Order of Horatio Hornblower Books

Horatio Hornblower is the protagonist in a series of naval adventure novels by English novelist C.S. Forester. The series is set during the Napoleonic Wars. Horatio begins the series as a junior captain with the Royal Navy on a secret mission to Central America. As the series goes on, he moves up the ranks of the Royal Navy. Winston Churchill once said that he found the character “admirable.”

C.S. Forester began the Horatio Hornblower series in 1937 with the novel The Happy Return. The series lasted 11 novels with various short stories until Hornblower and the Crisis, published in 1967. Below is a list of C.S. Forester’s Horiatio Hornblower books in order of when they were originally released:

Publication Order of Horatio Hornblower Books

The Happy Return / Beat to Quarters	(1937)
Ship of the Line	(1938)
Flying Colours	(1938)
The Commodore / Commodore Hornblower	(1945)
Lord Hornblower	(1946)
Mr. Midshipman Hornblower	(1950)
Lieutenant Hornblower	(1952)
Hornblower and the Atropos	(1953)
Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies	(1957)
Hornblower and the Hotspur	(1962)
Hornblower During the Crisis / Hornblower and the Crisis	(1967)

Chronological Order of Horatio Hornblower Books

Mr. Midshipman Hornblower	(1950)
Lieutenant Hornblower	(1952)
Hornblower and the Hotspur	(1962)
Hornblower During the Crisis / Hornblower and the Crisis	(1967)
Hornblower and the Atropos	(1953)
The Happy Return / Beat to Quarters	(1937)
Ship of the Line	(1938)
Flying Colours	(1938)
The Commodore / Commodore Hornblower	(1945)
Lord Hornblower	(1946)
Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies	(1957)

Publication Order of Horatio Hornblower Collections

Captain Hornblower R.N.

(1965)

Publication Order of Horatio Hornblower Non-Fiction Books

The Hornblower Companion

(1964)

If You Like Horatio Hornblower Books, You’ll Love…

• Sharpe
• Aubrey/Maturin
• Brother Cadfael

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2 Responses to “Order of Horatio Hornblower Books”

1. mikeh: 4 years ago

   Under the author information in “Hornblower and the Atropos” which I read according to this chronological order before “Hornblower and the Hotspur” (finding out Hornblower was married and had two children – to read about the marriage in Hotspur) – I believe the correct order in which to read the books should be:-

   Mr.
   Midshipman Hornblower

   Lieutenant
   Hornblower

   Hornblower
   and the Hotspur

   Hornblower
   and the Crisis

   Hornblower
   and the Atropos

   The
   Happy Return

   Ship of
   the Line

   Flying
   Colours

   The
   Commodore

   Lord
   Hornblower

   Admiral
   Hornblower in the West Indies

   Reply

2. TipOfTheSpear: 7 years ago

   The Hornblower book titled The Happy Return is published in the US under the title Beat to Quarters.

   Reply