What made Nelson so special? What individual quality led Byron rightly to celebrate Nelson's genius as 'Britannia's God of War'? Andrew Lambert demonstrates how Nelson elevated the business of naval warfare to the level of the sublime. Where his predecessors and opponents saw a particular battle as an end in itself, Nelson - even in the midst of terrifying, close-quarters action - was concerned to exploit the victory he was achieving. Nelson explores the professional, personal, intellectual and practical origins of the man's genius, to understand how the greatest warrior that Britain has ever produced transformed the art of conflict, and enabled his country to survive the challenge of total war and international isolation.