Overview

The story of Greenvile Collins, cartographer to the King. Greenvile Collins (1643-94) is the most important Royal Navy officer you have never heard of. But he was well known to Samuel Pepys, and worked personally for Charles II, James II and William III as hydrographer, navigation instructor and royal yacht captain. The charts by themselves would ensure his place in history, but Collins also made history through his actions. As navigator of the King's flagship during the 'Glorious Revolution' he perpetrated an ingenious deception, granting the Dutch army crucial extra time to mount their invasion. This has never been written about, perhaps because historians tend not to be navigators, yet it's all there, in Collins' 1688 journal, hiding in plain sight. This new study both explores for the first time Collins' charts as navigation aids, as well as how he changed the course of history. AUTHOR: Alan Harper is a yachting journalist, writer and editor. He gained his Yachtmaster Offshore qualification over 30 years ago and learned navigation the old way, with pencils, charts and parallel rules, similar techniques to Greenvile Collins' time, giving him a unique ability to relate to Collins' struggles and to analyse his cartography with an understanding of the issues of seamanship and navigation. His previous books include Waiting For Buddy Guy, which won the ASCAP Foundation Award and was a Living Blues book of the year. 13 colour, 25 b/w illustrations

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9781837051120

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Reviews

‘Fascinating and elegantly written, Master & Cartographer introduces a largely-forgotten naval hero of Stuart England’ -- N.A.M. Rodger, author of <i>The Safeguard of the Sea</i>, <i>The Command of the Ocean</i> and <i>The Price of Victory</i> ‘Greenvile Collins emerges as a sympathetic hero, who served three kings while compiling invaluable charts and navigational data for his fellow sailors. Not since Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin novels have I enjoyed such rollicking armchair adventures at sea’ -- Dava Sobel, author of <i>Longitude</i> ‘A triumph. Far more than just the man who charted Britain, Greenvile Collins developed faster survey techniques, commanded ships, fought in battle, and ended his career as the leading hydrographer of the Navy. Alan Harper’s major contribution places Collins in a critical series of events, linking charts and navigation with wars and the fast-paced transitions that occurred after 1688, adding a significant new dimension to the naval side of that tumultuous year’ -- Andrew Lambert, Laughton Professor of Naval History, Kings College, London ‘Very worthwhile – the author has an excellent grasp of his material, writes well, and his seagoing experience adds colour and interest to a compelling narrative’ -- Dr David Davies, author of <i>Pepys’s Navy</i> and <i>Kings of the Sea</i>, chair of the Society for Nautical Research

Author Information

ALAN HARPER was born in Scotland, raised in East Africa and educated in England. He is an RYA Yachtmaster, maritime journalist, and magazine editor, and has contributed articles on yachting, aviation, seamanship, navigation and travel to publications throughout the English speaking world. His previous books include Waiting For Buddy Guy: Chicago Blues at the Crossroads, which won the ASCAP Foundation Award and was a Living Blues book of the year.

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