A Life on the Edge: Thomas Cochrane, Hero, Radical, Revolutionary
Book Review by Maia Snow
Archibald Cochrane, the 9th Earl of Dundonald was the father of the British Tar Industry and facilitated the first sales of bitumen on the global energy stage. The Admiral was asked to examine the largest commercially mined natural asphalt deposit in the world at the time. He examined the deposit and reported that the pitch should be mixed with tar and oil before it could be used. He next contracted Gesner of Halifax, Nova Scotia to produce Kerosine from the asphalt. Kerosene, known as pitch oil soon became quite popular to light paraffin lamps for portable lighting, and to light homes, trains and even ships. His grandson conducted a number of experiments on the substance and established the first patent defining commercial use of oil.
The 10th Earl, Thomas Cochrane, served during the French Revolution. His naval successes let Napoleon to give him the notorious nickname, le Loup des Mers, the Sea Wolf, and the rest is history…
For avid Energy Historians, we have exciting news, Chatto & Windus is set to publish Peter Moore’s ‘groundbreaking’ biography of naval hero Thomas Cochrane. The new book on Cochrane, the inspiration behind swashbuckling fictional heroes Jack Aubrey and Horatio Hornblower, and the Real Master and Commander is set to be published in August 2026.
Review by by Maia Snow
“Peter Moore is one of the foremost historians of his generation, with extraordinary and imaginative books to his name that help us see the 18th and 19th centuries, in particular, in new and exciting ways. Thomas Cochrane is the perfect figure to turn to next. His life links the seafaring that Peter described so ingeniously in Endeavour with the political milieu of London and the history of ideas that he conjured in Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Peter’s ability to read Spanish brings us closer to Cochrane’s life in Chile, and he has uncovered fascinating new material that makes this a superb and important biography that we’ll be very proud to publish.”
Interesting links…
Dear Dr Considine. Thank you for subscribing to my substack! And thank you for today's post thanks to which i have ordered (belatedly) Master and Commander, and Peter Moore's 2023 book on the British oriigins of the American Revolution (which I did not know about). I am completing my book Berlin Nights: Hegel and the American Revolution which involves issues covered in these entries. I wanted to get away from Marx, having published three books on his relationship to Hegel. Got my PhD from LSE in 1978