Aubrey–Maturin series: Difference between revisions
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The '''Aubrey–Maturin series''', also known as the ''Aubreyad'', is a sequence of 20 [[historical novel]]s by [[Patrick O'Brian]], set during the [[Napoleonic Wars]] and centering on the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey of the [[Royal Navy]] and his ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin, who is also a [[physician]], [[natural history|naturalist]] and [[secret agent]]. The 21st novel of the series, left unfinished by O'Brian's death in 2000, was published in late 2004. |
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{{mergefrom|Master and Commander]], [[Post Captain (novel)]], [[HMS Surprise (novel)]], [[The Mauritius Command]], [[Desolation Island (novel)]], [[The Fortune of War]], [[The Surgeon's Mate]], [[The 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]], [[Clarissa Oakes]], [[The Wine-Dark Sea]], [[The Commodore (novel)]], [[The Yellow Admiral]], [[The Hundred Days (novel)]], [[Blue at the Mizzen]], and [[21 (novel)}} |
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{{AubreyMaturinSeries}} |
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The '''Aubrey–Maturin series''', also known as the ''Aubreyad'', is a sequence of 20 [[historical novel]]s by [[Patrick O'Brian]], set during the [[Napoleonic Wars]] and centering on the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey of the [[Royal Navy]] and his ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin, who is also a [[physician]], [[natural history|naturalist]] and [[secret agent]]. The [[21 (novel)|21st novel]] of the series, left unfinished by O'Brian's death in [[2000]], was published in late [[2004]]. |
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{{TOCright}} |
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The [[2003]] film ''[[Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World]]'' is based on books in this series, notably ''[[Master and Commander]]'', [[HMS Surprise (novel)|''HMS'' Surprise]], ''[[The Letter of Marque]]'' and ''[[The Far Side of the World]]''. The role of Jack Aubrey was played by [[Russell Crowe]], and Stephen Maturin was played by [[Paul Bettany]]. |
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The 2003 film ''[[Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World]]'' is based on books in this series, notably ''Master and Commander'', ''HMS Surprise'', ''The Letter of Marque'' and particularly ''The Far Side of the World''. The role of Jack Aubrey was played by [[Russell Crowe]], and Stephen Maturin was played by [[Paul Bettany]]. |
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==The series in order== |
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This is a list of the works in the series. This list is in both publication order and internal chronological order. Unlike some other fictional series, the books were published in the same order as the events they describe take place. |
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# ''Master and Commander'' (1970) |
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# ''Post Captain'' (1972) |
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# ''HMS Surprise'' (1973) |
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# ''The Mauritius Command'' (1977) |
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# ''Desolation Island'' (1978) |
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# ''The Fortune of War'' (1979) |
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# ''The Surgeon's Mate'' (1980) |
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# ''The Ionian Mission'' (1981) |
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# ''Treason's Harbour'' (1983) |
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# ''The Far Side of the World'' (1984) |
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# ''The Reverse of the Medal'' (1986) |
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# ''The Letter of Marque'' (1988) |
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# ''The Thirteen-Gun Salute'' (1989) |
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# ''The Nutmeg of Consolation'' (1991) |
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# ''Clarissa Oakes'' (1993) |
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#: (called ''The Truelove'' in the USA) |
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# ''The Wine-Dark Sea'' (1993) |
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# ''The Commodore'' (1995) |
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# ''The Yellow Admiral'' (1996) |
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# ''The Hundred Days'' (1998) |
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# ''Blue at the Mizzen'' (1999) |
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# ''21'' (2004) |
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#: (called ''The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey'' outside the USA) |
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==Characters== |
==Characters== |
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{{spoilers}} |
{{spoilers}} |
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The series portrays the rise of Jack Aubrey from Lieutenant to Admiral in the |
The series portrays the rise of Jack Aubrey from Lieutenant to Admiral in the Royal Navy during the [[French Revolutionary Wars|French Revolutionary]] and [[Napoleonic Wars]]. Many of his exploits and reverses are based on the chequered career of [[Thomas Cochrane]]. However, his character and his politics are quite different from those of his model. |
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Aubrey's friend Stephen Maturin is an [[Irish people|Irish]]-[[Catalonia|Catalan]] physician, naturalist and spy. In his role as a naturalist he is based on Sir [[Joseph Banks]]. A recurring theme is his long pursuit of the beautiful but unreliable Diana Villiers. |
Aubrey's friend Stephen Maturin is an [[Irish people|Irish]]-[[Catalonia|Catalan]] physician, naturalist and spy. In his role as a naturalist he is based on Sir [[Joseph Banks]]. A recurring theme is his long pursuit of the beautiful but unreliable Diana Villiers. |
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===Humour=== |
===Humour=== |
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A lot of the humour in the series come from the two principal characters' [[malapropism]]s. Aubrey is a genius at sea and with practical matters but has large gaps in his understanding of everything else, and should never be allowed within twelve fathoms of a [[metaphor]]. Maturin, by contrast, is extremely erudite but his occasional attempts to use naval slang, or explain the working of a ship to someone are always doomed. Thus we have Aubrey's attempting to to use the occasional word of [[French language|French]] and describing a ''[[patois]]'' as a ''[[Prostitute|putain]]'' and Maturin saying ''"if the Admiral proves inquisitive, I may toss him off with a round turn"'' (the correct phrase is to ''bring someone up with a round turn''). |
A lot of the humour in the series come from the two principal characters' [[malapropism]]s. Aubrey is a genius at sea and with practical matters but has large gaps in his understanding of everything else, and should never be allowed within twelve fathoms of a [[metaphor]]. Maturin, by contrast, is extremely erudite but his occasional attempts to use naval slang, or explain the working of a ship to someone are always doomed. Thus we have Aubrey's attempting to to use the occasional word of [[French language|French]] and describing a ''[[patois]]'' as a ''[[Prostitute|putain]]'' and Maturin saying ''"if the Admiral proves inquisitive, I may toss him off with a round turn"'' (the correct phrase is to ''bring someone up with a round turn''). |
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==Details of the individual books== |
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{{spoiler}} |
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===''Master and Commander''=== |
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<small>This section based on text from a formerly separate page. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Master_and_Commander&action=history earlier history] is available.</small> |
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[[Image:Master_&_Commander_cover.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Cover of ''Master and Commander'']] |
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''Master and Commander'' begins on [[April 18|April 18th]], [[1800]] in Port [[Mahon]], [[Minorca]], at that time a base of the Royal Navy. Jack Aubrey is a [[Lieutenant]] languishing in port without a ship, Stephen Maturin is a penniless half-[[Ireland|Irish]], half-[[Catalonia|Catalan]] [[physician]] and [[natural philosopher]]. The two main characters are first set at odds by and then united by a love of music (Aubrey plays the [[violin]], Maturin the [[cello]]). |
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The novel introduces these two characters and gives Jack his first command (and promotion to the rank of [[Commander]]) on a tiny [[sloop-of-war]], [[His Majesty's Ship|HMS]] ''Sophie''. Stephen accepts a position as ''Sophie'''s [[surgeon]], although as a physician he is overqualified for the job. |
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We also meet Pullings, Killick, Bonden, Mowett, and Babbington, who become long-term fixtures in the series, and James Dillon, ''Sophie'''s first lieutenant, whose secret background of Irish Republicanism intersects Stephen's own. |
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The capture of the [[Spain|Spanish]] xebec-[[frigate]] ''Cacafuego'' by the greatly inferior ''Sophie'' brings Aubrey and his crew great glory and wealth and is based on the capture of the Spanish frigate ''El Gamo'' by [[Thomas Cochrane]] commanding the sloop ''Speedy'' [http://www.maritime-scotland.com/gamo.html]. |
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The exploit of setting up a decoy of a large ship at night by attaching lights to a small boat was executed by the French [[privateer]] [[Robert Surcouf]] to successfully escape the British frigate ''HMS Sybille''. It was also used by [[Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald|Lord Cochrane]] and described in his ''Autobiography of a Seaman''. That book was used by Patrick O'Brian as source material for this novel. |
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====Editions==== |
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* W. W. Norton & Company; Reprint Paperback edition (1990) (ISBN 0393307050) |
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* W. W. Norton & Company; Reprint Paperback edition (1994) (ISBN 0393037010) |
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* Thorndike Press; Large-print Hardcover edition (1999) (ISBN 0786219327) |
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* Books on Tape; Unabridged audio edition (2000) (ISBN 0736657134) |
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* Harper Collins; Reprint Paperback edition (2002) (ISBN 0006499155) |
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* W. W. Norton & Company; Movie Tie-In Paperback Edition (2003) (ISBN 0393325172) |
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* Firebird Distributing; (ISBN 0001053299) |
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===''Post Captain''=== |
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<small>This section based on text from a formerly separate page. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Post_Captain_(novel)&action=history earlier history] is available.</small> |
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[[Image:Post Captin cover.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Cover of ''Post Captin'']] |
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The book begins in 1802 with the conclusion of the [[French Revolutionary Wars]] and the [[Peace of Amiens]]. [[Commander]] Jack Aubrey returns to England with his friend Stephen Maturin, to take up the life of a country squire. Jack and Stephen meet the Williams family, and their cousin Diana Villers, and Jack commences to court Sophia Williams (the eldest daughter) but is also attracted to Diana, with whom he commences an affair. |
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Jack plans to marry Sophia Williams, but his fortune is embezzled by his prize-agent and he leaves the country to avoid his creditors. He is restored to active service by the outbreak of war in 1803, and following his endeavours as commander of the unusual HMS ''Polychrest'' he is promoted to Post Captain, and given temporary command of [[HMS Lively|HMS ''Lively'']] while Captain Hammond was on leave. |
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The book ends with a fictionalized account of the capture of the Spanish treasure fleet by four British frigates in 1804. Other fictionalized accounts of this same incident occur in other historical novels of the period, including ''[[Horatio Hornblower|Hornblower and the Hotspur]]'', and the novels of [[Alexander Kent]]. In actual history, Captain Hammond was the captain of the ''Lively'' at the time of this incident. |
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====See Also==== |
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*[[HMS Indefatigable (1784)]] |
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====Editions==== |
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* W. W. Norton & Company: Trade Paperback Reprint edition (1990) (ISBN 0393307069) |
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* W. W. Norton & Company; Hardcover Uniform edition (1994) (ISBN 0393037029) |
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* Thorndike Press; Large-print Hardcover edition (2000) (ISBN 0754014231) |
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* Chivers; Large-print Paperback edition (2000) (ISBN 0754023206) |
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* Blackstone Audiobooks; Unabridged CD edition (2004) (ISBN 0786186283) |
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* Firebird Distributing; (ISBN 0001053302) |
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===''HMS Surprise''=== |
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<small>This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=HMS_Surprise_(novel)&action=history earlier history] is available.</small> |
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[[Image:HMS Suprise cover.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Cover of ''HMS Surprise'']] |
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Captain Jack Aubrey is given command of the frigate HMS ''Surprise'', and charged with carrying a [[United Kingdom|British]] ambassador to the [[East Indies]]. |
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Accompanying him (as always) is his friend Stephen Maturin, and much of the novel deals with the ups and downs of Stephen's relationship with Diana Villiers, introduced in the previous novel, ''Post Captain''. Jack's romance with Sophie Williams also progresses. |
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This book is also Jack's first stint in command of, and the readers' first encounter with, the ''Surprise'' herself. She will become Jack's favorite ship throughout the series, and appear in many of its episodes. |
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====Editions==== |
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*W. W. Norton & Company; 1st American edition; Paperback (1991) (ISBN 0393307611) |
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*W. W. Norton & Company; Hardcover Reprint edition (1994) (ISBN 0393037037) |
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*Thorndike Press; Largeprint hardcover edition (2000) (ISBN 0786219343) |
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*Harper Collins reprint paperback edition (2002) (ISBN 0006499171) |
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*Blackstone Audiobooks; Unabridged Audio CD edition (2004) (ISBN 078618597X) |
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===''The Mauritius Command''=== |
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<small>This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Mauritius_Command&action=history earlier history] is available.</small> |
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[[Image:The Mauritius Command Cover.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Cover of ''The Mauritius Command'']] |
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The novel sees Captain Jack Aubrey made [[Commodore (rank)#Royal Navy|Commodore]] in charge of a squadron of ships sent to take the islands of [[Mauritius]] and [[Réunion]] from the [[France|French]], and so protect [[United Kingdom|British]] shipping interests in the [[Indian Ocean]]. |
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The novel gives further scope to Stephen Maturin's role as both a secret agent (in which he uses [[propaganda]] effectively to support the campaign) and as a naturalist (in which he is seen collecting relics of the extinct birds the [[Dodo]] and the [[Réunion Sacred Ibis|Solitaire]]). |
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The novel is based upon a real campaign carried out by the Royal Navy in 1810 under Commodore [[Josiah Rowley]]. The island was formally captured on [[3 December]] [[1810]] (See also [[History of Mauritius]].) |
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====Editions==== |
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*Collins Publishers; Hardcover edition (1977) (ISBN 000222383X) |
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*Stein & Day; Hardcover edition (1978) (ISBN 0812824768) |
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*W. W. Norton & Company; Paperback Reprint edition (1991) (ISBN 039330762X) |
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*William A. Thomas Braille Bookstore Hardcover edition (1992) (ISBN 1569560714) |
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*W. W. Norton & Company; Hardcover Reprint edition (1994) (ISBN 0393037045) |
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*Chivers; Hardcover Large-print edition (2000) (ISBN 075401519X) |
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*Chivers; Paperback Large-print edition (2000) (ISBN 0754023982) |
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*Harper Collins Publiushers Ltd; Paperback edition (2002) (ISBN 000649918X) |
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*Blackstone Audiobooks; MP3 CD Unabridged audio edition (2004) (ISBN 0786185627) |
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===''Desolation Island''=== |
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[[Image:Desolation Island Cover.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Cover of ''Desolation Island'']] |
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<small>This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Desolation_Island_(novel)&action=history earlier history] is available.</small> |
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The story charts the voyage of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin to [[Australia]] and the [[East Indies]] aboard [[HMS Leopard|HMS ''Leopard'']]. (The earlier involvement of this ship in the [[Chesapeake-Leopard Affair]] is mentioned.) On board are a number of prisoners bound for the colonies. After a close encounter with a Dutch warship the ''Leopard'' is badly damaged by an [[iceberg]] in the Southern Ocean and makes a last-ditch landfall on a desolate island. |
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====Editions==== |
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*Stein & Day; Hardcover edition (1979) (ISBN: 081282590X) |
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*Day Books; 1st Mass-market Paperback edition (1981) (ISBN 0812870662) |
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*W. W. Norton & Company; Paperback Reprint edition (1991) (ISBN 039330812X) |
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*W. W. Norton & Company; Hardcover Reprint edition (1994) (ISBN 0393037053) |
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*Thorndike Press; Hardcover Large-print edition (2001) (ISBN 0786219262) |
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*Blackstone Audiobooks; Unabridged Audio CD edition (2004) (ISBN 0786183993) |
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*Fontana Books UK; (ISBN: 0006166032) |
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===''The Fortune of War''=== |
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<small>This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Fortune_of_Wa&action=history earlier history] is available.</small> |
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[[Image:The Fortune of War cover.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Cover of ''The Fortune of War'']] |
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Set during the [[War of 1812]], this novel contains lightly fictionalized accounts of the battles between [[HMS Java|HMS ''Java'']] and [[USS Constitution|USS ''Constitution'']], and between [[HMS Shannon|HMS ''Shannon'']] and [[USS Chesapeake|USS ''Chesapeake'']]. |
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Captian Aubrey is captured by the Americans, who are particularly suspicious of him as a former commander of [[HMS Leopard|HMS ''Leopard'']], due to the [[Chesapeake-Leopard Affair]]. |
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This book extensively explores Stephen Maturin's character while he and Jack Aubrey are held captive in [[Boston]], as he is able to manifest his various roles; doctor, spy, and tormented lover. It continues the account of Stephen's pursuit of Diana, with whom he is still deeply in love. |
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Critical readers have said that the degree of freedom the French agents have would have been most improbable in Federalist Boston, where the Frencgh were not well-liked by the local authorities; nor was Aubrey likely to be as loosely guarded is he is in the novel. |
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====Editions==== |
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*W. W. Norton & Company; Paperback reprint edition (1991) (ISBN 0393308138) |
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*William A. Thomas Braille Bookstore; Hardcover edition (1992) |
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*Books on Tape; Audio edition (1992) (ISBN 5555358717) (ISBN: 1569564183) |
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*W. W. Norton & Company; Hardcover edition (1994) (ISBN 0393037061) |
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*Thorndike Press; Hardcover Large-print edition (2001) (ISBN: 0754015882) |
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*Thorndike Press; Paperback Large-print edition (2001) (ISBN 0754024490) |
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===''The Surgeon's Mate''=== |
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<small>This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Surgeon%27s_Mate&action=history earlier history] is available.</small> |
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The story starts in [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]], [[Nova Scotia]]. Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, having escaped from the Americans in Boston in a British frigate, start their return journey to England aboard a packet ship. The packet ship is doggedly pursued by two American privateer [[schooner]]s across the [[Grand Banks]]. |
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The title is a play on words, referring not just to Doctor Maturin's assistant but also to his long-time love interest and future wife, the vivacious Diana Villiers. |
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===''The Ionian Mission''=== |
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<small>This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Ionian_Mission&action=history earlier history] is available.</small> |
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Captain Aubrey is promoted to command a 74-gun [[ship of the line]] and has to endure [[blockade]] duty off [[Toulon]]. However, he is reassigned to detached duty aboard his beloved ''Surprise'' and sails to the [[Adriatic sea|Adriatic]] to deal with French attempts to take over parts of the [[Ottoman empire]]. |
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===''Treason's Harbour''=== |
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<small>This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Treason%27s_Harbour&action=history earlier history] is available.</small> |
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While HMS ''Surprise'' is being refitted in [[Malta]], Aubrey and his crew are assigned to a mission in the [[Red Sea]]. Using Dr Maturin's diving bell they attempt to retrieve French gold but their plan had been betrayed. More treachery occurs as French spies try to thwart the British plans and cause trouble for Aubrey and Maturin at home. |
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This book contians detailed descriptions of an early diving bell and how examination of the sea-floor using such a device took place. |
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===''The Far Side of the World''=== |
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<small>This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Far_Side_of_the_World&action=history earlier history] is available.</small> |
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[[Image:Far side of the World cover.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Cover of ''The Far Side of the World'']] |
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''The Far Side of the World'' is set during the [[War of 1812]]. In this novel captain Jack Aubrey takes the frigate HMS ''Surprise'' around Cape Horn into the Pacific Ocean in pursuit of the American frigate USS ''Norfolk'' and in defense of British whalers in the South Seas. The exploits of the ''Norfolk'' are based on those of the [[USS Essex (1799)|USS ''Essex'']]. |
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====Film==== |
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The novel provided much of the overall plot structure for the 2003 [[Peter Weir]] film, ''[[Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World]]'', though the USS ''Norfolk'' was changed to the French privateer ''Acheron'', and episodes were also taken from other books in the series, including ''[[Aubrey-Maturin series#Master and Commander|Master and Commander]]'' and ''[[Aubrey-Maturin series#HMS Surprise|HMS Surprise]]''. The ''Acheron'' was based upon the [[USS Constitution|USS ''Constitution'']]. |
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====Editions==== |
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* Collins (1984) |
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* W. W. Norton & Company; Reprint Paperback edition (1992) (ISBN 0393308626) |
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* Books on Tape; Audio edition (1993) (ISBN 5555768079) |
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* W. W. Norton & Company; Reprint Hardcover edition (1994) (ISBN 039303710X) |
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* Thorndike Press; Large-print Hardcover edition (2002) (ISBN 0754017834) |
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* Thorndike Press; Large-print Paperback edition (2002) (ISBN 0754091759) |
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* W. W. Norton & Company; Reissue (movie tie-in) Paperback edition (2003) (ISBN 0393324761) |
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* Soundings Ltd; Audio CD Edition (2003) (ISBN 1842832689) |
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===''The Reverse of the Medal''=== |
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Newly returned to England, Captain Jack Aubrey hears a rumor from a stranger he meets in an inn that peace with [[France]] will soon be signed. The stranger, who seems to be a seceret diplomatic agent, indicates to Aubrey how he can make money on the [[stock market]] by buying stocks sure to go up as soon as the news becomes public. The stranger says that such advance knowledge is provided as a reward to deserving officers such as Aubrey. Aubrey makes the transactions as he has been advised, and is observed by his father, General Aubrey, who learns the secret, and makes much larger stock transactions. The rumor of a peace treaty gets out, and Jack Aubrey's stock transactions are highly profitable. |
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Then it is revealed that the rumor is a false one, and the stanger an impersonator. Aubrey is tried for a [[fraud]] on the stock market. Stephan hires an investigator, but is unable to secure proof of the truth of Jack's story. Jack is convicted, dismissed from the Royal Navy, and sentanced to stand in the [[pillory]]. |
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The story and many of the details of the trial are, according to O'brian's author's note published in the book, based on the actual [[Guildhall, London|Guildhall]] trial of [[Lord Cochrane]]. |
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===''The Letter of Marque''=== |
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<small>This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Letter_of_Marque&action=history earlier history] is available.</small> |
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At the end of the previous book, Aubrey is removed from the Royal Navy, and struck off the captain's list, for a crime he did not commit. The crime was committed by highly placed English agents of French intelligence. Aubrey's friend Dr. Maturin purchases the ''Surprise'' and Aubrey is granted a [[letter of marque]] as a privateer. |
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Aubrey prepares the ''Surprise'' to sail as a privateer, finding many things quite different than in the Navy. He is bitter and low-spirited about his dismissal for much of the book. |
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(Note: the "letter of marque" of the title probably refers to the ''Surprise'' herself, rather than the document.) |
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===''The Thirteen-Gun Salute''=== |
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<small>This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Thirteen-Gun_Salute&action=history earlier history] is available.</small> |
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This novel tells the story of a venture to the fictitious land of Kampong, where an ambitious King's emissary attempts to win over the local king with a treaty, while the French attempt the same. |
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The same English traitors who were responsible for Aubrey's disgrace are now openly assisting the French, and Stephen enganges in a political duel for influence at the court of Kampong. |
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===''The Nutmeg of Consolation''=== |
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<small>This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Nutmeg_of_Consolation&action=history earlier history] is available.</small> |
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The book opens with Captain Aubrey and his crew shipwrecked on a remote island in the South China Sea after surviving the destruction of HMS ''Diane'' in a typhoon. While stranded on the island they fight a ferocious battle against [[Dyak]] pirates and are eventually rescued by [[Chinese]] traders. |
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Upon arriving in [[Batavia]], Aubrey is provided by [[Sir Thomas Raffles]] with a 20-gun ship which Aubrey renames the ''Nutmeg of Consolation''. Back at sea, Aubrey and the out-gunned ''Nutmeg'' engage in battle with a French frigate; at the height of the battle the ''Nutmeg'' is joined by ''Surprise'' (no longer in commission at this point, but sold out of the service as a [[letter of marque]] and sailing as a Hired Vessel of the Royal Navy) under the temporary command of Aubrey's old friend and former lieutenant, Commander Thomas Pullings. |
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Resuming command of the ''Surprise'', Aubrey and Stephen Maturin continue their interrupted journey to [[New South Wales]]. On their way to [[Australia]], Maturin rescues two young girls who are the sole survivors of an outbreak of [[smallpox]] that has killed the entire population of their small [[Pacific]] island. |
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Once in New South Wales the book contains graphic descriptions of the hell-on-earth that was the life in the penal colony under [[Governors of New South Wales|Governor]] [[Lachlan Macquarie]] shortly after the "[[Rum Rebellion]]" of the [[New South Wales Corps]] and its [[coup]] against Governor [[William Bligh]]. There are also detailed descriptions of the landscapes and fauna in and around [[Sydney]] harbour; Stephen Maturin has an interesting encounter with a male [[Platypus]] in the final pages of the book. |
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===''Clarissa Oakes''=== |
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<small>This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Clarissa_Oake&action=history earlier history] is available.</small> |
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A young female convict, Clarissa Harvill, is smuggled aboard HMS ''Surprise'' in Sydney by the [[midshipman]] Mr. Oakes, to whom she is subsequently married by Jack Aubrey. Her presence and activities cause much dissension aboard and upset the smooth running of the ship. Despite this Aubrey successfully adds a [[Polynesia]]n island to the British crown and chases away an [[American]] privateer. |
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Mrs. Oakes proves to have knowledge which is helpful to Stephen Maturin in his role as a counter-intelligence agent. |
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''Clarissa Oakes'' was published in the [[US]] as ''The Truelove'', which is the name of a ship in the novel, but may also refer to Miss Oakes. |
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===''The Wine-Dark Sea''=== |
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<small>This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Wine-Dark_Sea&action=history earlier history] is available.</small> |
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The title comes from the [[English language|English]] version of a line by [[Homer]]. |
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===''The Commodore''=== |
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===''The Yellow Admiral''=== |
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<small>This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Yellow_Admiral&action=history earlier history] is available.</small> |
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The title concerns Aubrey's fear of being made a "yellow admiral", a rear-admiral who is assigned to no squadron, and who is effectively retired on promotion. But the book ends before Aubrey knows whether he will successfully avoid this fate. |
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In the Royal Navy of this period, [[Admiral]]s on active duty were assiged either the ''Blue'', ''Red'', or ''White'' squadrons (in order of senriority). The [[Blue Ensign]], [[Red Ensign]], or [[White Ensign]] indicated an admiral's rank and squadron assignment, and they were formally refered to as "Rear Admiral of the Red" or "Vice Admiral of the White". These three "squadrons" existed for administrative purposes, and should not be confused with physical [[squadron]]s, that is a group of ships commanded as a unit, but smaller than a [[fleet]]. |
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===''The Hundred Days''=== |
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<small>This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Hundred_Days_%28novel%29&action=history earlier history] is available.</small> |
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The title refers to the [[Hundred Days]], a period when [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] escaped from [[Elba]] and temporarily returned to power in [[France]]. |
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===''Blue at the Mizzen''=== |
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<small>This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blue_at_the_Mizzen&action=history earlier history] is available.</small> |
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This novel was the last completed work in the series. |
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A [[blue ensign]] at the [[mast|mizzen-mast]] was the flag of the [[Rear Admiral of the Blue]], the lowest flag rank in the Royal Navy of the early 19th century. |
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====Editions==== |
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* W.W. Norton & Company; Paperback Reprint edition (1999) (ISBN 0393048446) |
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===''The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey''=== |
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''The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey'' is the unfinished twenty-first novel in the series. It was released in the fall of 2004. It comprises the partially corrected typescript of the approximately three chapters completed by O'Brian before his death in January, 2000, as well as a facsimile of the handwritten manuscript which continues beyond the end of the typescript. It is obvious that there would have to have been a lot more polishing and editing of the text to bring it to O'Brian's usual standards. There is a Foreword by [[William Waldegrave]] and an Afterword by [[Richard Snow]], who had written an influentual review of the series in the [[New York Times Book Review]] many years before. Snow's review has been credited with helping to popularize the series in the [[United States]]. |
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In the [[US]], this book was released under the simpler title of ''21''. |
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====External Links==== |
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[http://tomwatson.typepad.com/tom_watson/2004/09/obrians_last.html Patrick O'Brian's Last] |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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*[[Frederick Marryat]], [[19th century]] a pioneer of the nautical novel, and a real-life successful naval officer in the time of the Aubrey–Maturin series. |
*[[Frederick Marryat]], [[19th century]] a pioneer of the nautical novel, and a real-life successful naval officer in the time of the Aubrey–Maturin series. |
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*[[C. S. Forester]], [[20th century]] novelist whose ''[[Horatio Hornblower]]'' series in many ways prefigured O'Brian's sea tales. |
*[[C. S. Forester]], [[20th century]] novelist whose ''[[Horatio Hornblower]]'' series in many ways prefigured O'Brian's sea tales. |
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*[[Thomas Cochrane]], dashing and controversial captain in the |
*[[Thomas Cochrane]], dashing and controversial captain in the Royal Navy during the [[Napoleonic Wars]] whose exploits and reverses inspired many events in the fictional careers of both Jack Aubrey and [[Horatio Hornblower]]. |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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Revision as of 21:35, 18 July 2005
The Aubrey–Maturin series, also known as the Aubreyad, is a sequence of 20 historical novels by Patrick O'Brian, set during the Napoleonic Wars and centering on the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey of the Royal Navy and his ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin, who is also a physician, naturalist and secret agent. The 21st novel of the series, left unfinished by O'Brian's death in 2000, was published in late 2004.
The 2003 film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is based on books in this series, notably Master and Commander, HMS Surprise, The Letter of Marque and particularly The Far Side of the World. The role of Jack Aubrey was played by Russell Crowe, and Stephen Maturin was played by Paul Bettany.
The series in order
This is a list of the works in the series. This list is in both publication order and internal chronological order. Unlike some other fictional series, the books were published in the same order as the events they describe take place.
- Master and Commander (1970)
- Post Captain (1972)
- HMS Surprise (1973)
- The Mauritius Command (1977)
- Desolation Island (1978)
- The Fortune of War (1979)
- The Surgeon's Mate (1980)
- The Ionian Mission (1981)
- Treason's Harbour (1983)
- The Far Side of the World (1984)
- The Reverse of the Medal (1986)
- The Letter of Marque (1988)
- The Thirteen-Gun Salute (1989)
- The Nutmeg of Consolation (1991)
- Clarissa Oakes (1993)
- (called The Truelove in the USA)
- The Wine-Dark Sea (1993)
- The Commodore (1995)
- The Yellow Admiral (1996)
- The Hundred Days (1998)
- Blue at the Mizzen (1999)
- 21 (2004)
- (called The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey outside the USA)
Characters
The series portrays the rise of Jack Aubrey from Lieutenant to Admiral in the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Many of his exploits and reverses are based on the chequered career of Thomas Cochrane. However, his character and his politics are quite different from those of his model.
Aubrey's friend Stephen Maturin is an Irish-Catalan physician, naturalist and spy. In his role as a naturalist he is based on Sir Joseph Banks. A recurring theme is his long pursuit of the beautiful but unreliable Diana Villiers.
Humour
A lot of the humour in the series come from the two principal characters' malapropisms. Aubrey is a genius at sea and with practical matters but has large gaps in his understanding of everything else, and should never be allowed within twelve fathoms of a metaphor. Maturin, by contrast, is extremely erudite but his occasional attempts to use naval slang, or explain the working of a ship to someone are always doomed. Thus we have Aubrey's attempting to to use the occasional word of French and describing a patois as a putain and Maturin saying "if the Admiral proves inquisitive, I may toss him off with a round turn" (the correct phrase is to bring someone up with a round turn).
Details of the individual books
Master and Commander
This section based on text from a formerly separate page. The earlier history is available.
Master and Commander begins on April 18th, 1800 in Port Mahon, Minorca, at that time a base of the Royal Navy. Jack Aubrey is a Lieutenant languishing in port without a ship, Stephen Maturin is a penniless half-Irish, half-Catalan physician and natural philosopher. The two main characters are first set at odds by and then united by a love of music (Aubrey plays the violin, Maturin the cello).
The novel introduces these two characters and gives Jack his first command (and promotion to the rank of Commander) on a tiny sloop-of-war, HMS Sophie. Stephen accepts a position as Sophie's surgeon, although as a physician he is overqualified for the job. We also meet Pullings, Killick, Bonden, Mowett, and Babbington, who become long-term fixtures in the series, and James Dillon, Sophie's first lieutenant, whose secret background of Irish Republicanism intersects Stephen's own.
The capture of the Spanish xebec-frigate Cacafuego by the greatly inferior Sophie brings Aubrey and his crew great glory and wealth and is based on the capture of the Spanish frigate El Gamo by Thomas Cochrane commanding the sloop Speedy [1].
The exploit of setting up a decoy of a large ship at night by attaching lights to a small boat was executed by the French privateer Robert Surcouf to successfully escape the British frigate HMS Sybille. It was also used by Lord Cochrane and described in his Autobiography of a Seaman. That book was used by Patrick O'Brian as source material for this novel.
Editions
- W. W. Norton & Company; Reprint Paperback edition (1990) (ISBN 0393307050)
- W. W. Norton & Company; Reprint Paperback edition (1994) (ISBN 0393037010)
- Thorndike Press; Large-print Hardcover edition (1999) (ISBN 0786219327)
- Books on Tape; Unabridged audio edition (2000) (ISBN 0736657134)
- Harper Collins; Reprint Paperback edition (2002) (ISBN 0006499155)
- W. W. Norton & Company; Movie Tie-In Paperback Edition (2003) (ISBN 0393325172)
- Firebird Distributing; (ISBN 0001053299)
Post Captain
This section based on text from a formerly separate page. The earlier history is available.
The book begins in 1802 with the conclusion of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Peace of Amiens. Commander Jack Aubrey returns to England with his friend Stephen Maturin, to take up the life of a country squire. Jack and Stephen meet the Williams family, and their cousin Diana Villers, and Jack commences to court Sophia Williams (the eldest daughter) but is also attracted to Diana, with whom he commences an affair.
Jack plans to marry Sophia Williams, but his fortune is embezzled by his prize-agent and he leaves the country to avoid his creditors. He is restored to active service by the outbreak of war in 1803, and following his endeavours as commander of the unusual HMS Polychrest he is promoted to Post Captain, and given temporary command of HMS Lively while Captain Hammond was on leave.
The book ends with a fictionalized account of the capture of the Spanish treasure fleet by four British frigates in 1804. Other fictionalized accounts of this same incident occur in other historical novels of the period, including Hornblower and the Hotspur, and the novels of Alexander Kent. In actual history, Captain Hammond was the captain of the Lively at the time of this incident.
See Also
Editions
- W. W. Norton & Company: Trade Paperback Reprint edition (1990) (ISBN 0393307069)
- W. W. Norton & Company; Hardcover Uniform edition (1994) (ISBN 0393037029)
- Thorndike Press; Large-print Hardcover edition (2000) (ISBN 0754014231)
- Chivers; Large-print Paperback edition (2000) (ISBN 0754023206)
- Blackstone Audiobooks; Unabridged CD edition (2004) (ISBN 0786186283)
- Firebird Distributing; (ISBN 0001053302)
HMS Surprise
This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The earlier history is available.
Captain Jack Aubrey is given command of the frigate HMS Surprise, and charged with carrying a British ambassador to the East Indies.
Accompanying him (as always) is his friend Stephen Maturin, and much of the novel deals with the ups and downs of Stephen's relationship with Diana Villiers, introduced in the previous novel, Post Captain. Jack's romance with Sophie Williams also progresses.
This book is also Jack's first stint in command of, and the readers' first encounter with, the Surprise herself. She will become Jack's favorite ship throughout the series, and appear in many of its episodes.
Editions
- W. W. Norton & Company; 1st American edition; Paperback (1991) (ISBN 0393307611)
- W. W. Norton & Company; Hardcover Reprint edition (1994) (ISBN 0393037037)
- Thorndike Press; Largeprint hardcover edition (2000) (ISBN 0786219343)
- Harper Collins reprint paperback edition (2002) (ISBN 0006499171)
- Blackstone Audiobooks; Unabridged Audio CD edition (2004) (ISBN 078618597X)
The Mauritius Command
This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The earlier history is available.
The novel sees Captain Jack Aubrey made Commodore in charge of a squadron of ships sent to take the islands of Mauritius and Réunion from the French, and so protect British shipping interests in the Indian Ocean.
The novel gives further scope to Stephen Maturin's role as both a secret agent (in which he uses propaganda effectively to support the campaign) and as a naturalist (in which he is seen collecting relics of the extinct birds the Dodo and the Solitaire).
The novel is based upon a real campaign carried out by the Royal Navy in 1810 under Commodore Josiah Rowley. The island was formally captured on 3 December 1810 (See also History of Mauritius.)
Editions
- Collins Publishers; Hardcover edition (1977) (ISBN 000222383X)
- Stein & Day; Hardcover edition (1978) (ISBN 0812824768)
- W. W. Norton & Company; Paperback Reprint edition (1991) (ISBN 039330762X)
- William A. Thomas Braille Bookstore Hardcover edition (1992) (ISBN 1569560714)
- W. W. Norton & Company; Hardcover Reprint edition (1994) (ISBN 0393037045)
- Chivers; Hardcover Large-print edition (2000) (ISBN 075401519X)
- Chivers; Paperback Large-print edition (2000) (ISBN 0754023982)
- Harper Collins Publiushers Ltd; Paperback edition (2002) (ISBN 000649918X)
- Blackstone Audiobooks; MP3 CD Unabridged audio edition (2004) (ISBN 0786185627)
Desolation Island
This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The earlier history is available.
The story charts the voyage of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin to Australia and the East Indies aboard HMS Leopard. (The earlier involvement of this ship in the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair is mentioned.) On board are a number of prisoners bound for the colonies. After a close encounter with a Dutch warship the Leopard is badly damaged by an iceberg in the Southern Ocean and makes a last-ditch landfall on a desolate island.
Editions
- Stein & Day; Hardcover edition (1979) (ISBN: 081282590X)
- Day Books; 1st Mass-market Paperback edition (1981) (ISBN 0812870662)
- W. W. Norton & Company; Paperback Reprint edition (1991) (ISBN 039330812X)
- W. W. Norton & Company; Hardcover Reprint edition (1994) (ISBN 0393037053)
- Thorndike Press; Hardcover Large-print edition (2001) (ISBN 0786219262)
- Blackstone Audiobooks; Unabridged Audio CD edition (2004) (ISBN 0786183993)
- Fontana Books UK; (ISBN: 0006166032)
The Fortune of War
This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The earlier history is available.
Set during the War of 1812, this novel contains lightly fictionalized accounts of the battles between HMS Java and USS Constitution, and between HMS Shannon and USS Chesapeake.
Captian Aubrey is captured by the Americans, who are particularly suspicious of him as a former commander of HMS Leopard, due to the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair.
This book extensively explores Stephen Maturin's character while he and Jack Aubrey are held captive in Boston, as he is able to manifest his various roles; doctor, spy, and tormented lover. It continues the account of Stephen's pursuit of Diana, with whom he is still deeply in love.
Critical readers have said that the degree of freedom the French agents have would have been most improbable in Federalist Boston, where the Frencgh were not well-liked by the local authorities; nor was Aubrey likely to be as loosely guarded is he is in the novel.
Editions
- W. W. Norton & Company; Paperback reprint edition (1991) (ISBN 0393308138)
- William A. Thomas Braille Bookstore; Hardcover edition (1992)
- Books on Tape; Audio edition (1992) (ISBN 5555358717) (ISBN: 1569564183)
- W. W. Norton & Company; Hardcover edition (1994) (ISBN 0393037061)
- Thorndike Press; Hardcover Large-print edition (2001) (ISBN: 0754015882)
- Thorndike Press; Paperback Large-print edition (2001) (ISBN 0754024490)
The Surgeon's Mate
This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The earlier history is available.
The story starts in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, having escaped from the Americans in Boston in a British frigate, start their return journey to England aboard a packet ship. The packet ship is doggedly pursued by two American privateer schooners across the Grand Banks.
The title is a play on words, referring not just to Doctor Maturin's assistant but also to his long-time love interest and future wife, the vivacious Diana Villiers.
The Ionian Mission
This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The earlier history is available.
Captain Aubrey is promoted to command a 74-gun ship of the line and has to endure blockade duty off Toulon. However, he is reassigned to detached duty aboard his beloved Surprise and sails to the Adriatic to deal with French attempts to take over parts of the Ottoman empire.
Treason's Harbour
This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The earlier history is available.
While HMS Surprise is being refitted in Malta, Aubrey and his crew are assigned to a mission in the Red Sea. Using Dr Maturin's diving bell they attempt to retrieve French gold but their plan had been betrayed. More treachery occurs as French spies try to thwart the British plans and cause trouble for Aubrey and Maturin at home.
This book contians detailed descriptions of an early diving bell and how examination of the sea-floor using such a device took place.
The Far Side of the World
This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The earlier history is available.
The Far Side of the World is set during the War of 1812. In this novel captain Jack Aubrey takes the frigate HMS Surprise around Cape Horn into the Pacific Ocean in pursuit of the American frigate USS Norfolk and in defense of British whalers in the South Seas. The exploits of the Norfolk are based on those of the USS Essex.
Film
The novel provided much of the overall plot structure for the 2003 Peter Weir film, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, though the USS Norfolk was changed to the French privateer Acheron, and episodes were also taken from other books in the series, including Master and Commander and HMS Surprise. The Acheron was based upon the USS Constitution.
Editions
- Collins (1984)
- W. W. Norton & Company; Reprint Paperback edition (1992) (ISBN 0393308626)
- Books on Tape; Audio edition (1993) (ISBN 5555768079)
- W. W. Norton & Company; Reprint Hardcover edition (1994) (ISBN 039303710X)
- Thorndike Press; Large-print Hardcover edition (2002) (ISBN 0754017834)
- Thorndike Press; Large-print Paperback edition (2002) (ISBN 0754091759)
- W. W. Norton & Company; Reissue (movie tie-in) Paperback edition (2003) (ISBN 0393324761)
- Soundings Ltd; Audio CD Edition (2003) (ISBN 1842832689)
The Reverse of the Medal
Newly returned to England, Captain Jack Aubrey hears a rumor from a stranger he meets in an inn that peace with France will soon be signed. The stranger, who seems to be a seceret diplomatic agent, indicates to Aubrey how he can make money on the stock market by buying stocks sure to go up as soon as the news becomes public. The stranger says that such advance knowledge is provided as a reward to deserving officers such as Aubrey. Aubrey makes the transactions as he has been advised, and is observed by his father, General Aubrey, who learns the secret, and makes much larger stock transactions. The rumor of a peace treaty gets out, and Jack Aubrey's stock transactions are highly profitable.
Then it is revealed that the rumor is a false one, and the stanger an impersonator. Aubrey is tried for a fraud on the stock market. Stephan hires an investigator, but is unable to secure proof of the truth of Jack's story. Jack is convicted, dismissed from the Royal Navy, and sentanced to stand in the pillory.
The story and many of the details of the trial are, according to O'brian's author's note published in the book, based on the actual Guildhall trial of Lord Cochrane.
The Letter of Marque
This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The earlier history is available.
At the end of the previous book, Aubrey is removed from the Royal Navy, and struck off the captain's list, for a crime he did not commit. The crime was committed by highly placed English agents of French intelligence. Aubrey's friend Dr. Maturin purchases the Surprise and Aubrey is granted a letter of marque as a privateer.
Aubrey prepares the Surprise to sail as a privateer, finding many things quite different than in the Navy. He is bitter and low-spirited about his dismissal for much of the book.
(Note: the "letter of marque" of the title probably refers to the Surprise herself, rather than the document.)
The Thirteen-Gun Salute
This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The earlier history is available.
This novel tells the story of a venture to the fictitious land of Kampong, where an ambitious King's emissary attempts to win over the local king with a treaty, while the French attempt the same.
The same English traitors who were responsible for Aubrey's disgrace are now openly assisting the French, and Stephen enganges in a political duel for influence at the court of Kampong.
The Nutmeg of Consolation
This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The earlier history is available.
The book opens with Captain Aubrey and his crew shipwrecked on a remote island in the South China Sea after surviving the destruction of HMS Diane in a typhoon. While stranded on the island they fight a ferocious battle against Dyak pirates and are eventually rescued by Chinese traders.
Upon arriving in Batavia, Aubrey is provided by Sir Thomas Raffles with a 20-gun ship which Aubrey renames the Nutmeg of Consolation. Back at sea, Aubrey and the out-gunned Nutmeg engage in battle with a French frigate; at the height of the battle the Nutmeg is joined by Surprise (no longer in commission at this point, but sold out of the service as a letter of marque and sailing as a Hired Vessel of the Royal Navy) under the temporary command of Aubrey's old friend and former lieutenant, Commander Thomas Pullings.
Resuming command of the Surprise, Aubrey and Stephen Maturin continue their interrupted journey to New South Wales. On their way to Australia, Maturin rescues two young girls who are the sole survivors of an outbreak of smallpox that has killed the entire population of their small Pacific island.
Once in New South Wales the book contains graphic descriptions of the hell-on-earth that was the life in the penal colony under Governor Lachlan Macquarie shortly after the "Rum Rebellion" of the New South Wales Corps and its coup against Governor William Bligh. There are also detailed descriptions of the landscapes and fauna in and around Sydney harbour; Stephen Maturin has an interesting encounter with a male Platypus in the final pages of the book.
Clarissa Oakes
This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The earlier history is available.
A young female convict, Clarissa Harvill, is smuggled aboard HMS Surprise in Sydney by the midshipman Mr. Oakes, to whom she is subsequently married by Jack Aubrey. Her presence and activities cause much dissension aboard and upset the smooth running of the ship. Despite this Aubrey successfully adds a Polynesian island to the British crown and chases away an American privateer.
Mrs. Oakes proves to have knowledge which is helpful to Stephen Maturin in his role as a counter-intelligence agent.
Clarissa Oakes was published in the US as The Truelove, which is the name of a ship in the novel, but may also refer to Miss Oakes.
The Wine-Dark Sea
This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The earlier history is available.
The title comes from the English version of a line by Homer.
The Commodore
The Yellow Admiral
This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The earlier history is available.
The title concerns Aubrey's fear of being made a "yellow admiral", a rear-admiral who is assigned to no squadron, and who is effectively retired on promotion. But the book ends before Aubrey knows whether he will successfully avoid this fate.
In the Royal Navy of this period, Admirals on active duty were assiged either the Blue, Red, or White squadrons (in order of senriority). The Blue Ensign, Red Ensign, or White Ensign indicated an admiral's rank and squadron assignment, and they were formally refered to as "Rear Admiral of the Red" or "Vice Admiral of the White". These three "squadrons" existed for administrative purposes, and should not be confused with physical squadrons, that is a group of ships commanded as a unit, but smaller than a fleet.
The Hundred Days
This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The earlier history is available.
The title refers to the Hundred Days, a period when Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from Elba and temporarily returned to power in France.
Blue at the Mizzen
This section is based on text from a formerly separate page. The earlier history is available.
This novel was the last completed work in the series.
A blue ensign at the mizzen-mast was the flag of the Rear Admiral of the Blue, the lowest flag rank in the Royal Navy of the early 19th century.
Editions
- W.W. Norton & Company; Paperback Reprint edition (1999) (ISBN 0393048446)
The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey
The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey is the unfinished twenty-first novel in the series. It was released in the fall of 2004. It comprises the partially corrected typescript of the approximately three chapters completed by O'Brian before his death in January, 2000, as well as a facsimile of the handwritten manuscript which continues beyond the end of the typescript. It is obvious that there would have to have been a lot more polishing and editing of the text to bring it to O'Brian's usual standards. There is a Foreword by William Waldegrave and an Afterword by Richard Snow, who had written an influentual review of the series in the New York Times Book Review many years before. Snow's review has been credited with helping to popularize the series in the United States.
In the US, this book was released under the simpler title of 21.
External Links
See also
- Frederick Marryat, 19th century a pioneer of the nautical novel, and a real-life successful naval officer in the time of the Aubrey–Maturin series.
- C. S. Forester, 20th century novelist whose Horatio Hornblower series in many ways prefigured O'Brian's sea tales.
- Thomas Cochrane, dashing and controversial captain in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars whose exploits and reverses inspired many events in the fictional careers of both Jack Aubrey and Horatio Hornblower.