Photo of C. S. Forester
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C. S. Forester

1899–1966

2 series 20 books in order 3 standalone books

Cecil Scott Forester was an English novelist born in Cairo in 1899 to a British army officer. He was educated in London and initially studied medicine. After serving in the infantry during World War I, he turned to poetry, though this pursuit was brief. He later shifted to biography and fiction, eventually writing several best-selling novels, including The African Queen and The General. In 1937, he published the first of his Hornblower stories, Beat to Quarters, which is chronologically the fifth in the series. In 1940, Forester moved to Berkeley, California, where he lived for many years. He died in April 1966 while working on Hornblower and the Crisis. His works remain widely read, and his name is closely associated with naval literature.

Born
1899
Known for
Horatio Hornblower, Guild books series

Series by C. S. Forester

Horatio Hornblower

16 books in order · 1920–1962

  1. Cover of A ship of the line

    A ship of the line

    1920 · C. S. Forester

    Captain Hornblower and the crew of HMS Sutherland join a naval blockade along the Spanish coast during the Napoleonic Wars. During a confrontation…

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  2. Cover of Mr. Midshipman Hornblower

    Mr. Midshipman Hornblower

    1920 · C. S. Forester

    A 1950 novel by C. S. Forester, the first of eleven books chronicling the nautical adventures of Horatio Hornblower. Set in 1793 on the eve of the…

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  3. Cover of Beat to Quarters

    Beat to Quarters

    1937 · C. S. Forester

    Hornblower, captain of the 36-gun frigate Lydia, sets course for Spain and Nicaragua in his ongoing quest to cut Napoleon's lines wherever he crosses…

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  4. Flying Colours

    1938 · C. S. Forester

    Flying Colours is a novel by C. S. Forester featuring Captain Horatio Hornblower. First published in 1938, it is the third in the series but the…

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  5. Cover of Captain Horatio Hornblower

    Captain Horatio Hornblower

    1939 · C. S. Forester

    The book follows Horatio Hornblower, a British Navy officer during the Napoleonic era, as he advances in rank and faces the challenges of command,…

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  6. Cover of Commodore Hornblower

    Commodore Hornblower

    1945 · C. S. Forester

    Horatio Hornblower returns to sea holding the rank of Commodore. He commands a small squadron during the Napoleonic wars, and the fate of Europe…

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  7. The commodore

    1945 · C. S. Forester

    The Commodore is a novel featuring the character Horatio Hornblower, written by C. S. Forester. It was published in the United States under the title…

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  8. Cover of Lord Hornblower

    Lord Hornblower

    1946 · C. S. Forester

    Lord Hornblower is a Horatio Hornblower novel written by C. S. Forester, published in 1946, and was originally intended to be the last book in the…

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  9. Cover of Lieutenant Hornblower

    Lieutenant Hornblower

    1952 · C. S. Forester

    Lieutenant Hornblower is a novel in the Horatio Hornblower series written by C. S. Forester. It is the second book in the series when considering the…

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  10. Cover of Hornblower And The Atropos

    Hornblower And The Atropos

    1953 · C. S. Forester

    Hornblower and the Atropos (1953) by C.S. Forester finds Captain Horatio Hornblower taking command of the sloop Atropos after a humbling canal-boat…

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Show all 16 Horatio Hornblower books in order →

Guild books series

5 books in order · 1930–1941

  1. Cover of High wages

    High wages

    1930 · Dorothy Whipple

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  2. Cover of Death to the French

    Death to the French

    1932 · C. S. Forester

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  3. Cover of The case of the velvet claws

    The case of the velvet claws

    1933 · Erle Stanley Gardner

    In Perry Mason's debut, a woman calling herself Eva Griffin hires him to keep her name out of a scandal sheet that threatens to expose her connection…

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  4. Cover of The case of the sulky girl

    The case of the sulky girl

    1933 · Erle Stanley Gardner

    Frances Celane, a bratty heiress, visits Perry Mason to discuss a strange part of her father's will. The codicil states she would be disinherited if…

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  5. Cover of The case of the turning tide

    The case of the turning tide

    1941 · Erle Stanley Gardner

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Standalone books

  1. Cover of The good shepherd

    The good shepherd

    1955

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  2. Cover of Brown on Resolution

    Brown on Resolution

    1929

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  3. Cover of Payment deferred

    Payment deferred

    1926

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Frequently asked questions

How many books has C. S. Forester written?

We list 20 books by C. S. Forester across 2 series, published between 1920–1962 — each shown in full reading order.

What order should I read C. S. Forester's books?

Read each series in publication order. A good place to start is “Commodore Hornblower.” Open any series above for its complete numbered reading order.

Where can I buy C. S. Forester's books?

Every title links to Amazon from its series page — see our affiliate disclosure in the footer for how that supports the site.

Reading order compiled from author/publisher guidance and verified bibliographic data. Spotted a wrong order, a missing book, or any other mistake? and we'll correct it.