An Unofficial 'The MeatEater Podcast' Reading List
608. Nelson: Slaughter in Naples (Part 1)
October 12, 2025
Description
Books Referenced
Author: John Sugden
Context:
Referenced as author of a 'titanic Nelson biography, probably the definitive one' when discussing different historians' perspectives on Nelson's actions at Naples
Author: Roger Knight
Context:
Referenced as author of a Nelson biography when discussing his more critical view of Nelson's actions at Naples, stating Nelson had 'naive attachment to the point of sycophancy to the Hamiltons'
Author: Andrew Lambert
Context:
Referenced as 'very great naval historian' and author of a biography, quoted saying Nelson was exhausted and defending his actions at Naples as justified
Author: Kate Williams
Context:
Quoted regarding Emma Hamilton's behavior during the storm at sea, describing how Emma 'refused to let the experience of being sick defeat her' - appears to be from a biography of Emma Hamilton
Author: Patrick O'Brian
Context:
Referenced as 'the Master and Commander books, the Patrick O'Brien books' when discussing how a glamorous woman on board a ship can be destabilizing to the chain of command
Author: Jonathan North
Context:
Explicitly mentioned as a book that 'came out just before the pandemic' in 2018, described as a comprehensive analysis concluding Nelson 'did indeed commit a crime at Naples'
Author: Robert Southey
Context:
Referenced as author of 'the first kind of celebrated biography of Nelson' who was poet laureate, quoted saying Naples was 'a stain on the memory of Nelson and upon the honour of England'
Author: Barry Unsworth
Context:
Explicitly called 'Barry Unsworth's novel' about a scholar of Nelson who is 'driven mad by the possibility that Nelson might have behaved poorly'