Support for Authors
Brian offers research, consultancy and editing services for authors, including some in the very top rank.
David Grann
I worked with David Grann – whose book Killers of the Flower Moon was filmed and nominated for several Oscars – on research his latest book The Wager. This consisted of visits to ships and museums in London and Portsmouth, and long telephone calls.
"‘The distinguished British naval historian Brian Lavery patiently give me tutorials on everything from eighteenth-century shipbuilding to seamanship, and he generously reviewed my manuscript before publication and offered his wise comments.’"
David Grann
Patrick O’Brian
I only met the great naval novelist Patrick O’Brian a few times, but I have always had a connection with him since I first read a review of one of his books in 1973. In 1989 he wrote the introduction to my Nelson’s Navy, which added a lot to it – and we shared a cover artist in Geoff Hunt.
I visited his home several times during Sea Cloud cruises.
My Anatomy of the Ship – Bellona was one of the few modern books in his study, and he used the ship in The Commodore
I contributed to the British Library’s Patrick O’Brian – Critical Appreciations and a Bibliography. I have a treasured copy of the limited edition, signed by all the contributors including Charlton Heston, John Bayley and O’Brian himself.
