NELSON, Horatio, Viscount Nelson.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Clipped signature with engraved portrait. Nelson's signature reads "Nelson & Bronte", dating this to after 1799, when he was given the title of duke of Bronte by King Ferdinand III of Sicily. It is presented with an engraving of Nelson used as the frontispiece to the octavo edition of Clarke and McArthur (1839-40) ; the original is in the Royal Collection."No one-dimensional explanation can account for Nelson's extraordinary popular status in his own lifetime and ever since. As a sea officer he excelled in most, though not all, areas of his profession. He was not an outstanding seaman by the very high standards of the navy of his day, and his handling of diplomacy and strategy, though improving with experience, suffered from his ignorance of languages and his uncertain feel for politics. As a tactician, however, he deployed a unique combination of very thorough training, delegation to trusted subordinates, and an uncompromising determination to achieve total victory... Vulnerable and weak as a man, Nelson was also a leader of unequalled ardour, courage, generosity, and professional genius" (N. A. M. Rodger in ODNB).

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