That Hamilton Woman: Emma and Nelson

by Barry M. Gough, Andrew Roberts (Introduction)

Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson, England's greatest sailor, fell deeply in love with Emma Hamilton in the years before Trafalgar. This, together with his quest for glory and victory entangled him in an inescapable web of circumstances and slander. The author explores the evolving scandal, the high political stakes that were involved, and the love affair itself which so influenced the fortunes of England's glory and the fate of her “Wooden Walls.” Emma, much maligned by her contemporaries and later by historians and commentators, rose from the most humble beginnings to play a startling role in Britain's naval victory over France and Spain in 1805. In this new book, Barry Gough seeks to defend Emma by drawing on the letters between the protagonists and the unpublished examination of her career by Arthur Marder, famed American historian of the Royal Navy. The author shows how this most talented and beautiful of women fell victim to innuendo, slander, and cruel caricature. She was to die in poverty in Calais in 1815, just months before Napoleon's final defeat. Richly illustrated throughout, the book shows Emma in all her glory, likely the most painted woman of her age. Depicting Emma sympathetically as a woman trapped in circumstances of her own making, Gough places Emma Hamilton as one of the forces that gave the Royal Navy its will to fight and conquer.

128 pages, Hardcover

Published October 15, 2016

About the author

BARRY GOUGH was professor of history at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario until retirement in 2004. An expert on the maritime history of the Pacific Ocean, he has published widely on Anglo-Canadian naval subjects.

Reviews

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very slim volume and not really for anyone looking for a fuller view of Emma and Nelson's relationship. In fact, much of the text is taken up with the introduction and another paper before we reach Gough's work.

I was a little disappointed though it was well enough written.

I would recommend both Flora Fraser and Kate Williams books on Emma before reading this one.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with the one other reviewer. This is a very slim volume that contains several parts written by two different authors. I felt like I was reading the same information over and over. Was this really one of the greatest love affairs of all time, or were the authors just trying to argue not very successfully, that is was.

[Cheralee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the history of this book. Reliving and images of what the world was like in that time. Fascinating book.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had hoped for more from this.

As a preface, I really enjoyed the prologue drawn from Arthur Marder's 'That Hamilton Woman: Emma and Clio Reconciled' and that is the main support for my giving of three stars. Unfortunately the main chapters offered no new information over what I already knew and, although it was interesting, I found it to be romanticised and almost idealistic. I'm unsure, but I also suspect there were a few contradictions throughout its chapters. Despite all this, I enjoyed the images included and I do not regret reading it.