A classic piece of social history, and required reading for all fans of naval fiction. Rodger goes a long way beyond our preconceptions about "rum, sodomy and the lash" to explain how the 18th century British navy - in effect the largest and most complex industrial organisation of its time - actually functioned. What controlled relations between officers and men? Why didn't sailors desert at the first opportunity? How did an organisation that relied on professional competence operate in an age of patronage and influence? How did the Admiralty make sure that sailors were fed and paid? What did a bo'sun actually do? ( )