Cecil Scott "C.S." Forester was the pen name of Cecil Louis Troughton Smith (1899—1966), an English novelist who rose to fame with tales of naval warfare including the now famous series about Horatio Hornblower. He was born in Cairo and educated at Alleyn's School, Dulwich College, and Guy's Hospital, although he did not complete his studies.
During World War II, Forester moved to the United States where he wrote propaganda to encourage that country to join the Allies. He eventually settled in Berkeley, California.
The Hornblower series is mainly set within the period of the great wars with France during which our hero is promoted from Midshipman to Commodore & a peer of the realm. Books from the series have been made into a film and a television series. He also wrote a stand alone HNF novel.
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Series: Horatio Hornblower |
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| Year | Book | Comment |
| Born | ||
| At 17 joins Royal Navy as a Midshipman aboard Justinian when he becomes famous for being seasick in Spithead | ||
| 1794 | Mr. Midshipman Hornblower | Transferred to Indefatigable under the command of Sir Edward Pellew Hornblower is assigned a number of duties until he is taken prisoner whilst in command of a prize La Reve |
| 1796 | The Hand of Destiny | Lt. Hornblower negotiates a mutiny (Short story) |
| 1799 | Hornblower & the Widow McCool (aka Hornblower's Temptation) |
Lt. Hornblower joins Renown and the Channel Fleet where he has dealings with a captured Irish rebel (Short story) |
| 1801 | Lieutenant Hornblower | With a mad captain Renown is sent to the Caribbean. Hornblower plays a leading role in guiding the ships officers and is promoted Commander & given Retribution. However with the Peace of Amiens declared his promotion is not confirmed. |
| 1803 | Hornblower & the Hotspur | Promoted to Commander Hornblower is given the sloop Hotspur and as part of the channel fleet blockades Brest |
| 1805 | Hornblower & the Crisis (aka Hornblower During the Crisis) |
Hornblower is sent to Spain as a spy to try and get the combined fleet to sail. He is successful & the Battle of Trafalgar follows. |
| 1806 | Hornblower & the Atropos | Promoted Captain he is given the sloop Atropos. After arranging Nelson's funeral he is sent to the Mediterranean & Turkey |
| 1808 | The Happy Return (aka Beat to Quarters) |
Given command of the Frigate Lydia he sails to the pacific to aid a rebellion against Spain by her colonies. |
| 1810 | A Ship of the Line | Given command of the Sutherland he joins a Mediterranean squadron. His ship is sunk engaging superior numbers in Rosas bay. He is taken prisoner |
| 1810 | Hornblower's Charitable Offering | Captain Hornblower encounters marooned prisoners of war (short story) |
| 1810 | Flying Colours | Escaping his captors he travels across France to Nantes where he recaptures the cutter Witch of Endor & escapes |
| 1812 | Hornblower and His Majesty | Hornblower commands the Royal Yacht Augusta (short story) |
| 1812 | The Commodore (aka Commodore Hornblower) |
Promoted Commodore he is given a squadron & sent to the Baltic where he aids the Russians |
| 1814 | Lord Hornblower | Recovering from fever Hornblower is sent to quell a mutiny aboard a brig in the Bay of the Seine. He arranges the surrender of Le Harve and takes part in the final defeat of Napoleon. |
| 1818 | Hornblower in the West Indies (aka Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies) |
Admiral Lord Hornblower is Commander in Chief of the West Indies station |
| 1848 | The Last Encounter | The retired Admiral of the Fleet encounters a descendant of Napoleon (Short story) |
| Omnibus editions | ||
| The Young Hornblower | Content varies dependant upon publisher/publication date | |
| Captain Hornblower R.N. | Hornblower and the Atropos, The Happy Return, A Ship of the Line | |
| Admiral Hornblower | Flying Colours, The Commodore, Lord Hornblower, Hornblower in the West Indies | |
| Captain Horatio Hornblower | Beat to Quarters, A Ship of the Line, Flying Colours | |
| The Indomitable Hornblower | Commodore Hornblower, Lord Hornblower, Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies | |
| Horatio Hornblower | The Commodore, Lord Hornblower | |
| Hornblower one more time | The Hand of Destiny, Hornblower's Charitable Offering, Hornblower and His Majesty | |
| Hornblower Addendum - 5 Stories | The Hand of Destiny, Hornblower & the Widow McCool, Hornblower's Charitable Offering, Hornblower and His Majesty, The Last Encounter |
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| The Hornblower Companion | A series companion from the author describes all the incidents as they appeared in the ten novels | |
| Series: n/a | ||
| 1813 | The Captain from Connecticut | Features Captain Josiah Peabody, USN. |
AOS Naval Non Fiction
| Series: n/a | ||
| Nelson | A Biography of the famous Admiral | |
| The Age of Fighting Sail : the Story of the Naval War of 1812 | A look at the Naval War of 1812 | |
| The Barbary Pirates | The US expedition Including the first landing on foreign soil by the US Marines. | |
AOS Other Nautical Fiction
| Series: n/a | ||
| To the Indies | A Spanish Don joins one of Columbus's last voyages. | |
Modern Era Naval Fiction
| Series: | ||
| Year | Book | Comment |
| WWI | Brown on Resolution (aka Single-Handed) |
A seaman alone on an Island must fight a German Battleship |
| WWII | The Good Shepherd | 48 hours in the life of an American escort commander during the Battle of the Atlantic |
| WWII | The Ship | Five light British cruisers must get a vital convoy to Malta. |
| WWII | Hunting the Bismarck (aka The Last Nine Days of the Bismarck or Sink the Bismarck) |
The hunt for the German battleship Bismarck |
| Short Story Anthologies | ||
| WWII | The Man in the Yellow Raft | |
| WWII | Gold from Crete | |
The author’s official web site is (The C.S.Forester Society)