The Patrick O'Brian Compendium^©

An Appreciation of Patrick Tull (1941 - 2006)

The amazing part was that when I had tried to read the books, I couldn't last more than 10 pages. Patrick's gift was to bring a period of history alive for me. As I write this, I am listening (for the third time) to his rendition The Far Side of the World.

In addition to fostering my O'Brian mania, his work of Dickens' novels was also a revelation. My late father's favorite book was The Pickwick Papers, but until I heard Patrick's reading of it, I had never even opened a copy. After hearing his masterful work, I had a glimpse into not only what my dad enjoyed, but a much deeper understanding of him as a person.

I wrote to Patrick in the late 90s, and told him how much his work had done for me. He very kindly responded at length, and we discussed other audiobooks I hoped he would get to do. Here are some links to more information on this true artist.