Rating: 
Summary: The perfect Aubrey-Maturin companion . . .
Review: Subtitled "A Lexicon and Companion to the Complete Seafaring Tales of Patrick O'Brian," this is an absolutely marvelous book, the Third Edition of which includes references to all twenty of the Aubrey-Maturin novels. It scores high in the first test given any alphabetically organized reference book, viz., in looking up an entry, ... There's a wide variety of nautical jargon, period medical terminology, the characters' references to natural history and music, and the foreign words and phrases that crop up in the novels. O'Brian describes a large number of real personages, too, all of whom are succinctly biographed. There's also a pretty detailed timeline for the period 1793-1818, a narrative essay on the ins and outs of the Napoleonic wars, a most illuminating discussion of naval medicine and surgery in Maturin's day, and a nice series of period illustrations of ships and boats for those who can't tell a frigate from a corvette, nor a barge from a launch. This is definitely a book to keep at hand while you work your way through the series.
Rating:
Summary: It's essential
Review: The one annoyance about this book (for people like me, who came to Patrick O'Brian's stories through my own devices, at least) is that, by the time you hear tell off this book, you are several volumes into Mr O'Brian's exquisite series... by which time, you've generally muddled through (with whatever miscellaneous assortment of secondhand reference works you have inherited from elderly relatives) and figured out, by yourself, what a "futtock shroud" might be, or (through sheer perseverance) discovered what a "Greek pollacca" looks like, and much of what this gem of a book could have given you in a flash is already lost!If you ever find yourself in the privilaged position of being able to recommend Patrick O'Brian's magnificant novels to anyone who is so benighted as to have not yet heard of them, don't leave them in the lurch - funish them with a copy of this most excellent tome, to help them on their way! After all, you will remember the number of times you felt compelled to run to your meagre collection of reference sources to find out what O'Brian writes about with such unswerving authority. Even if you cannot gain from it youself, you know that this is _the_ book to have. I cannot write too highly of it (and I am an able to write too highly of many things when the spirit takes me :). But, To give a copy of "Master and Commander" to a new initiate of Mr O'Brian without also furishing them with a copy of this book is, quite frankly, to condemn your fellow potential Aubreyites to the same fate as yourself - Heck, even I didn't know what a Dutch Galliot looked like until I bought this book!
Rating:
Summary: For God's sake buy this!
Review: The reason for that review title is to alleviate the inevitable brain hemorrage that will result if you attempt to read Patrick O'brian's novels without a thorough 18th Century vocabulary lesson. I carry this guide with me anytime I read one of O'brian's books.
Rating: 
Summary: Get with the lingo
Review: This book is a great reference for all interested in the age of fighting sail, or readers of nautical fiction. The heart of the book is an immense lexicon or dictionary of nautical terms and (British) naval history and leaders during the times of the French Revolution and Napoleonic world war about A.D 1800. Specifically geared to the Patrick O'Brian novels about Captain Aubrey and his surgeon-spy Maturin, this can be read with benefit also to understanding any other authors in the genre. The lexicon is prefaced with Hattendorf's chapter on the organization of the British Navy from top to bottom. It specifies the career ladder from landman to Admiral of the Red, basic British vs. French battle tactics, and overviews the War of the French Revolution (1793-1803) and the Napoleonic Wars (1805-1815). A time line of these wars is appended. Another chapter by Estes discusses the state of contemporary medicine. Perhaps most immediately useful is a brief section illustrating the standing and running rigging of square-rigged ships, and their sail plans, the most confusing part of all for a lubber. In light of Maturin's cover as a naturalist, a chapter on the state of naturalist studies before Darwin would be a useful addition to a future edition (as would a section about the competition to determine longitude accurately). If you are new to nautical matters, and begin the Forester, Kent or Woodman series of novels with the start of the hero's career, I suggest you not consult this work until later so that you taste the same initial confusion as any raw young midshipman. This is a useful rite of passage for anyone falling in love with nautical fiction: if you care enough to learn the challengingly obscure terms you will be hooked. You will also learn the origins of many slang expressions, like scuttlebutt, three sheets to the wind, bye and large, bitter end, squared away, cut and run, scuttled, doldrums, son of a gun, at liberty, etc. The geographical companion book, Harbors and High Seas, could be acquired anytime, but I don't consider it as useful as this book. (Note: my review is based on a 2nd edition [green cover], which did not contain the error Desiree mentions in her review.)
Rating:
Summary: You MUST have this book!
Review: This book is absolutely indispensible for the O'Brian fan. Not only is it full of nautical terms for all us poor lubbers, but it contains much more as well. Herein are descriptions of food, wine, medical terms, natural science, a few people, places, ships, and events, and even foreign phrases lifted right out of the Aubrey/Maturin books and translated for your convenience. It also contains a meaty chapter on the Royal Navy, another on medical science of the era (scary!) and a Napoleonic war timeline. All I could ask for is more illustrations and a chapter explaining the basics of sailing. I've had this book at my elbow constantly since HMS Surprise (3rd in the series). You'll wonder how you ever got along without it!
Rating:
Summary: You MUST have this book!
Review: This book is absolutely indispensible for the O'Brian fan. Not only is it full of nautical terms for all us poor lubbers, but it contains much more as well. Herein are descriptions of food, wine, medical terms, natural science, a few people, places, ships, and events, and even foreign phrases lifted right out of the Aubrey/Maturin books and translated for your convenience. It also contains a meaty chapter on the Royal Navy, another on medical science of the era (scary!) and a Napoleonic war timeline. All I could ask for is more illustrations and a chapter explaining the basics of sailing. I've had this book at my elbow constantly since HMS Surprise (3rd in the series). You'll wonder how you ever got along without it!
Rating: 
Summary: Get the THIRD or FIRST edition
Review: This is an excellent reference guide. However, the 2nd edition of this book has a major printing error. Most of the terms beginning with "C" and the beginning of the "D" entries are missing, and there's a reprinted set of pages from later in the book inserted instead. Avoid the 2nd edition!
Rating:
Summary: So close in time, and yet...
Review: This useful book is an indespensible compliment to the "Master & Commander" series. So many places like "Isle de France" are not found on modern maps, and details of 1805 Port Mahon in Minorca are necessary to understand the actions there which are thinly disguised accounts of actual events.
I also recommend "Harbors and High Seas" by this author and "Lobscouse and Spotted Dog" by Anne Chotzinoff Grossman and Lisa Grossman Thomas. Aubry eats as much as fights. Now you can imagine (and cook and taste) the foods of the novels.
Rating:
Summary: 10 Shinning Stars for this BOOK! Excellent!
Review: When I started to read "Master and Commander", I was completely lost in the "sea of words", the nautical vocabulary. This book is an INVALUABLE resource when reading the O'Brian books. This book has diagrams and charts and photos, explains naval medicine and other things, but it's best trait is the "a to z" dictionary of nautical terms and phrases used in the O'Brian books. EXCELLENT!
Rating:
Summary: 10 Shinning Stars for this BOOK! Excellent!
Review: When I started to read "Master and Commander", I was completely lost in the "sea of words", the nautical vocabulary. This book is an INVALUABLE resource when reading the O'Brian books. This book has diagrams and charts and photos, explains naval medicine and other things, but it's best trait is the "a to z" dictionary of nautical terms and phrases used in the O'Brian books. EXCELLENT!
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