Seize the Fire: Heroism, Duty, and the Battle of Trafalgar

I enjoyed this book and learned an enormous amount. It is not so much a blow by blow account of the battle as much as a "meta-history" of the sociological forces at play in 1805. There are long discussions of what "honor" and "duty" meant in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. There's a comparison of Wordsworth and Nelson. So in this sense it is a very academic study and sometimes falls prey to the excesses that pass for scholarly learning in some quarters-- e.g. the interpretation of King Henry's speech at Agincourt in terms of Freudian sexuality. Or the personification of Violence which runs throughout the book and leads to statements like :Paradoxically the violence of battle was a release, a calm in the midst of the storm... etc.
If your interest is in military history, this work will disappoint. If you want to learn a lot about the period from the extremely well-read author, then this work might be of interest.

Nicolson is a compelling writer; this paean to Lord Nelson at his moment of triumph and at his death is superbly crafted and conveyed. Highly recommend

Given the Nelson bicentennial, I had been yearning for a book about Trafalgar. This book did not disappoint. This is a book about the values that gave rise to the roles played by officers, and to some minor extent men, in the Royal Navy. As such, it is a fabulous work and a must read for all fans of Patrick O'Brian's books. This is the Book that O'Brian fans need in order to fill in that author’s sociological gaps. There is a considerable amount of chest thumping in the book but that is to be expected from something that is part propaganda part history.