Master and Commander

Master and Commander is a historical novel by the English writer Patrick O’Brian. It was first published in 1969, although it is set in 1800. O’Brian’s work is meticulously researched, drawing upon documents from the time period such as naval logs, official letters, and memories of sailors who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. Many of the naval battles described in the novel are based on real events, particularly Lord Thomas Cochrane’s victory over the superior Spanish frigate El Gamo. Master and Commander is the first novel in a 20-book series that follows the nautical adventures of Jack Aubrey, an ambitious young captain in the British Navy, and his friend, the Irish Catalan physician Stephen Maturin. This novel follows Aubrey’s first appointment as the captain of a ship, the Sophie, his meeting and burgeoning friendship with Maturin, and his capture of the Spanish xebec, Cacafuego. Several books in the series were adapted into the film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World in 2003. The film does not follow the events of any particular book, but rather uses various events and characters from O’Brian’s work to craft an original plot.

This guide refers to the edition published in 1990 by W.