Your Questions

Q

Dear Mr. Cornwell, I'm a little upset at the moment with France having just beat England 2-1 with two late goals in the Football European Championships. I am not sure if you are interested in football but this championship is being held in Portugal and I am going to be travelling to Coimbra this week to see England vs Switzerland. Having just finished 'Sharpe's Escape' I think this visit is quite timely, and am wondering if the city of Coimbra is a worth while visit; is the university still there for example. Love your books and thank you for the enjoyment I have taken from them.. Gareth

Submitted June 16, 2004

A

Couibra is well worth a visit - it's a beautiful city and, yes, the University is still there and has some lovely buildings - the cathedrals and the Cloister of Silence etc are all restored and it's quite difficult, while you're there, to realise just how horrifically it was treated by the French. Like Beckham and co.

Q

Thank you for many hours of reading pleasure and trips to other times and places. A couple of idle questions for a rainy day: How do the Sharpe's books do in France? Is the delay in the Starbuck books due in part to a glut of Civil War novels or to difficulties in having the hero on the "wrong" side in this politically correct world? What is the tiniest nit someone has picked in one of your books? Just curious! M. Walsh

Submitted June 11, 2004

A

Sharpe books in France? Firelighters? The delay in Starbuck is entirely because the TV series of Sharpe came along and it was more sensible to write Sharpe novels than Starbuck novels, and as soon as I've got Sharpe out of my system I'll go back to Starbuck. And the tiniest nit picked? An eight page, utterly furious letter because I'd got a bit of Boston's geography slightly wrong - very slightly - and I don't even remember what it was now, but it came from a Starbuck book.

Q

I know it would be difficult to give me an accurate answer, but how many modern-day pounds would would go into a 19th Century pound, I just keep trying to get my head around the sums of money described in the Sharpe books, and keep failing! Also, a little cheesy, but does your Wellington actually like Sharpe? it's difficult to tell, I need to know that one of my heroes likes and respects the other! thanks for your time, James Trethowan.

Submitted June 11, 2004

A

It is difficult - but you can use some comparisons - and these are rough as well, because there was considerable inflation during the Napoleonic Wars, but taking 1810 as an average sort of year - a bricklayer earned a pound a week, a farm labourer about 70p a week - these, plus other figures, suggests that you need multiply by at least 600 - probably nearer a thousand to get anything like a present day value. I do have some more accurate estimates somewhere, but can't immediately lay my hands on them - and I now think the translation I provided in the Historical Note of Sharpe's Revenge is much too low.

Does Wellington like Sharpe? I doubt it. Or if he did he wouldn't be too ready to admit it. Wellington was a snob, sadly, and drew his friends from his own upper class, and didn't have much time for 'adventurers' like Sharpe - and certainly disapproved of men being promoted from the ranks ('they always take to drink'), but as he owes his life to Sharpe the relationship gets a bit complicated, which is how I like it.

Q

In several of your Sharpe books, politicians don't hold much favour with the miltiary...especially in Sharpe's Enemy. Did you find historical records of this attitude? At a D-Day memorial on June 6th here in Woostock, Ont., Canada I struck up a conversation with a man I've known for several years. We got talking of the various wars in Europe and expressed a similar interest in the Napoleonic Wars. Almost in unison we mentioned your name. Two hours later we were the only ones left at the memorial cenotaph. We've made a date for tea and a chance to compare notes. You made our day. Thanks Dan MacGillivray

Submitted June 11, 2004

A

Thanks for your message Dan - I'm glad to hear it. There are plenty of historical records - politicians being politicians - they argue. There was a lot of (mainly) Whig opposition to the British army even being in Spain - naturally, when the war was over and won no one admitted to this. Some individual politicians were personally opposed to Wellington - notably Sir Banestre Tarleton ('The Green Dragoon' who was 'killed' in Mel Gibson's 'The Patriot') - he was an ex-soldier turned parliamentarian who was a thorn in Wellington's side for a time.

Q

"odds on surviving when there's no mains water/electricity/gas/sewage? Head for the hills"--hopefully there is a library in the hills stocked with all of your books. It would have been really helpful if you had written history textbooks in 1970 when my brain was under seige at school--I might have had a shot at a passing grade and actually enjoyed it!!! Would definitely have made a student's year in France more interesting. My son,11, is addicted to War Craft III --video game, dare I introduce him to Thomas the archer? PS. Are there any good maps online of the areas described in Heretic--I'm reading it now, but as I'm a "visual learner", a map would help to follow the action. Ellie Boyd

Submitted June 11, 2004

A

None that I know of - I used good old fashioned paper maps - but very large scale ones - you could find the places though on the Michelin 1/200,000 series, and you'll need sheets number 234 and 235. I hope your son will enjoy meeting Thomas.

Q

Dear Mr. Cornwell, I am an avid wargamer, and am currently researching an army of Kernow and/or Dumnonia, and am devouring the Warlord series at an obscene rate! The descriptions you give of the standards (e.g. Trsitan's Hawk of Kernow) are exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for. Are these based on any specific historical sources, or artistic license on your part (based on contemporary evidence)? Cheers, Jan Monk.

Submitted June 11, 2004

A

They're artistic license, I fear. But the one thing I'm fairly sure of is that they didn't use flags as we understand them - Viking standards were small triangles supported on their top edge by a short cross staff - and that seems more typical of the time.

Q

Sir, in which book does Sharpe change from redcoat to greenjacket ?

From a very avid fan.

Kind regards

John Hey

Submitted June 11, 2004

A

After Sharpe's Trafalgar - before Sharpe's Prey - the costume change occurs off stage.

Q

Dear Mr. Cornwell - As others have done I too am going to praise your wonderful ability to spin a yarn. Right now I am working my way through the Sharpe books before tackling your other series. Some of my favorite segments of the books are the ones which flash back to Sharpe's pre-military life. I.e. when he is crawling through the chimney and there is an allusion to young chimney sweeps in London, or when in Gold Harper explains the mechanics of pick-pocketing, etc. I have now developed an absurd fascination with the dregs of society in London at that time. Could you please tell me where you got your information? Also, my second question, I love your characters, they are so very lifelike, that I was wondering if there were illustrations of them somewhere (it's very easy to find uniform illustrations, but Spanish or Portuguese dresses...). Thank you for your time. Love your books!~April Bertaux Va, U.S.

Submitted June 11, 2004

A

There are many sources for London information - several books on crime in the Regency period - but probably my best source is a bit obscure (sorry) - the 6 volumes called Unknown London, 1815-1845, published by Pickering and Chatto in 2000 - a collection of contemporary writings and terrific. Illustrations? Can't think of any - sorry!

Q

Dear Mr.Cornwell, I recently visited my local bookstore and saw a book entitled Bonaparte's Conquerors. As it turns out there is a series of these books. On the back cover it said that the author Richard Howard was a pseudonym for a bestselling UK author. Now I know you don't live in the UK but it looked like this book was right up your alley (except the hero's were French) and I was wondering, are you Richard Howard? David Heaton

Submitted June 11, 2004

A

No, I'm not.

Q

Dear Bernard, first let me say I have just finished reading Sharpes Escape and I enjoyed it immensely. A great read. But I was wondering if after the Last Kingdom if you might get back to Starbuck it has been awhile! Also wondering if you had read Peter Cozzen's book on the battle Chickamauga?. It truly was a soldiers battle and wondered if you might be tempted to get Starbuck there. And as another posted said it would be great to see Starbuck go west and fight the likes of Grant and Sherman. Ceratianly even if you do not decide to send him west (I hope otherwise) would you write about his experiances at Malvern Hill. Contemperary accounts often describe it as a holocaust and it does seem a slightly tragic prequel to Gettysburg. On a different period there has been many fictional books on the Roman period but with the exception of possibly Boudicca (Incidently Mel Gibson's new film about her is being billed as Braveheart with a bra!!) little has been written from the people fighting the Romans perspective. Could you ever be tempted to write about Hannibal and his battles. After all Trebia/Tresymane and Cannae are legendary while even his final defeat at Zama was with his own tactics. It would be great to see you write about Hannibal especialy Cannae which is a legendary victory that other victories are measured against. Finally Napoelon considered his 7 greatest commanders of all time as Alexander/Caeser/Hannibal/Gustuvas Adolphus/Turenne/Eugene and Fredrick the great, who would you consider your 7 top generals of the past??? All the best Tony.

Submitted June 11, 2004

A

I haven't read Peter Cozzen's book, but I will - thank you. I may be tempted by Hannibal someday, but there are other projects to complete first. Top 7? Lord knows . . . Caesar - Alexander - Gustavus Adolphus - Marlborough - Frederick the Great - Wellington - Napoleon - that's straight off the top of my head, and we're missing Grant and Lee - need more time to think!