Book read: Commander: The Life and Exploits of Britain's Greatest Frigate Captain by Stephen Taylor

I have always enjoyed reading about this period of naval history, around late 1700 to mid 1800s.

Of course Horatio Nelson is the main character of those times, but this book gives a biography of a similar figure Edward Pellew - whose endeavours are just as impressive.

It charts his rise from humble beginnings to command of ships and has very good descriptions of battles that he was involved in.  The capabilities of the ships and navigational abilities are limited - so what was achieved back then is truly staggering, these were true sailors - spending years at sea or on station.

The author makes the case that Pellew is an overlooked historical figure, I had never heard of him - this books provides some really interesting background on him and the times he lived in.