Anchors Aweigh

Interested in the naval adventures of Aubrey & Maturin? Do the exploits of Horatio Hornblower set your pulse racing? Do the names Hoare, Bolitho, Ramage, Delancey, Lewrie, Halfhyde, Drinkwater or Kydd remind you of the tang of salt air, the clash of swords on swords, the jolt of cannon-fire and the thrill of waves crashing on a ship’s prow? Then perhaps you’ll be interested in this extensive list of Naval Adventure fiction, set from the 1600s through the early 1900s. Most of these titles are military fiction, with a few pure “adventure” novels thrown in. All the novels in this list feature adventures aboard sailing vessels, prior to the advent of steam-powered vessels and/or modern naval warfare.

Some of the following novels are “stand alones”, while many are entries in popular on-going series. In the cases of stand-alone novels, individual titles are in alphabetical order following the author’s name. In the case of series, the novels are arranged in “series order” following the name of the series. We’ve included a number of titles in this list which are not currently owned by the Lincoln City Libraries. These appear here for the sake of providing complete series listings, or to identify classic naval adventure series which are long out-of-print. All books owned by Lincoln City Libraries are hotlinked to their entries in our library catalog, so that you may check on their current availability. If you see a title on this list that is not hotlinked to our collection, please consider ordering it through our Interlibrary Loan department.

Anchors Aweigh!
Naval Adventure Fiction

Alexander, Bruce
Watery Grave

Amado, Jorge
Sea of Death

Ashley, Mike [ed.] The Mammoth Book of Hearts of Oak [anthology of short stories] The Mammoth Book of Men O’War [anthology of short stories] The Mammoth Book of Sea Battles: Great Stories and Classic Tales From the Golden Age of Naval Warfare [anthology of short stories]

Barrett, Andrea
Voyage of the Narwhal

Bontempelli, Bruno
The Traveler’s Tree

Caputo, Philip
The Voyage

Churchill, Winston
Richard Carvel

Clavell, James
Tai Pan

Collett, Bill
The Last Mutiny

Connery, Tom
The GEORGE MARKHAM Series
— A Shred of Honour
— Honour Redeemed
— Honour Be Damned

Conrad, Joseph
Almayer’s Folly
Arrow of Gold
Chance
Lord Jim
Nigger of the Narcissus
Nostromo
An Outcast of the Islands
The Rescue
The Rover
Sea Tale
Typhoon and Other Tales of the Sea
Victory
Within the Tides

Cooper, James Fenimore
Homeward Bound
The Pilot
The Red Rover
Sea Tales
The Water Witch
The Wing-and-Wing

Cornwell, Bernard
Sharpe’s Devil
Sharpe’s Trafalgar
Sharpe’s Prey

Costain, Thomas
For My Great Folly

Crace, Jim
Signals of Distress

Defoe, Daniel
Robinson Crusoe

Doig, Ivan
The Sea Runners

Donachie, David
The HARRY LUDLOW Series (a.k.a. The Privateersman Mysteries)
— The Devil’s Own Luck
— The Dying Trade
— A Hanging Matter
— An Element of Chance
— The Scent of Betrayal
— A Game of Bones
The MARKHAM OF THE MARINES Series (written as Tom Connery)
— Shred of Honour
— Honour Redeemed
— Honour Be Damned
The NELSON AND EMMA Series
— On a Making Tide
— Tested by Fate
— Breaking the Line
The JOHN PEARCE Series
— By the Mast Divided
— A Shot Rolling Ship
— An Awkward Commission
— A Flag of Truce
— The Admirals’ Game
— An Ill Wind
— Blown Off Course
— Enemies at Every Turn
— A Sea of Troubles
— A Divided Command
— The Devil to Pay
— The Perils of Command
— A Treacherous Coast

Druett, Joan
Abigail
Shark Island
A Watery Grave

Eccles, Frank
The Mutiny Run

Farley, Christopher John
Kingston by Starlight

Forester, C.S.
The Man in the Yellow Raft
The Ship
The HORATIO HORNBLOWER Series
— Mr. Midshipman Hornblower
— Lieutenant Hornblower
— Hornblower and the Hotspur
— Hornblower During the Crisis
— Hornblower and the Atropos
— Beat to Quarters
— Ship of the Line
— Flying Colours
— Commodore Hornblower
— Lord Hornblower
— Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies
— Hornblower | DVD
— Horatio Hornblower: The New Adventures | DVD
— Horatio Hornblower: The Adventure Continues | DVD
— [ The Hornblower Companion ] [about the Hornblower series; 823 qF76z]

Forrest, Anthony
The JOHN JUSTICE Series
— Captain Justice
— The Pandora Secret
— A Balance of Dangers

Fowler, Robert H.
Voyage to Honor

Fraser, George McDonald
Flash for Freedom
Flashman’s Lady
Pyrates [spoof]

French, Joseph Lewis
Great Sea Stories [808.83 F88g]

Friend, Charles
All the Proud Ships: A Novel of the American Revolution

Fullerton, Alexander
The Blooding of the Guns

Galbraith, Douglas
Rising Sun

Garrett, Elizabeth
Sweet Trade

Gebler, Ernest
The Plymouth Adventure

Gidley, Charles
Armada
The Raging of the Sea

Golding, William
The SEA VOYAGE Trilogy
— Rites of Passage
— Close Quarters
— Fire Down Below

Graham, Winston
The Grove of Eagles

Griffin, Nicholas
The Requiem Shark

Hackman, Gene (& Lenihan, Daniel)

Wake of the Perdido Star

Haislip, Harvey
The TOMMY POTTER Series
— A Sailor Named Jones
— The Prize Master
— Sea Road to Yorktown

Hale, Edward Everett
Man Without a Country

Hall, James Norman
Doctor Dogbody’s Leg
[see also: Nordhoff & Hall, below]

de Hartog, Jan
The Call of the Sea
The Commodore

Hawes, Charles Boardman
The Dark Frigate

Hayden, Sterling
Voyage: A Novel of 1896

Hemingway, Ernest
The Old Man and the Sea

Hersey, John
Under the Eye of the Storm

Hill, Porter
The ADAM HORNE Series
— The Bombay Marines
— The War Chest
— The China Flyer

Hodgson, William Hope
The Ghost Pirates
The Boats of “Glen Carrig”
Adrift on the Haunted Seas [short story collection]

Holland, Cecelia
The Sea Beggars

Hoover, Thomas
Caribbee
The Moghul

Hough, Richard
The ARCHY BULLER/ROD McLEWIN Series
— Buller’s Guns
— Buller’s Dreadnought
— Buller’s Victory

Hoyt, Edwin Palmer
The STEPHEN DECATUR Series
— Hellfire in Tripoli
— Against Cold Steel
— Decatur’s Revenge

Hughes, Richard
A High Wind in Jamaica

Hugo, Victor
The Toilers of the Sea

Jekel, Pamela
Sea Star

Johnson, Charles R.
Middle Passage

Jones, Ben
The Rope Eater

Kelley, Douglas
The Captain’s Wife

Kent, Alexander
[see also: Douglas Reeman] The RICHARD BOLITHO Series
— Richard Bolitho – Midshipman
— Midshipman Bolitho and the Avenger
— Stand Into Danger
— In Gallant Company
— Sloop of War
— To Glory We Steer
— Command a King’s Ship
— Passage to Mutiny
— With All Despatch
— Form Line of Battle!
— Enemy in Sight!
— The Flag Captain
— Signal – Close Action!
— The Inshore Squadron
— Tradition of Victory
— Success to the Brave
— Colors Aloft
— Honour This Day
— The Only Victor
— Beyond the Reef
— The Darkening Sea
— For My Country’s Freedom
— Cross of St. George
— Sword of Honor
— Second to None
— Relentless Pursuit
— Man of War
— Band of Brothers
— Heart of Oak
— In the King’s Name

Kingsley, Charles
Westward Ho!

Kinsolving, William
Mister Christian

Kipling, Rudyard
Captains Courageous

Kneale, Matthew
English Passengers

Lambdin, Dewey
The ALAN LEWRIE Series
— The King’s Coat
— The French Admiral
— The King’s Commission
— The King’s Privateer
— The Gun Ketch
— H.M.S. Cockerel
— A King’s Commander
— Jester’s Fortune
— King’s Captain
— Sea of Grey
— Havoc’s Sword
— The Captain’s Vengeance
— A King’s Trade
— Troubled Waters
— The Baltic Gambit
— King, Ship and Sword
— The Invasion Year
— Reefs and Shoals
— Hostile Shores
— The King’s Marauder
— Kings and Emperors
— A Hard Cruel Shore
— A Fine Retribution
— An Onshore Storm
— Much Ado About Lewrie

L’Amour, Louis
Fair Blows the Wind

Lawrence, Alan
Aftermath of Devastation

Llewellyn, Sam
Sea Story
The Shadow in the Sands

Llywelyn, Morgan
Grania: She-King of the Irish Seas

London, Jack
The Sea Wolf
South Sea Tales

Long, William Stuart
The Seafarers

MacDonald, Roger

Mr. Darwin’s Shooter

Mack, William P.
Lieutenant Christopher — A Novel of the Sea

Maillet, Antonine
The Devil is Loose

Marlowe, Stephen
The Memoirs of Christopher Columbus

Marryat, Frederick
Frank Mildmay, or The Naval Officer
Jacob Faithful, or The Story of a Waterman
The King’s Own
Masterman Ready, or The Wreck of the Pacific
Mr. Midshipman Easy
Newton Foster, or The Merchant Service
Peter Simple
The Phantom Ship
The Pirate and the Three Cutters
Poor Jack
The Privateersman
Snarleyyow
The Three Cutters

Martin, William
Annapolis

Masefield, John
The Bird of Dawning
Jim Davis

Mason, Van Wyck
The Golden Admiral
Harpoon in Eden
The Manila Galleon
Proud New Flags
The Sea ‘Venture
Three Harbors

Maynard, Kenneth
The LIEUTENANT LAMB Series
— Lieutenant Lamb
— First Lieutenant
— Lamb in Command
— Lamb’s Mixed Fortunes

McCutchan, Philip
The Last Farewell
The LT. ST. VINCENT HALFHYDE Series
— Beware, Beware the Bight of Benin
— Halfhyde’s Island
— The Guns of Arrest
— Halfhyde to the Narrows
— Halfhyde For the Queen
— Halfhyde Ordered South
— Halfhyde and the Flag Captain
— Halfhyde on the Yangtze
— Halfhyde on Zanatu
— Halfhyde Outward Bound
— The Halfhyde Line
— Halfhyde and the Chain Gangs
— Halfhyde Goes to War
— Halfhyde on the Amazon
— Halfhyde and the Admiral
— Halfhyde and the Fleet Review

Meacham, Ellis K.
The PERCEVAL MEREWETHER Series
— The East Indiaman
— On the Company’s Service
— For King and Company

Melville, Herman
Billy Budd
Mardi
Moby Dick
Omoo
Redburn
Typee
White-Jacket

Meroff, Deborah
Captain, My Captain

Michael, Ib
Prince

Monsarrat, Nicholas
The Cruel Sea
A Fair Day’s Work
The Ship That Died of Shame and Other Stories
The MASTER MARINER/MATTHEW LAWE Novels
— Running Proud
— Darken Ship

Morgan, Charles L.
The Gunroom

Naslund, Sena Jeter
Ahab’s Wife

Nelson, James L.
The REVOLUTION AT SEA Saga
— By Force of Arms
— The Maddest Idea
— The Continental Risque
— Lords of the Ocean
— All the Brave Fellows
— Thieves of Mercy: A Novel of the Civil War at sea
The BRETHREN OF THE COAST Series
— The Guardship
— The Blackbirder
— The Pirate Round

Nichols, Peter
Voyage to the North Star

Nicol, Clive W.
Harpoon

Nordhoff, Charles (& Hall, James)
The BOUNTY Trilogy
— Mutiny on the Bounty | DVD
— Men Against the Sea
— Pitcairn’s Island

O’Brian, Patrick

The Golden Ocean
The Unknown Shore
The AUBREY/MATURIN Series
— Master and Commander | DVD (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World)
— Post Captain
— H.M.S. Surprise
— The Mauritius Command
— Desolation Island
— Fortune of War
— The Surgeon’s Mate
— Ionian Mission
— Treason’s Harbour
— The Far Side of the World
— The Reverse of the Medal
— The Letter of Marque
— The Thirteen Gun Salute
— The Nutmeg of Consolation
— The Truelove
— The Wine-Dark Sea
— The Commodore
— The Yellow Admiral
— The Hundred Days
— Blue at the Mizzen
— 21: The Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey
— Patrick O’Brian’s Navy: The Illustrated Companion to Jack Aubrey’s World [359 qOne]

O’Conner, Joseph
Star of the Sea

Parkinson, Cyril Northcote
The RICHARD DELANCEY Series
— The Guernseyman
— Devil to Pay
— The Fireship
— Touch and Go
— So Near So Far
— Dead Reckoning

Parkinson, Dan
The PATRICK DALTON Series
— The Fox and the Faith
— The Fox and the Fury
— The Fox and the Flag
— The Fox and the Fortune

Perez-Reverte, Arturo
The Nautical Chart

Perkins, Wilder
The BARTHOLOMEW HOARE Series
— Hoare and the Portsmouth Atrocities
— Hoare and the Headless Captains
— Hoare and the Matter of Treason

Poe, Edgar Allan
The Narrative of A. Gordon Pym

Ponce de Leon, Napoleon Baccino
Five Black Ships

Pope, Dudley
The RAMAGE Series
— Ramage
— Drumbeat
— The Triton Brig
— Ramage and the Freebooters
— Governor Ramage, R.N.
— Ramage’s Prize
— Ramage and the Guillotine
— Ramage’s Diamond
— Ramage’s Mutiny
— Ramage and the Rebels
— The Ramage Touch
— Ramage’s Signal
— Ramage and the Renegades
— Ramage’s Devil
— Ramage’s Trial
— Ramage’s Challenge
— Ramage at Trafalgar
— Ramage and the Saracens
— Ramage and the Dido
The NED YORKE Series
— Buccaneer
— Admiral
— Galleon
— Corsair

Poyer, David
Fire on the Waters

Prokosch, Frederic
The Wreck of the Cassandra

Raddall, Thomas Head
Hangman’s Beach

Reeman, Douglas [see also: Alexander Kent] The ROYAL MARINES Saga
— Badge of Glory
— First to Land
— The Horizon
— Dust on the Sea
— Knife Edge

Roberts, Kenneth
Boon Island
The STEVEN NELSON Series
— Arundel
— Rabble in Arms
— Lively Lady
— Captain Caution

Russell, William Clark
The Wreck of the Grosvenor

Sabatini, Rafael
The Sea Hawk
The CAPTAIN BLOOD Series
— Captain Blood
— Captain Blood Returns
— The Fortunes of Captain Blood

Shannon, Dell
The Scalpel and the Sword

Shellabarger, Samuel
Lord Vanity

Slaughter, Frank
Pilgrims in Paradise
The Purple Quest

Smith, Wilbur
Birds of Prey

Smollett, Tobias
The Adventures of Roderick Random

Steinbeck, John
Cup of Gold

Stevenson, Robert Louis
Kidnapped
Treasure Island

Stockwin, Julian
The THOMAS KYDD Series
— Kydd
— Artemis
— Seaflower
— Mutiny
— Quarterdeck
— Tenacious
— Command
— The Admiral’s Daughter
— The Privateer’s Revenge (a.k.a. Treachery)
— Invasion
— Victory
— Conquest
— Betrayal
— Caribee
— Pasha
— Tyger
— Inferno
— Persephone
— The Baltic Prize
— The Iberian Flame
— A Sea of Gold
— To the Eastern Seas

Styles, Showell
The Malta Frigate
The Sea Officer
The MIDSHIPMAN SEPTIMUS QUINN Series
— Midshipman Quinn
— Quinn of the Fury
— Midshipman Quinn and Denise the Spy
— Midshipman Quinn Wins Through
— Quinn at Trafalgar
The MICHAEL FITTON Series
— A Sword for Mr. Fitton
— Mr. Fitton’s Commission
— The Baltic Convoy
— A Ship for Mr. Fitton
— Mr. Fitton’s Prize
— Mr. Fitton and the Black Legion
— Mr. Fitton in Command
— Lt. Fitton
— Mr. Fitton at the Helm
— The Martinique Mission
— Mr. Fitton’s Hurricane
and many, many more

Suthren, Victor
The EDWARD MAINWARING Series
— Royal Yankee
— Golden Galleon
— Admiral of Fear
— Captain Monsoon
The PAUL GALLANT Series
— Black Cockade
— A King’s Ransom
— In Perilous Seas

Talbot, Michael
To the Ends of the Earth

Turteltaub, H.N.
Over the Wine-Dark Sea

Unsworth, Barry
Sacred Hunger

Visiak, E.H.
Medusa

Wallace, Willard Mosher
Jonathan Dearborn
The Raiders

Wallenius, Kurt
Men From the Sea

Wilson, Derek
Her Majesty’s Captain

Woodman, Richard
The Wager
The NATHANIEL DRINKWATER Series
— An Eye of the Fleet
— A King’s Cutter
— A Brig of War
— The Bomb Vessel
— Arctic Treachery
— Decision at Trafalgar
— Baltic Mission
— In Distant Water
— A Private Revenge
— Under False Colours
— The Flying Squadron
— Beneath the Aurora
— The Shadow of the Eagle
— Ebb Tide
The WILLIAM KITE Series
— The Guineaman
— The Privateersman
— The East Indiaman
The KIT FAULKNER Series
— A Ship for the King
— For King or Commonwealth
— The King’s Chameleon

Worrall, Jay
The CAPTAIN CHARLES EDGEMONT Series
— Sails on the Horizon
— Any Approaching Enemy
— A Sea Unto Itself

Wyeth, N.C. [ed.] Great Stories of the Sea and Ships

Yerby, Frank
The Golden Hawk

808.8 D45b — The Book of the Sea

808.83 F88g — Great Sea Stories

821.08 M37 — A Sailor’s Garland

You may also be interested in the following non-fiction accounts:

910 D19tg — Two Years Before the Mast
910 S15s — Sailing Alone Around the World
910.4 B873c — The Cruise of the Cachalot
910.4 Sh25s — A Sailor’s Treasury
919.5 Bli — The Bounty Mutiny

Additional material may be found under the following subject headings:

• Naval History
• Pirates
• Seafaring Life
• Ships
• Shipwrecks

Original print booklist “To Sea, To Sea!” 1993 bwc
Updated and expanded for the web December 2003 sdc
Last updated October 2014 sdc

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