Admiral Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, 1775-1860, was a legend in his lifetime and this brilliant biography makes clear that he achieved enough to fill several lifetimes, firstly as a audacious and brilliant naval tactician, in the final years of the struggle against Napoleon, but also as a politician, reformer and inventor. He also found time to act as a mercenary Admiral, playing a vital role in the independence struggles of Peru, Chile, Brazil and also, latterly, Greece. There are darker aspects to Cochrane's story, who was involved in a murky stock Exchange scandal and was an unabashed admirer of Napoleon but, all in all, a very remarkable individual indeed. ( )