The Letters of Lord Nelson to Lady Hamilton, Vol II.

Nelson, Horatio Nelson, Viscount, 1758-1805Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.5

Word count: 133K words
Chapters: 14

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Letters of Lord Nelson to Lady Hamilton, Vol II. by NelsonAuthor: Nelson, Horatio Nelson, Viscount, 1758-1805,Language: English, Class: DA: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Great Britain, Ireland, Central Europe, Release Date: Mar 22, 2005

Editor's review

This is the second volume of Lord Nelson's letters to Lady Hamilton, a collection of primary historical documents rather than a biography or literary work. Its value lies in giving readers direct access to the private hand of a British naval commander at the turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries: there are concerns and everyday jottings between campaigns, and the letters also reflect the social circles, life at sea, and modes of personal feeling of the time. The epistolary style is intimate and the information fragmentary, requiring readers to piece together the context themselves, and it is therefore better suited to those interested in the Nelson era, British naval history, or epistolary sources. Readers may first acquaint themselves with the basic historical background and the relationships among the figures, then read in chronological order, noting the names, places, and events mentioned in the letters, and keeping emotional expression separate from historical information. It is not a general history and offers no complete narrative; its value lies in an unmediated private perspective.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in British naval history and biographical studies of the Nelson era
Nonfiction readers who enjoy primary sources such as letters and diaries
Scholars studying late-eighteenth-century British social life and the expression of private feeling
Readers training in older English epistolary style and collectors of public-domain documents

Not a good fit for

Beginners seeking a complete biography of Nelson or a general history of naval warfare
General readers who prefer continuous narrative and plot-driven works
Beginners who need modern annotation and detailed introductory background

Reading tips

First fill in the basic biographies of Nelson and Lady Hamilton and the historical background, then approach the letters.
Read the letters in chronological order, noting names, places, and events as you go to help piece together the context.
Keep private emotional expression separate from historical information, and do not infer the whole from a single letter.
For older English letters, read first for the general sense and return to difficult sentences later; there is no need to check every word.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Can I read this directly without having read Volume I?

Yes, but it is advisable first to understand the overall background of the collection and the relationships among the figures. Volume II continues the correspondence of the previous volume, and reading it alone means missing some context; if you only wish to experience the epistolary style and the atmosphere of the period, you can read selectively and look up background material when you encounter unclear references.

Can this book be read as a biography of Nelson?

No. It is a compilation of original letters, fragmentary in information and focused on private exchange, and it offers neither a complete life narrative nor a full picture of the campaigns. To understand Nelson systematically, one should first read a reliable biography or work of naval history and then use this book as supplementary primary material.

How much historical background should I know in advance about the letters?

At minimum, know Nelson's major battles, his relationship with the Hamiltons, and the situation of the British navy and the Mediterranean at the time. With this framework, the names, places, and events in the letters are less likely to be confused; details can be looked up as you read and need not be assembled all at once.

Is the original English of the letters difficult to read?

The language of the letters is rather colloquial and the syntax casual, but there are many old spellings, abbreviations, and names of people and places, and no annotation, so a first reading may be arduous. It is best to read the background introduction first, grasp the general sense on a first pass, and read difficult sentences closely afterward; with basic English and a dictionary, progress is possible.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Nelson, Horatio Nelson, Viscount, 1758-1805 Author · British · 1758–1805

Horatio Nelson, Viscount Nelson (1758–1805), was a renowned British naval commander. He spent his life at sea and in 1805 led the British fleet to victory at the Battle of Trafalgar, where he was killed in action, becoming one of the most emblematic figures in the history of the Royal Navy. Beyond his military career, his correspondence with Lady Hamilton offers important material for understanding his character and the spirit of his age. The library holds two volumes of The Letters of Lord Nelson to Lady Hamilton, Vol. I and Vol. II. These letters are candid and emotionally vivid, recording private exchanges while reflecting the social atmosphere and aspects of naval life of the period, and are of value for the study of Nelson and his times. Public information on the details of his life is limited, so this note confines itself to a brief account of his identity, principal achievements, and surviving works.