: The Narrative of William Spavens, Pensioner on the Naval Chest at Chatham (Published in by The Folio Society in 2000. Few common seamen in the 18th century could write at all - which makes William Spavens's memoir even more remarkable. Recording battles, living conditions, food quality, nautical discipline, and geographical and astronomical observations with an unflinching eye for detail, he provides a unique, exciting account of life at sea at the time of the Seven Years War against France and Austria. Admiral Hawke's famous victory at Quiberon Bay, in the annus mirabilis of 1759, brought the British complete command of the sea. Spavens served in that momentous conflict, and he captures the flavour of the times and the heat of battle. His talents got him into trouble, too: vexed relations with superiors resulted in several desertions, and he had much to say on the subject of press-gangs - as both victim and coercer - and the officer class. From the Russian Baltic ports to the West Indies and east into the Indian Ocean, this enthralling autobiography gives a unique insight into the adventures and hardships of life in the Age of Sail. Edited and introduced by N. A. M. Rodger. Bound in three-quarter buckram with a printed front on cambric-grained material. Set in Founder's Caslon. 8 pages of watercolours by Gabriel Bray printed in colour and 8 pages of mono plates. 256 pages. 9 1/2" x 5 3/4" )
