A Sea of Words: A Lexicon and Companion to the Complete Seafaring Tales of Patrick O'Brian

by Dean King, John B. Hattendorf, J. Worth Estes

This comprehensive lexicon provides definitions of nautical terms, historical entries describing the people and political events that shaped the period, and detailed explanations of the scientific, medical, and biblical references that appear in the novels.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, History, Nautical, Historical, Maritime, Military Fiction

528 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

I like to read, wander cross-country, travel in cultures I don't understand, cycle, play squash, and I'm a foodie. But most of all I like to be in the throes of writing a book. This is invigorating work. The moment when the hard-won research combines with a bit of sweat and blood and occasionally a tear to become a fluid paragraph is like no other. What I hope to achieve is to suspend time and disbelief for the reader and carry her or him into another world, where they live more fully and in the moment.

Reviews

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have real all of Patrick O’Brian’s “Aubrey-Maturin” sea novels and have reviewed a few. Of this genre, involving the sea conflicts at the turn of the 19th century, they are by far the most literary and engaging.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The nautical (and other) terminology of that period can be unfamiliar but I had King’s thick book handy to make it all clear.

Now that I am reading more on my Kindle, the electronic edition of A Sea of Words is most handy. It’s very easy to look up a word or phrase and King’s explanations go well-beyond definitions. If you want a short history of the British navy during this period, this is easily absorbed. If you want to have some context for the commercial enterprises necessary to support this navy, King supplies those as well.

The newest edition covers the entire series with additional foreign words that O’Brian included in those books. Speaking of which, I guess it is time to take another of those down from the shelf. Naval fiction doesn’t get much better.
5*

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Sea of Words is perfectly described by its subtitle: A Lexicon and Companion to the Complete Seafaring Tales of Patrick O'Brian. If you've invested any time at all in reading the 22-part Aubrey/Maturin series of nautical tales, you would be painfully remiss in not having by your side for quick reference A Sea of Words. You will not--I reiterate--you will not understand the nautical or medical terms O'Brian pours forth, not even if you're a seasoned sailor or physician. Why? Because these terms are specific to tall-masted, square-rigged sailing frigates, Indiamen, and xebecs of the early 1800's. In other words, O'Brian talks in nautical code that has been lost during the Industrial Revolution and era of mechanization.

Peering within is like looking at the Shroud of Turin; it's like breaking the Enigma Code; it's like solving the Riemann hypothesis. Patrick O'Brian's anachronistic language, pervasive throughout, jumps to life when an unfamiliar word, verbiage of local color, or a Latin quote is disentangled by quick reference to A Sea of Words. The author has taken great care to dissect every book written by O'Brian, isolate the words that may have particular, rare, historic meaning to the story, and combine them in this book of reference. This is not a book that can be read independently, unless you like perusing the dictionary or encyclopedia before those references were moved to the internets.

Patrick O'Brian must have lived a previous life as a seaman or Post Captain in the 1800's. If not, then I envision him having written languidly day and night among a midden of dusty, open, cloth-bound primary-source naval literature, a fire greedily stoked, and a single-bulb desklamp under which he pensively hunted and cross referenced ancient medical and nautical terms. I prefer a publication like A Sea of Words instead of 3-8 footnotes per page. I've read the first 3 in the Aubrey/Maturin series, the first without the Lexicon and Companion, the other 2 with it by my side. Again, it's quite necessary, and you won't enjoy O'Brian as much without it. It's a loss to the world of literature that Patrick O'Brian has passed away.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin series is a prime example of books that fulfil what is, for me at least, one of the primary purposes of historical fiction: complete immersion into an historical era (something I find not all, or even many, works of historical fiction are able to do well at all). This does, of course, present obstacles for the casual (and even not-so-casual) reader who may not be as well-versed in the period as is necessary for full appreciation of the texts. Add to this the fact that O’Brian apparently never met a piece of nautical jargon he didn't love and is infamous for having gone into explicit detail on specific nautical terms and processes and this lexicon becomes pretty much required reading if you want anything other than the most vague understanding of what is going on for significant portions of the novels. That being said, the definitions of many of these terms are so technical in themselves, and often (for me at least) hard to envision from a text description, that you may still walk away from some of the explanations scratching your head.

In addition to the lexicon of words (that goes far beyond naval terminology and includes all manner of historical references and allusions, as well as entries for important historical figures that appear or are referenced in the series) there are two useful essays that act as introductions to the book. One covers the makeup of the British Royal Navy coupled with a short historical overview of the era, and the other acts as an examination of the medical practices and beliefs of the day. These two subjects are perhaps the most appropriate ones that could have acted as an entrée to the book given the two main characters: one a dashing and efficient naval captain of known nautical expertise, the other a physician and natural philosopher (amongst his other more clandestine pursuits), both of whom are committed to ‘the service’ and the war against Napoleon which forms the backdrop to all of the events of the novels. There is also a fairly detailed timeline of the Napoleonic wars at the end of the book which gives an overview of significant historical events of the period related to the wars in which Aubrey and Maturin were involved.

All in all the book is a great resource and while, as noted above, some of the more technical elements of naval processes and procedures may still remain quite mysterious to me I found it to be indispensible. It’s very handy to be able to quickly jump in to find a term or obscure word and get its exact relevance (though to be fair to O’Brian many of them are fairly clear in general simply through context), not to mention its utility as an introduction to the time period overall and the relevant cultural aspects of the era for which it is an excellent resource.

Definitely recommended to both afficianados and neophytes of the Aubrey-Maturin series.

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to rate this higher because anything that enhances the reading of the Aubrey-Maturin tales is a plus, but as good as the lexicon is:
1. It lacks many geographical references and maps...you need Harbors and High Seas
2. It isn't comprehensive on ships of that era
3. More and better illustrations would be a plus and would have me reaching for it more often

[Daniel]

I was excited about this when I got it, and it's been very helpful in general.

But the more I try to use it the more I wish it was slightly more comprehensive. It does not contain quite all of the nautical and technical jargon I want to know. I especially wish that the diagrams in the front of the book showing the anatomy of a ship were much more detailed...in fact I could go for an extra ten pages or so just of these types of labelled drawings. The big things are listed but there are so many little pieces of the ship that are talked about throughout the books that are too small or tangential for little drawings like these.

I also wish that there were maps that showed the locations, if not the actual courses of the travels made in each book. I may be getting greedy here, but all of these things would have made this book a lot more satisfying to me. The world has changed quite a bit since the period in which these stories take place, and I would have loved to see some maps showing the locations of all of these cities and colonies that no longer exist, or have become some other place.

All that is just nitpicking though. Still a very useful and usable book in general.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another of the reference books on the first shelf in my Shelf-Clearing Project. When I first read Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander, it seemed as if there were whole pages on which the only words I understood were a, an, and the. Yet I loved it, and pressed on through many more of the Aubrey-Maturin series. This book was a tremendous help, as it would be for anyone who isn't a lifelong sailor and an expert on the Napoleonic era in sea warfare. It would be useful, too, in reading other works set in the same milieu. I'm keeping it, since I've saved the last two O'Brians for my old age, and very likely may reread the earlier ones as well.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is basically a glossary of terms relating to ships, sailing, and the navy as per the Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian. If you are interested in the English Navy during the Napoleonic Wars it might be of interest to you, otherwise I recommend it only as a pre-read and continuing reference book while you read the O'Brian books.

I started the first book in the series years ago after watching the great film "Master and Commander: Far Side of the World" (dir. Peter Weir) which is now one of my favorite movies. I quickly was overwhelmed with the terminology to the point that I couldn't go on without getting more info. I got a recommendation for this book and finally ordered for about $4 on amazon - it was money well spent!

There are about 75 pages at the front of the book that give an overview of the structure of the navy and its fleet, the history of the Napoleonic Wars from about 1785-1815, as well as the basics of naval medicine and illustrations of sails, rigging, and a variety of boats/ships mentioned in the series. That gave me a great foundation to start the book and as I go through the first installment in the series I refer often (sometimes every paragraph) to the glossary. You could potentially skip over many terms if constantly referring to this book becomes annoying, but I figure that by looking at everything I can now I will more easily shed the need to look up all these terms as I progress through the series - which I am really enjoying! Beyond just ship/sailing terminology, it is a reference for all the colloquial/cultural terms and I would say try looking up even words you think you know because you'll find that at the time they may have had different meanings.

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book giving in-depth insight into the workings, characteristics and developments of the 18th and 19th century wooden sailing man-o-wars. This is a must-have reference when reading the Patrick O'Brien books, which can become very confusing with their archaic terminology. Helpful historical pictures and useful graphics are provided, including the ship interiors and exteriors. The British fleet is mostly described, with some mention of the French and other nations. Providing clarity are descriptions of the daily life and rituals of those on board, definitions of the era lingo and dialect, the makeup of the crews, typical on-board schedules, and the military culture. Disease and injury, and the medical resources available for aid are also described, a reminder of the high fatality rate and sometimes brutal living conditions involved with the ships.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely keep this book around whenever you haul out one of the Aubrey/Maturin adventures. The start of the book describes ship types, the structure of the Royal Navy's bureaucracy, ranks and a lengthy piece about medicine at the turn of the 19th century. These were fascinating and a good introduction to the series. The dictionary part is very comprehensive, I have yet to look up a confusing word from the book and not find it here. The dictionary has nautical, medical and scientific terms along with important people, places and ships. There are also ship rigging and sail diagrams (so useful!) and maps of important regions.

[Ernest G · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-have for anyone reading the Master and Commander series. It really helps add depth to your reading. O'Brian adds many latin phrases and archaic sailing and medical references and this has most all of them. However, you also need "Harbors and High Seas" which has maps and harbor layouts. Some of the locations in the books are imaginary so you can't look them up anywhere else.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know your recreational reading has gotten out of hand when you read reference book about it. The historical essays are essential and the the lexicon is very helpful.

[Izzie Flynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read and perfect companion to the series, i haven't used it for that so much but i think it's good for folks not as familiar with nautical talk etc.

[Neil R. Coulter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the girl in the nursery rhyme, when this book is good, it is very, very good, but when it is bad it is horrid. Dean King's Sea of Words is, as the back cover quote proclaims, "a godsend, a must-have book." Anyone who dips into the Aubrey/Maturin series is overwhelmed by the amount of archaic, period vocabulary on almost every page. And I don't feel that O'Brian is showing off just for the fun of it; I sense that he has so immersed himself of the writing of that time that it flows naturally from his pen. The sense of history is one of the aspects of his series that draws us fans to it again and again. Sometimes it's okay to pass over an unfamiliar word and just feel the sense of historical change; but most of the time I want to know what they're saying. So Dean King's book was tremendously helpful in giving the context for many, many word, phrases, and names. It's more of an encyclopedia than dictionary, filled with little details and explanations, and (far too few) illustrations.

So why is it also sometimes horrid? Because of the number of times I looked up something unfamiliar and found that there was no entry for it in Sea of Words. It was infuriating to look things up and wonder: Is Dean King so literate that he thought this phrase was just common sense? Or was he skimming the novels and missed this one? Or did he just not know what it was, either, so he left it out? Sometimes this would happen several times in a row, and it's amazing how annoying that little tiny thing--stopping my reading and picking up the other book, then not finding what I was looking for--could be.

It's a shame that this third edition (and very probably the last-ever revision) was not quite as perfect as it could've been. Besides adding more entries, I'd like to see pronunciation help for at least some of the terms, as well as many more illustrations throughout. A lot of this extra information could, I'm sure, be found online, but I prefer it in print form, because I'm more likely to have another book with me while I'm reading an Aubrey/Maturin novel than a computer open, ready for web-browsing.

Sea of Words is good, but I wish it could be a little better. Even so, it's most definitely an essential for anyone who is going to spend time in the Aubrey/Maturin story.

[H. Honsinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are an Aubry/Maturin fan and didn't actually sail on a British Man of War circa 1807, this book is your essential companion. Here you will learn about the various kinds of vessels that O'Brian mentions (pinks, snows, polacres, etc.) but also all the cat-harpings and hawser-laid cables, and mouses (a part of the rigging) that one encounters in these books. In addition, there is a fascinating chapter on the medicine of the age--what did Dr. Maturin know about the body and what did he do with that knowledge? Mini-essays on the management of the Royal Navy, Ranks, and other nuts and bolts allow the reader to attack O'Brian's 20 Jack Aubry books with a better handle on the background and vocabulary.

And, as a bonus, most of the dialog in foreign languages is translated, so when folk are speaking French, you can read it in English (if your French needs a little help).

The only reason this is 4 and not 5 stars is that I would have liked more information about the mechanics of sailing the ship, the layout, and other information that would make O'Brian's world even more concrete to the reader.

[Tripp Lilley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great companion to the Aubrey/Maturin novels. In them, O'Brian diligently maintains authentic dialog, uses accurate technical terms, and doesn't break the resulting immersion by explaining those things. A reference like this is, therefore, absolutely essential to fully appreciating the work that O'Brian has invested in the reader's total envelopment in the world he's both recounting and remaking.

In a complementary work of excellence, King brings us easy access to, and understanding of the rich world of detail O'Brian has constructed. King gives attention worthy of O'Brian to defining, explaining, and connecting the most trivial and obscure of terms, locations, and historical events and persons.

I don't know that I would have enjoyed or appreciated O'Brian's work nearly as much if I hadn't had King's by my side throughout.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

One does not need historical background essays or a lexicon of Napoleonic era naval terminology to enjoy Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin novels, but it sure doesn't hurt. Every time I consult this to look something up (What's the difference between a xebec and a felucca? What advantages might a carronade have over a cannon in a sea-battle? What's the relationship between the Admiralty, the Navy Board, and the Ordnance Board?) I follow threads to other entries and get lost for a bit before I return to the novel. I own the second and third editions in (well-worn) paperback, and have the second edition on Kindle. Highly recommended for anyone embarking on the Aubriad.

[Graeme · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful and clearly written. Mine is the first edition, so some of the improvements I would ask for have probably been made. Without it, half of the words might well have been in Turkish or Icelandic.

[Clay Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author writes on page 382 that St. Helena is in the South Atlantic but on page 498 that that island is in the South Pacific.

[Mike Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

No reading of the works of Patrick O'Brian is complete with this - it's my constant bedside companion.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually when I shelve a book as "didn't finish" it's because I didn't like the book enough to read the whole thing. In this case, I used this book as a companion dictionary as I read first O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series and then began the Hornblower series by C.S. Forester. I'm marking it as read simply because I don't think I'll ever take the time to go through it page by page and read every entry. However, it is still a very good resource and helps make the vocabulary of these novels understandable and thus increases the enjoyment of reading the books.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a useful tool as you are reading the Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian. It may be a good idea to skim through it once you've read the first book unless you are British and a mariner. The Napoleonic era language along with the naval speak are entertaining, but can be a little daunting at times.

[D' · Rating 3 out of 5]

A necessary companion to the Patrick O'Brian books. I picked up my copy roughly midway through Master and Commander after getting fed up with Googling nautical terms every few paragraphs. Your enjoyment of the series will improve by having this at your side. As others have noted, I wished that it had included maps but I suppose that is why the second compendium, Harbors and High Seas, exists.

[Dale Sabo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice companion to Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin series. An overview of the Royal Navy and the age of Wooden warships, history of the wars of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, and mostly a dictionary of the words, phrases and names in the books. A long slog but worth it to someone interested in the history or literature of the period.

[Dave McCracken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Companion work that is a must-have for Patrick O'Brian's series. Navigating sea jargon & slang, nautical terms, with the associated seamanship knowledge and tactic naval maneuvering is made accessible by this great series companion.

[Lucardus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hauptsächlich ein Wörterbuch für seemännische Begriffe und Fremdwörter mit zwei sehr erhellenden vorangestellten Texten über die Royal Navy und die Profession des Schiffsarztes zur Zeit der napoleonischen Kriege.

[Michael Ries · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect addition to the Patrick O’Brian’s Master and Commander series as this work gives an ocean of detail on many of the terms and obscure words used the O’Brian’s master works.

Great to have on hand and its mere presence on your shelf will show you to be able rated and not a lubber.

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a useful book which adds to the pleasure of reading O’Brian’s novels, but I was surprised how often I failed to find something that I wanted to look up, archaisms of language in general and some place names, but even, surprisingly, some marine terminology.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essential for understanding the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brien

[Father Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-own for anyone wishing to acquire citizenship in the land of Aubrey & Maturin.

[Lewis M · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great source of reference for the Aubrey Maturin novel series