Legacy of Leadership—Lessons from Admiral Lord Nelson
Hellgate Press, 1999, ISBN 1-55571-510-9, 136 pages
This is a penetrating view of the exceptional leadership of Vice Admiral Lord Nelson, one of history’s most successful naval commanders. Nelson not only applied winning tactics in crucial situations, he demonstrated the special importance of establishing a winning doctrine. By outlining Nelson’s five major battles, this book shows how Nelson matched his tactics to the long term strategy of Great Britain. This is a contemporary analysis of what made the hero of the Battles of the Nile, Copenhagen, and Trafalgar spectacularly successful in the ultimate test of combat. Legacy of Leadership goes beyond the events of Nelson’s life to explore what made him the unique leader he was. The lessons of leadership that emerge transcend time and circumstance and are as relevant today as they were 200 years ago.
Nelson Speaks—Admiral Lord Nelson in His Own Words
Naval Institute Press, 2001, ISBN 1-55750-109-8, 216 pages
After two centuries of biographies and analyses of the man who shaped the course of history from the decks of his ships, Admiral Lord Nelson speaks for himself in this collection of compelling excerpts from his private letters and dispatches. Through Nelson’s own words readers come to fully appreciate the admiral’s piercing insights and provocative opinions. With chapters devoted to such subjects as duty, combat, politics, sea power, life and death, and Nelson’s views of himself and his wife, Frances Nisbet and his paramour Lady Hamilton, this book offers an array of memorable quotations. Each is placed in context by accompanying comments by the author. While conventional biographies develop Nelson’s character from the outside looking in, this book creates a candid self-portrait from the innermost thoughts of the subject. Rare engravings depict events in Nelson’s life.
Nelson in the Caribbean—The Hero Emerges, 1784-1787
Naval Institute Press, 2003, ISBN 1-55750-206-4, 230 pages
Nelson’s years in the West Indies as the young captain of the frigate HMS Boreas were an important period in his life that both shaped and predicted his role as a major player on history’s stage. Yet even the best Nelson biographies have not significantly explored that formative period. In this contemporary study, we see critical elements of Nelson’s character emerge, elements that carried him through his legendary actions at the Battles of the Nile, Copenhagen, and Trafalgar. The years Nelson spent in the Caribbean as captain of Boreas included career-threatening conflict with local British officials, the local populace, and even his own naval commander. These conflicts forced Nelson to decide between what he thought was the right thing and what everyone else wanted him to do. In the midst of those career-shaping conflicts, Nelson met, wooed, and married Fanny Nisbet. Woodcuts from a rare book help to create a feel for the book’s Caribbean setting
Who’s Who in Naval History—From 1550 to the present (by Alastair Wilson and Joseph Callo)
Routledge, 2004, ISBN 0-415-30828-3, 346 pages
As U.S. editor for this unique work, Joseph Callo was responsible for all of the U.S. entries. Commander Alastair Wilson, a retired commander of the British Royal Navy was the overall editor of this compact biographical guide to naval history. More than six hundred men and women, including two hundred-plus U.S. entries, are included in this work. Men and women who helped to shape naval warfare over the past six centuries—some famous and some virtually unknown—are described in carefully crafted mini-biographies. Covering key events from the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, when a combined Christian fleet defeated an Ottoman fleet off the coast of what is now Greece, this is an invaluable reference work for anyone interested in the people who have made naval history. This is a unique and fascinating view of naval history, and the entries are carefully indexed and cross-referenced.
Books to Which Joseph Callo has Contributed
The Trafalgar Companion (edited by Alexander Stilwell)
Osprey Publishing Ltd, 2005, ISBN 1-84176-835-9, 224 pages
In this book—edited by Alexander Stilwell—a collection of leading historians and writers provide a multi-dimensional perspective on the strategic and political background of the Battle of Trafalgar. In the chapter written by Joseph Callo, “Engage the Enemy More Closely,” the reader is placed in the fateful day of 21 October 1805 from dawn to dark.
The Life of Nelson (by Rear Admiral A. T. Mahan)
Naval Institute Press, 2001, ISBN 1-55750-484-9, 764 pages
In a new Introduction for a facsimile reproduction of the 1899 edition of Mahan’s biography of Nelson, Joseph Callo establishes the relevance of the author and his definitive work in the 21st century. Towards the end of his Introduction, he writes: “The most compelling reason Nelson is relevant today…has to do with the frequently forgotten truth that both the military and society in general need outstanding leaders.”