The extraordinary story of a previously unknown cache of Horatio Nelson’s private possessions. In 2002, Sotheby’s auction house announced the discovery of a major cache of material relating to the life of England’s greatest naval hero, Horatio Nelson. The finding sheds amazing light on the intimate life of Nelson, his wife and his mistress in a way hitherto denied to biographers. The contents of this once-in-a-lifetime discovery are remarkable — some objects were believed lost, others had previously never been known to exist. Among the latter are some remarkable letters from Nelson’s jilted wife, Fanny, detailing the breakdown of their marriage. For the first time, Fanny’s role in Nelson’s life acquires real biographical substance. Also in the find are medals, swords, porcelain and jewelry, papers and letters (including some emotive letters by Emma Hamilton and Nelson himself) which shed fascinating new light on Nelson’s domestic affairs. Most dramatically, the cache also includes the bloodstained purse Nelson was carrying on the day he was shot on board HMS Victory in 1805, still containing its gold coins. Martyn Downer, the man who made this extraordinary find and spent a year of his life validating the material, tells the extraordinary historical detective story behind this great find and its progress from discovery to auction. It’s a gripping work of non-fiction combining historical biography with the uncovering of an extraordinary treasure trove just in time for the 200th anniversary of the battle of Trafalgar.

The most authoritative and intimate portrait written of Horatio Nelson In this epic biography of British history's most celebrated naval commander, acclaimed historian John Sugden separates fact from myth to offer a powerful portrait of the military hero of Trafalgar. As was true of the Sugden's riveting account of Horatio Nelson's early years (Nelson: A Dream of Glory, 2005), this comprehensive life of Lord Nelson is built from largely overlooked primary documents, letters, and diaries that reach across two centuries to invite us to share Nelson's multifaceted life in the Napoleonic Wars. The Sword of Albion offers the sweep and intimacy of first-rate historical fiction—revealing the interior lives, for example, of Lord Nelson's wife, Fanny and family and the caring and more passionate Emma, Lady Hamilton, who nursed the war-weary hero back to health in Naples and London after his brilliant victory over the Spanish fleet at Cape St. Vincent in 1797 and the stunning defeat at Tenerife that cost Nelson his right arm. Today's reader comes to understand that every obstacle in Nelson's path was attacked head-on with an Achilles-like ferocity and resolve. Yet his life was no steady upward trajectory; it was instead plagued by injuries and debt for the commoner admiral in a royal navy and English society dominated by lineage and property. As Sugden points out, "His life was a mission with the essence of a tour de force, hurrying toward a bloody climax that would change the fate of empires."

Engendering a history unto themselves, the stories of Nelson’s possessions, both before and after his tragic death, are meticulously outlined in this compelling study. The incident of the stolen chelengk—the shattered display case and the claims of notorious cat-burglar George "Taters" Chatham that he had stolen it—is just one of the many bizarre and intriguing mysteries surrounding Nelson’s possessions.

Oscar “Battling” Nelson (1882–1954) was perhaps the toughest professional boxer ever to enter the ring. Although a Hall of Fame inductee, Nelson remains a lesser known great of boxing lore. From the beginning of his career at 14, the Danish immigrant presented himself as a man of integrity who never smoked, drank or took a dive. In the ring and in public, Battling Nelson crafted a Renaissance man image as a lightweight champion, reporter, entertainer, real estate mogul, entrepreneur and ladies’ man. The first ever champion in his weight class to mount a comeback, he strove to break new ground (even if he wasn’t always successful). This book tells the story of a ring legend whose endurance was second to none and whose trilogy with Joe Gans is one of the great rivalries in sports history.

A cast of troubled anti-heroes struggle to survive and family ties are tested in an uncertain world where power is held by a Christ and the many gods all clash to rule supreme. Used as a pawn in the machinations of those above him Nelson MacClease saves himself from one god only to fall prey to another. Drugs, violence and the politics of war takes the reader around the globe, from the ocean's bottom to the edges of space to spy on palace intrigues and vie with street-gangs and mobsters in a futuristic science-fiction novel filled with the violent underworld of crime and power.

The Rise to Democracy: The writing of this book is to help educate young America because the olds ways no longer work. It is clear the justice system in our country is nothing more than a reflection of what it used to represent. The issues regarding increased border patrol, speeches to the public about guaranteed citizenship were all deception by way of United States election. Many immigrants have already learned of other ways to fight for permanent residency in the states. It's a game of deception called "I want to become an American Citizen." You know, the process of doing what ever it takes. Years ago it began one city block at a time. Later the issue took over various communities. And now repopulating the region. It won't be long before the nation bows down to the color of another flag and the culture of a different country.

The author of How to Cook from A-Z disproves the myth of British navy culinary misconduct in “a work of serious history that is a delight to read” (British Food in America). This celebration of the Georgian sailor’s diet reveals how the navy’s administrators fed a fleet of more than 150,000 men, in ships that were often at sea for months on end and that had no recourse to either refrigeration or canning. Contrary to the prevailing image of rotten meat and weevily biscuits, their diet was a surprisingly hearty mixture of beer, brandy, salt beef and pork, peas, butter, cheese, hard biscuit, and the exotic sounding lobscouse, not to mention the Malaga raisins, oranges, lemons, figs, dates, and pumpkins which were available to ships on far-distant stations. In fact, by 1800 the British fleet had largely eradicated scurvy and other dietary disorders. While this scholarly work contains much of value to the historian, the author’s popular touch makes this an enthralling story for anyone with an interest in life at sea in the age of sail. “Overall this is an excellent examination of this crucial aspect of British naval power, and I’m certainly going to try out some of the recipes.” —HistoryOfWar.org