<p><strong>"Strikingly original. . . . Nicolson brings to life superbly the horror, devastation, and gore of Trafalgar." --<em>The Economist</em></strong></p><p><strong>Adam Nicolson takes the great naval battle of Trafalgar, fought between the British and Franco-Spanish fleets, and uses it to examine our idea of heroism and the heroic. A story rich with modern resonance, <em>Seize the Fire</em> reveals the economic impact of the battle as a victorious Great Britain emerged as a global commercial empire.</strong></p><p>In October 1805 Lord Horatio Nelson, the most brilliant sea commander who ever lived, led the British Royal Navy to a devastating victory over the Franco-Spanish fleets at the great battle of Trafalgar. It was the foundation of Britain's nineteenth-century world-dominating empire. <em>Seize the Fire</em> is not only a close and revealing portrait of a legendary hero in his final action but also a vivid account of the brutal realities of battle; it asks the questions: Why did the winners win? What was it about the British, their commanders and their men, their beliefs and their ambitions, that took them to such overwhelming victory?</p><p>His masterful history is a portrait of a moment, a close and passionately engaged depiction of a frame of mind at a turning point in world history.</p>