How to Learn About History and Have Fun

Would you like to know more about history and do you like reading but you don't want to spend any time studying? Reading historical novels may do just the trick. Bot not every historical novel is suitable for acquiring the knowledge you want to have. In this article we will look at two authors who researched the historical background for their fictional heroes with great care. You can be absolutely sure that the historical facts, personalities and circumstances mentioned in their books are true. The interactions between our heroes and historical figures are pure fantasy of course, but they are so well written that they have a ring of truth about them.An unlikely couple: Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin.These men are the brain-children of Patrick O'Brian. Jack Aubrey is the son of a General of the British Army during the time of the wars with Napoleon. Jack joined the Royal Navy and we follow his career, starting as a commander of a sloop and rising to higher ranks during n
umerous adventures. Jack is a tall and strong fellow, a keen sailor and a warrior to the core. As a sailor his competence and courage are unsurpassed; a clever chap too, but not an intellectual. Of course he is very much a ladies man. All the ingredients for thrilling adventures are there, don't you think? The world in which Jack lives is very richly painted by O'Brian. Life on board of a British warship during the 1800's is so well described that you can find your way from stem to stern in your imagination. You will meet historical personalities such as Lord Melville and Peter Haywood, who served as a midshipman under Captain Bligh, the hapless commander of the Bounty.Dr. Stephen Maturin M.D. is quite a different character. A scholar, highly intelligent and an endearing eccentric. He and Jack meet each other in the first chapter of saga and are inseparable ever since. Through the acts of Dr. Maturin and the workings of his inquisitive mind, you will get an idea of science i
n the eighteenth century. The hidden secretive other life of Maturin, of which I cannot reveal anything, is interwoven with the adventurous life of Jack. Jack a man of direct action, Stephen a man of political stratagems. You can't stop reading.Captain Horatio Hornblower, a lonely hero.Captain Hornblower is not so easy to describe. His character is a mixture of that of Jack Aubrey and Dr. Maturin. A man who doesn't think much of himself, self-doubting but when the situation requires is he acts swift and decisively. Horatio a man of action, acts not driven by an urge to fight but realizes clever naval strategy. When you can lay a hand on any Hornblower novel, buy it! They are out of print nowadays.Have look at my blog about historical books: /

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