A superbly researched, gripping account of the most important naval battle in British history, which thwarted Napoleon at sea and created a national hero in Nelson21 October 1805: Britain, under Nelson, mastered the sea for six hours, annihilating her French and Spanish opponents. In Trafalgar: The Biography of a Battle, Roy Adkins embraces the battle, its prelude and its aftermath, in a narrative that is at once scholarly and breathtakingly exciting. ''At least the equal to Stalingrad in blood, pace and telling detail'' Independent on Sunday''Masterful... a compelling account'' Bernard Cornwell, Mail on Sunday''First-rate... quite fascinating and filled with glimpses of the humanity of the men who fought so coolly yet ferociously'' Allan Mallinson, Spectator