Mr Midshipman Hornblower, Lieutenant Hornblower and Hornblower and the Hotspur
Illustrated by Joe McLaren
Introduced by Bernard Cornwell
A handsome new Folio series introduces Horatio Hornblower, C. S. Forester’s brilliant Royal Navy hero of the Napoleonic Wars, lavishly illustrated by Joe McLaren and introduced by longtime admirer Bernard Cornwell.
Thrilling sea chases and shrewd secret missions, character-forming duels and mutinous crews, the clash of cutlass against cutlass and the stifling heat of white-hot cannon shot: Cecil Scott Forester’s Hornblower Saga, which traces the career of his inimitable and much loved hero, Horatio Hornblower, captures all the excitement, danger and intrigue of life at sea as part of His Majesty’s Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars.
First introduced to readers as a junior Royal Navy captain in the 1937 title The Happy Return, Hornblower rose in successive novels and short stories to reach the pinnacle of his profession as Admiral of the Fleet Lord Hornblower. But Forester’s insatiable readership clamoured for yet more tales of Hornblower’s ingenuity and courage, so Forester went back to write of his hero’s humble beginnings. This new Folio series presents, for the first time, the complete novels and short stories of the young Mr Hornblower’s early career in chronological order, following his unpromising start as a seasick 17-year-old midshipman and his first challenges in independent command.
These tales contain all the elements for which Forester was celebrated: masterful storytelling, finely drawn characters, authentic historical detail and a keen sense of humour. Forester’s particular talents earned him many imitators, from Patrick O’Brian and Dudley Pope, to the creators of Star Trek and Bernard Cornwell, whose introductions to these volumes explore how Forester’s storylines were influenced by historical events.
Joe McLaren, working in consultation with Brian Lavery, former curator of Maritime History at the National Museum, Greenwich, has created a series of characterful chapter-head decorations and full-page illustrations that convey the drama and spirit of Hornblower’s sea exploits, as well as more intimate portraits and naval details. Each volume also includes a number of maps first published in 1964 under Forester’s guidance that chart Hornblower’s early voyages. Dynamic binding designs, printed endpapers and a blocked slipcase complete this handsome set, perfect for naval enthusiasts, or anyone who enjoys a gripping adventure story, masterfully told.
Three-quarter bound in cloth with cloth front boards printed and blocked with designs by the artist
Set in Bulmer
1,016 pages in total
15 full-page black & white integrated illustrations, 5 chapter-head decorations and 13 maps across three volumes
Printed endpapers
Printed and blocked slipcase
Each volume is 9” x 5 ¾”
It’s a wonderful set
Review by MR CHRISTOPHER SLOAN on 28th April 2021
Elegant, beautiful set of classic naval fiction.
Review by JERRY JONES on 14th April 2021
Excellent. A delight to read and to hold whilst reading.
Review by Robert77 on 25th March 2021
Amazing quality! Contains the short stories as well. I was initially worried that the 10 volume series left out the unfinished novel, Hornblower and the Crisis but I'm happy to say it does not! Everything is in this series!
Review by T. S. Handy on 4th March 2021
Arrived quickly and in perfect condition. Beautiful multi-volume set.
Review by MR RICHARD PARR on 27th January 2021
This lavishly illustrated edition of Mayflower meets you on board a storm-lashed ship filled with resolute Pilgrims and leaves you a generation later in the blood-soaked new American nation.
Hornblower is one of the greatest naval adventurers in literature and he is back with heroic battles, stoic command and illicit liaisons in a stunning new four-book Folio set that includes reproductions of Forester’s original maps.
