An Unofficial 'The MeatEater Podcast' Reading List

608. Nelson: Slaughter in Naples (Part 1)

October 12, 2025

Description

What happened when the heroic Horatio Nelson, victor of the Battle of the Nile, sailed into the seething city of Naples? Why would his meeting with the glamorous celebrity, Lady Emma Hamilton,...
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Books Referenced

Nelson: A Dream of Glory

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

The Pursuit of Victory: The Life and Achievement of Horatio Nelson

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'

Nelson: Britannia's God of War

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

England's Mistress: The Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton

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

Master and Commander

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

Nelson at Naples

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'

Life of Nelson

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'

Losing Nelson

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'