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A Sea of Words, Third Edition: A Lexicon and Companion to the Complete Seafaring Tales of Patrick O'Brian?
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It doesn't hurt to be more knowledgeable about seafaring, because it will help to unpack some of the denser maneuvers and the like that are a big part of the battles and cutting-out expeditions, and suchlike. Luckily there are a number of companion volumes aimed at lubbers that will help. I picked up this one on my first run through, and it helped get a handle on things. It's still sometimes frustrating to have to look up a number of different terms all at once, but once you have a better sense of them the action flows a little smoother, imo.
But no, I wouldn't say the later books are overburdened with impenetrable naval terminology, or at least none that I remember as being particularly bad. There are some really terrific scenes that I remember vividly coming up for you, too.
One suggestion, for if you get a bit lost with all the naval terminology, is Dean Kings A Sea of Words. It contains what is basically a dictionary of the naval terms used in the series, along with some diagrams and information about the Royal Navy at the time.
And if you're going to read O'Brian, you need a copy of <em>A Sea of Words</em>, which is a dictionary created by rabid O'Brian fans.
"Marthambles", what a lovely name for a disease!
There's actually a few resources to help guide you through the series. In particular, for the first-Voyager, I'd recommend having a copy of Dean King's "Sea of Words" on hand to aid with the naval- and period-jargon that can be a high hurdle for those new to the genre.
A Sea of Words, Third Edition: A Lexicon and Companion to the Complete Seafaring Tales of Patrick O'Brian https://www.amazon.com/dp/0805066152/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_F6TiCbRXP1AB8
It took me a couple books to wrap my head around all the lingo and such, but afterwards the next most helpful book I found was his "Harbours and High Seas", which dealt with more of the geographical range of the series as it continues.
Harbors and High Seas, 3rd Edition : An Atlas and Geographical Guide to the Complete Aubrey-Maturin Novels of Patrick O'Brian, Third Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/0805066144/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_c9TiCbETWQ60G
Lastly Anthony Gary Brown's book "The PO'B Muster Book" may be exactly what you're looking for, since it's essentially a list of characters and their functions within the series...
The Patrick O'Brian Muster Book: Persons, Animals, Ships and Cannon in the Aubrey-Maturin Sea Novels https://www.amazon.com/dp/0786424826/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Y.TiCb2CHCNQC
I'm probably on my sixth or seventh time through the series, but I continually find new things to look up every time I go through a POB book, in these books or others.
Welcome aboard, sir or ma'am. A glass of wine with you.
May I humbly recommend some additional resources that shall enrich your delight?
- "A Sea of Words" will greatly facilitate your understanding of the languages, terms, and jargon of the period and the Navy. It's not necessary to comprehend the novels, but it will aid in your pleasure of them.
- "Harbors and High Seas" may be of service in helping you track the maritime voyages and movements of Jack and Stephen, the creatures.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sea-Words-Lexicon-Companion-Seafaring/dp/0805066152/
If you're a fan of the Aubrey-Maturin novels (and I have to assume you are if you know what a 74 is) then this is a great companion.
The lexicon companion (https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0805066152/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_i_KMDQ9B6YZ5TXJWB5B6HT) to Patrick Obrien's Aubrey-Maturin series has excellent detail on the jargon and setting of such ships.
This has a good lsit of the different types of rigs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sail_plan#Types_of_ships
This is a decent diagram of a fully rigged ship https://ecoclipper.org/wp-content/uploads/sailplan-general-ship.gif
The book Sea of Words is also a great resource for terminology https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Words-Third-Companion-Seafaring/dp/0805066152/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=sea+of+words&qid=1595547225&sr=8-1
Oh I envy you being able to read Patrick O'Brian for the first time. I firmly believe that the Aubrey/Maturin series is the greatest work of modern English literature.
I do know that the movie is actually based on the plot of The Far Side of the World, which is actually the tenth novel, and that the stole some of the best anecdotes from various novels. For example, the "lesser of two weevils" gag is from The Fortune of War, which is the sixth book.
Not sure what advice to give you before you embark on your journey but there's two major paths: using references to understand everything, and learning along with Maturin (PO'B uses Maturin to explain some of the more esoteric concepts and terms of square-rigged sailing). I wrote the following in a previous Reddit post: >In Master and Commander, the first of Patrick O'Brian's brilliant Aubrey/Maturin series (which may very well be the best-written English-language books post-WWII), we are introduced to Stephen Maturin, the perpetual land-lubber who acts as a guide for the reader to the more obscure jargon used by sailors -- especially that of the Royal Navy during the heights of the Age of Sail.
>When Maturin is being given a tour of the HMS Sophie, his first ship deployment, he becomes perplexed by the language being tossed at him and asks, "You could not explain this maze of ropes and wood and canvas without using sea-terms, I suppose? No, it would not be possible. ... No; for it is by those names alone that they are known."
>And that is how it is with the language of sailing; like learning a foreign language, one must become familiar with its terms and jargon for there is no other language to define it.
As for references, there are two major ones: "A Sea of Words", which is a dictionary and general reference for sailing/nautical, naturalism, medicine, politics, and sometimes foreign-language dictionary, though sometimes it comes woefully short on obvious terms; and "Harbors and High Seas", an atlas which maps out the various locations and journeys of Aubrey's missions.
Enjoy! And feel free to ask me any questions regarding the series. I've got whole passages memorized lol
EDIT: I forgot to mention my favorite fact: Patrick O'Brian never stepped aboard a sailing vessel...
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