Hornblower and the Hotspur (1962) is the third book in the series chronologically, but the tenth by order of publication, and serves as the basis for one of the episodes of the Hornblower series of television films. With the Peace of Amiens under strain and war with France under Napoleon Bonaparte imminent in May 1803, Hornblower is promoted from Lieutenant to Commander and appointed to command the sloop HMS Hotspur. While readying for sea, he hastily...

Just over a decade after the first successful powered flight, fearless pioneers were flying over the battlefields of France in flimsy biplanes. Though the infantry in their muddy trenches might see aerial combat as glorious and chivalric, the reality was very different and undeniably deadly: new Royal Flying Corps subalterns in 1917 had a life expectancy of 11 days. In 1915 the term "ace" was coined to denote a pilot adept at downing enemy aircraft,...

On the morning of April 10, 1963, the world's most advanced submarine was on a test dive off the New England coast when she sent a message to a support ship a thousand feet above her on the surface: experiencing minor problem... have positive angle... attempting to blow... Then came the sounds of air under pressure and a garbled message:... test depth... Last came the eerie sounds that experienced navy men knew from World War II: the sounds of a submarine...

Yearning for the high seas, Alan Lewrie plods through his oppressive life as a gentleman farmer and family man. The year is 1793 and after four years spent ashore, Lewrie is gratified when revolutionary France threatens war and the Royal Navy beckons. All does not go smoothly, as he soon finds himself aboard the HMS Cockerel dealing with a difficult captain and disgruntled crew. Once in the Mediterranean, he throws caution to the wind and becomes...

First published in 1840, "Two Years Before the Mast" is the true story of Richard Henry Dana's voyage aboard the merchant vessel the "Pilgrim" on a trip around Cape Horn during the years 1834 to 1836. Dana was a student at Harvard when a case of the measles affected his vision. He left school and enlisted as a sailor on a merchant vessel, believing that the experience might help his eyesight. Dana kept a diary during his adventures and he intended...

After peace between France and England abruptly ends, Captain Alan Lewrie must flee Paris, but soon he has a chance to seek revenge on his former French host in a stunning sea chase that will test him like no other challenge he has faced.

Lieutenant Hornblower (first published in 1952) is the second book in the series chronologically, but the seventh by order of publication. The book is unique in the series in being told not from Horatio Hornblower's point of view, but rather from Bush's. This helped Forester to explain Hornblower's unsuitable first marriage besides giving an objective view of Hornblower himself.[1] This unusual narrative perspective also allows Forester to sustain...