“A fascinating and elegantly-written work which introduces a largely-forgotten naval hero of Stuart England” – N.A.M. Rodger, author of The Safeguard of the Sea, The Command of the Ocean, and The Price of Victory

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“Greenvile Collins emerges from Alan Harper’s biography as a sympathetic hero who served three 17th-century kings while compiling invaluable charts and navigational notes for his fellow sailors. Not since Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin novels have I enjoyed such rollicking armchair adventures at sea” – Dava Sobel, author of Longitude

 

“A triumph. Far more than just the man who charted Britain, Collins developed faster survey techniques to meet strategic, operational and economic needs, commanded ships, fought in battle, and ended his career as the leading hydrographer of the Navy and the nation it served. Alan Harper makes a major contribution by placing Greenvile Collins in a critical series of events, linking charts and navigation with wars and the fast-paced transitions that occurred after 1688, adding a significant new dimension to the naval side of that tumultuous year” – Andrew Lambert FKC, FRHistS, Laughton Professor of Naval History, Kings College, London

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"Very worthwhile – the author has an excellent grasp of his material, writes well, and his seagoing experience adds colour and interest to a compelling narrative" – Dr David Davies, author of Pepys's Navy and Kings of the Sea, chair of the Society for Nautical Research

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"Greenvile Collins had a great effect on maritime and naval affairs, in a turbulent time when the parliamentary system and the Royal Navy came of age, as is well described by Alan Harper. He paints a lively picture of a man who was a name known only to naval specialists, but whose influence was profound." Brian Lavery, author of The Ship of the Line, Nelson's Navy, Empire of the Seas, etc. 

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“I first met Alan about forty years ago, when I joined the magazine of which he was then deputy editor. I immediately envied his uncanny ability to transform the most mundane news story into something that was a pleasure to read. Now, starting from an old map found in a Portsmouth junk shop, he has worked the same magic, adding years of serious historical and technical research, to spin a yarn of swashbuckling adventure and political intrigue, telling the story of one of the forgotten heroes of British sea power. I was bound up in it from the first page to the last” – Mel Bartlett, author of the RYA’s Navigation Handbook, VHF Handbook, and Astro Navigation Handbook

 

“Interesting, well written and entertaining - a great read for anyone of a nautical bent” –Nick Burnham, ‘Aquaholic’

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“Drawing on a myriad of contemporary sources, Alan Harper brings to life the career of Greenvile Collins, from voyages to South America and the Arctic to brushes in the Mediterranean with Barbary corsairs. We learn of his great survey, which produced the first detailed charting of British waters, and of his crucial involvement in the Glorious Revolution. Harper’s scene-setting is informed by close reading of the nautical data, as in his analysis of the event which Collins is arguably most associated with: Admiral Cloudesley Shovell’s disastrous loss of four ships on the Scilly Isles. Were Collins’ charts to blame?” – Philip Burden, CA Burden Rare Maps

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“A major contribution to our understanding of the man who played such a significant role in the hydrography of the UK and the wider world” – Andrew Leitch, Head of Archives, UK Hydrographic Office

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“Alan Harper has drilled forensically into centuries-old Royal Navy records and skillfully transforms them into a compelling tale of drama and endeavour, played out by a host of extraordinary characters as they endure epic adventures, brutal sea battles, exhausting predicaments and plenty of political intrigue. An expansive and hugely entertaining journey into 17th-century navigation, naval seamanship, cartography, hydrography, and publishing, underpinned with keen psychological insight and a refreshing thread of dry humour, this is an important addition to the genre’s already impressive catalogue. Master & Cartographer is destined to become an essential reference for anyone studying, or simply passionate about, our nation’s proud nautical history. Highly recommended” – Dennis O’Neill, Yachting Monthly