ABOUT THE BOOK ...
Thought of as Scotland's Nelson, Sir Andrew Wood was arguably the first of a pantheon of naval heroes who would ensure that Britannia ruled the waves for nearly three hundred years. As Admiral to the Scottish monarchs James III and James IV, it was his indomitable courage, his powers of leadership and diplomacy, and those scores of embarrassing successes against English privateers and the best fleets England could throw against him that finally induced the Tudor King Henry VII to launch a standing navy that would, in time, establish Great Britain as a world power.
This book is a biographical account of the life of Sir Andrew Wood (circa 1458-1515), the seagoing merchant of Largo in Fife, Scotland, who prospered as he fought off buccaneers and the fleets of foreign governments till his reputation for mastery of the seas brought him a feudal barony and the rank of Admiral of Scotland. He served kings James III, IV and V, whose turbulent and uncertain times are the setting of this true tale of conspicuous valour, bloody political intrigue and familial love.
Throughout, the book develops the often colourful personalities of the principal characters. It adheres to what is known and credible, though a chronic lack of reliable contemporary records (that he was born a commoner doesn't help in that regard) occasionally makes it necessary to speculate ‘to join the dots', as it were.
This amounts to a fascinating and thrilling read.
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Choices. You can store this e-book on your hard drive or save it on a disc. You can also print yourself a paper copy (about 200 pages) or read it from your screen.
(50% of the proceeds go to Clan Wood Society's working funds.)
