Mr. Midshipman Easy (Nelson's Navy Sea Classics)

Classic naval fiction, said to have been inspired by the dashing Lord Cochrane's adventures as a midshipman in the Napoleonic Wars Set sail with Midshipman Jack Easy, the original nautical hero, as he embarks on a career in the Royal Navy, a new life full of spine-tingling danger, outrageous adventure, and humorous goings-on. Jack is the unfortunate son of a self-taught philosopher who has a lot to learn on the decks of a ship of war - but learn them he does, and he proves his courage, honor, and cleverness to boot. As you embark with Jack on a tour of the high seas, you'll be following in the footsteps of Herman Melville, Joseph Conrad, Virginia Woolf, C.S. Forester, Patrick O'Brian, and countless other lovers of nautical fiction through the years who found in Marryat the key to a whole new world. Lord Cochrane himself spoke highly of Marryat, calling him "brave, zealous, intelligent - and even thoughtful."