Walking through Time in Weimar: A Criss-Cross Guide to Cultural History Book

I entered this book with very high expectations, which is perhaps why I only found this account satisfactory and not excellent. The book’s intent to survey the entirety of the naval aspect of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (or the Great War, as Mostert calls it) is quite ambitious. I must give the author, Noel Mostert credit because I think he succeeds at providing a clear, sound overview. Indeed, I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn about the naval side of the Napoleonic Wars, but this book had many flaws which detracted from my reading experience.

Mostert begins with a fascinating and lengthy introduction of the evolution of naval combat from ancient times up to the 18th century. Not only was this introduction interesting, but it also provided excellent context for the main subject. It primarily details the evolution of warships and the gradual rise of Great Britain’s Royal Navy, which was not as predestined or effortless as it is sometimes implied. Though the book is largely told from the perspective of the Royal Navy, Mostert remains fair and objective throughout.

After the introduction, the book is divided into two parts. The first covers the vast conflict at sea that begin in 1793 and ends with the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Mostert guides the reader through the progression of this naval war, which was mostly Britain against France. All the major events and battles are covered, but Mostert includes several minor incidents to add flavor to the narrative. I thought his coverage of the battles was spotty. The account of the battle of the Nile was particularly well-written, but other battles were given a cursory treatment that left me unsatisfied. For example, Mostert himself says "Camperdown was a battle that, with posterity, somehow lost rank and significance against the greater and more romantically glorious events that followed" but does nothing to rectify that lapse because his account of the battle is only two or three pages long.

One of the quibbles I had with this book is the author’s decision to base the narrative around Nelson and Napoleon. I understand that these men were two of the most pivotal figures of their time, but I felt too much attention and effort was given to comparing the two. In my opinion, Nelson’s minor exploits and his personal life were given too much attention, though others may disagree. Thirdly, I wasn’t entirely taken by the author’s writing. By no means is it badly written, but the prose isn’t outstanding either. Additionally, Mostert makes some interesting choices regarding certain conventions, most notably in referring to Napoleon as Buonaparte.

What Mostert does do well is that he adds context to the naval war. He constantly updates the reader on the happenings on the continent of Europe (and sometimes North America) which makes it easy for the reader to understand how the naval war corresponded to the war on land. It is mainly for this reason that I found this book to be a far more superior summary of the naval side of the war than the book The War for All the Oceans: From Nelson at the Nile to Napoleon at Waterloo. However, I wish the author would have expanded on the relationship between land war and naval war more. Asides from a few isolated examples, there is no attempt at a cohesive argument on this subject. I feel that if the author had maintained a constant argument throughout the book, then the value and interest of the book would be much greater.

After the battle of Trafalgar, the naval war was entirely changed, a change which is reflected in the text. The dramatic, large-scale naval conflict between Britain and France was now a thing of the past. Instead, blockade, small-scale conflicts, and the impending conflict with the United States had became the main priorities of the Royal Navy. Of these three, the British conflicts with the U.S. including the War of 1812 are given the most thorough coverage. I found the second half of the book to be choppier and less interesting than the first – though that may be a result of the subject matter.

A major flaw of this book (I might have given it four stars if not for this flaw) is the complete want of maps. There are three, located at the beginning of the book. The first is a detailed, if disorientating plan of the battle of New Orleans, the second is a series of plans of the battle of Trafalgar, and the third is a general map of the North Atlantic. This is not a sufficient quality for a book that covers over twenty years of conflict on all sides of the globe. The dearth of maps made for a frustrating and inferior reading experience.

In conclusion, Noel Mostert’s The Line Upon a Wind succeeds as a comprehensive survey of the naval conflict that spanned from 1793 to 1815. Unfortunately, there were too many flaws to make this the authoritative account that I hoped it would be.