Mr. Midshipman Easy

This 1836 novel combines adventure and humor in the tale of a philosophical young man's initiation into the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. A stirring story, based on the author's firsthand experiences.

Alexander Kent

This was Marryat's navy, his world, and no one brings it to us with greater authenticity.

Captain Frederick Marryat (1792–1848) was an actual 19th-century British naval hero who lived a saga worthy of the novels of C.S. Forester and Patrick O'Brian. He survived fifty naval battles on the crack frigate Imperieuse under Lord Cochrane—the real-life model for Horatio Hornblower and Jack Aubrey. In addition to plenty of cannonfire, battle strategy, peril, and passion—liberally sprinkled with wit and fine turns of phrase—Marryat's real-life naval experiences lend his novels a truly remarkable authenticity.