William Henry Giles Kingston (1814-1880) was the son of a merchant in Oporto, where he spent much of his youth. His books are mainly written for young boys. One of his early ones, Peter the Whaler (1851), was successful and was followed by more than 150 similar books which had simple plots and were full of adventures and escapes. They tend to have a high moral tone. He also made numerous translations of other authors works, including Jules Verne, which remain standards to the present day. His books went through many editions and revisions, and continued to be published well into the 20th century. Many of his novels are not copyright in many countries and some are available as free eBooks in the online store..
Those novels which touch on Historical Naval Fiction (four of which form a series) are listed below and some of the others which are merchant or pirate fiction are available from links to the right.
| Series: Three Officers |
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| Year | Book | Comment |
| The Three Midshipmen | Three school friends join the Royal Navy | |
| The Three Lieutenants | The Friends fight slaving in the Caribbean | |
| The Three Commanders | Action in East Africa, the Crimea and the Pacific. | |
| The Three Admirals | Further adventures of the friends and their young followers | |
| Series: n/a | ||
| Year | Book | Comment |
| Old Jack: A Man-of-War's-Man and South-Sea Whaler | An old sailor's account of his own adventures, during times of peace and of war, in many parts of the world | |
| Marmaduke Merry, The Midshipman: or My Early Days at Sea | The memoirs of a midshipman during the Napoleonic wars | |
| Hurricane Hurry: or, The Adventures of a Naval Officer Afloat and on Shore | A Royal Naval officer participates in the American war of Independence | |
| True Blue: or, The Life and Adventures of a British Seaman of the old School | True Blue, born on a Royal Navy ship, serves all his life at sea, participating in various notable events. | |
| Ben Burton; or, Born and Bred at Sea | Ben Burton's story from birth to a senior Naval rank | |
| Salt Water; The Sea Life and adventures of Neil D'Arcy, the Midshipman | The adventures of a young boy who joins the Royal Navy as a midshipman | |
| Will Weatherhelm; or the Yarn of an Old Sailor, about his early life and adventures | Maritime adventures of a Shetlander before and during the Napoleonic wars | |
| Ronald Morton; or, The Fire Ships: A story of the Last Naval War | A story of a Shetland families inheritance. | |
| Paul Gerrard, the Cabin Boy | The adventures of a Cabin Boy | |
| Adrift in a Boat | Adventures of a Midshipman and his friend | |
| Sunshine Bill | Adventures in the West Indies | |
| The Child of the Wreck; or, the Loss of the Royal George | Based on the life of a survivor of the loss of the Royal George | |
| Saved from the Sea, The Loss of the Viper | Adventures of a shipwrecked crew | |
| The Boy who sailed with Blake | Adventures around the career or Admiral Blake | |
| Paddy Finn; or, The Adventures of a Midshipman Afloat and Ashore | The adventures of a Midshipman | |
| The Heir of Kilfinnan | The story of a naval officer and his eventual inheritance. | |
| From Powder Monkey to Admiral - A Story of Naval Adventure | A boys rise through the naval ranks | |
| John Deane of Nottingham - Historic Adventures by Land and Sea | A fictionalised biography | |
| The Boatswain's Son: a tale of the sea | A 14 year old is promoted to Midshipman after distinguishing himself in battle (short story) | |
| The Story of Nelson | A story about Nelson (short story) | |
AOS Naval Non Fiction
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Series: n/a |
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Year |
Book | Comment |
| The San Fiorenzo and her Captain | A factual account of one ship's experiences during the mutiny at the Nore | |
| Captain Cook, his Life, Voyages and Discoveries | A Biography of the great Captain Cook | |
| How Britannia Came to Rule the Waves | A history of the British Navy to 1876. | |
AOS Pirate Fiction
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Series: n/a |
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Year |
Book | Comment |
| The Pirate of the Mediterranean | A Greek Pirate who preyed mostly upon Italian, Greek and Turkish vessels | |
AOS Other Nautical Fiction
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Series: n/a |
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Year |
Book | Comment |
| The Voyages of the Ranger and Crusader | The stories of a troopship to India and an emigrant ship to New Zealand. | |
| A Voyage Round the World | Adventures by sea and land, mainly set in South America, the South Sea Islands and Japan | |
| Peter the Whaler | Adventures in the Arctic Regions and other parts of the World | |
| The South Sea Whaler | The story of the loss of the Champion and the adventures of her crew | |
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