Lavery is the curator of ship technology at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. In this text, he explores the links between naval facts and naval fiction particularly the works of Patrick O'Brian and C.S. Forester showing how the life of real naval heroes compares to that portrayed in novels and films. The text is fully illustrated throughout in b&w and color, and includes a foreword by Peter Weir, director of the 2003 film, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World , starring Russell Crowe in the role of Jack Aubrey. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)