'The most spectacular and controversial of Nelson's contemporaries, Thomas Cochrane inspired the novels of C.S. Forester and Patrick O'Brian and readers of this fast-paced history will see why. Cocrane's astonishing exploits in the Pacific have never been fully recounted before. Now, with unprecedented authority, Brian Vale provides a rigorous, no-nonsense narrative that strips the legends from one of ... Read more great naval campaigns of the nineteenth century. Unquestionably the standard work, and one to be enjoyed by aficionados of Nelson's navy and historians alike' - John Sugden, author of Nelson: A Dream of Glory 'This is another informative and well-written book by the acclaimed biographer of Cochrane and the acknowledged expert on the contribution of British subjects to South American independence. Brian Vale penetrates beyond the myths generated by Cochrane and his supporters to provide a comprehensive and judicious account of his contribution as Vice Admiral of the Chilean navy to the liberation of Chile and Peru from Spanish rule' Michael Duffy, Reader in History and Director of the Centre for Maritime Historical Studies, University of Exeter. ���Brian Vale...narrates the history of Cochrane���s years in the Pacific in clean, direct prose. The book is highly readable and thoroughly enjoyable. ..Vale���s assessment goes a long way to counteracting the defamations Cochrane and his supporters hurled against the leaders of the independence movements and early governments in Peru and Chile...This is high quality and well researched revision, and long overdue.��� - Timothy E. Anna, Journal of Latin American Studies. Show Less