C.S Forester's Hornblower novels have been avidly read for over two generations and seem as popular today as when they were first published. They recount stirring adventures in the Royal Navy during the era of the Napoleonic wars and paint a vivid picture of the Senior Service at a time when it grew to dominate the world s oceans. C.S Forester's companion to his hero's career describes all the incidents as they appeared in the ten novels, starting with Mr Midshipman Hornblower and running through to Hornblower in the West Indies, and the chapters are all illustrated with beautifully drawn maps and charts. Some thirty of these, and over one hundred drawings and marginal decorations, bring to life both the events and characters that appear in the novels. In the second part of the book the author describes how the novels were written, what inspired the adventures and how they relate to the real world of the Royal Navy. The recent TV series of Hornblower has reignited interest in the novels, so ably described and illustrated in this beautifully produced book.