Reading order · 29 books · 1968 to 2011 · Set in Falmouth
Bolitho Books in Order
The Bolitho novels follow Richard Bolitho, from a Cornish naval family in Falmouth, through the Royal Navy from midshipman to admiral, across the American War of Independence and the wars with France. The later books follow his nephew Adam. The books were written out of story order, with Bolitho’s youth told after his time as a captain.
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Series facts
- Books
- 29
- Published
- 1968 to 2011
- First book
- To Glory We Steer
- Latest
- In the King's Name (2011)
- Setting
- Set in Falmouth
The reading order
Every Bolitho book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
29 books · Set in Falmouth
- 1To Glory We Steer1968With Richard BolithoIn 1782, Captain Richard Bolitho takes command of the frigate Phalarope, a ship with a reputation for poor discipline, and sails for the West Indies, where the war with France and the American colonies is reaching its climax.Buy on Amazon
- 2Form Line of Battle!1969With Richard BolithoIn 1793, Captain Richard Bolitho of the Hyperion is sent to support Lord Hood at Toulon, but the mission goes wrong, and his ship is trapped by the French.Buy on Amazon
- 3Enemy in Sight!1970With Richard BolithoIn 1794, Bolitho leaves Plymouth in the ageing Hyperion to blockade revolutionary France, and a chase across the Atlantic against a gifted French admiral pushes him towards squadron command.Buy on Amazon
- 4The Flag Captain1971With Richard BolithoIn 1797, Bolitho, flag captain of the Euryalus, sails into the Mediterranean under a hard-nosed admiral and a meddling civilian adviser.Buy on Amazon
- 5Sloop of War1972With Richard BolithoDuring the American War of Independence, the young Richard Bolitho is given his first command, the sloop Sparrow, and sent to work off the coast of North America.Buy on Amazon
- 6Command a King's Ship1973With Richard BolithoIn 1784, with the war over and the Navy shrinking, Richard Bolitho is given command of the frigate Undine and sent to the East Indies on a mission that mixes diplomacy with danger.Buy on Amazon
- 7Signal, Close Action!1974With Richard BolithoIn 1798, Bolitho enters the Mediterranean to find a rumoured French armada, facing storms, enemy guns and disloyalty among his own ships.Buy on Amazon
- 8Richard Bolitho, Midshipman1975With Richard BolithoSixteen-year-old Richard Bolitho joins the seventy-four-gun ship Gorgon as a midshipman, bound for the coast of West Africa to hunt pirates.Buy on Amazon
- 9Passage to Mutiny1976With Richard BolithoIn 1789, Captain Richard Bolitho, recovering from fever, commands the frigate Tempest in the South Seas, where the islands are full of beauty, pirates and trouble.Buy on Amazon
- 10In Gallant Company1977With Richard BolithoIn 1777, during the American Revolution, Bolitho is a junior lieutenant aboard the Trojan, facing decisions beyond his experience from New York to the Caribbean.Buy on Amazon
- 11The Inshore Squadron1978With Richard BolithoIn 1800, newly promoted Rear-Admiral Bolitho commands his own squadron through a hard blockade and the power politics of the Baltic, as a figure from his past threatens him.Buy on Amazon
- 12Midshipman Bolitho and the Avenger1978With Richard BolithoIn 1773, seventeen-year-old Midshipman Bolitho is home in Falmouth while his ship is refitted, but smuggling, wrecking and a murder draw him onto his brother’s cutter, the Avenger.Buy on Amazon
- 13Stand into Danger1980With Richard BolithoIn 1774, newly appointed third lieutenant Bolitho joins the frigate Destiny at Plymouth, bound on a secret mission to Rio and the Caribbean.Buy on Amazon
- 14A Tradition of Victory1981With Richard BolithoIn 1801, Rear-Admiral Bolitho’s squadron sails on orders that may give Britain an edge in peace negotiations, while Bolitho is torn between duty and his wish to marry.Buy on Amazon
- 15Success to the Brave1983With Richard BolithoIn 1802, after the Peace of Amiens, Vice-Admiral Bolitho sails to the Caribbean to hand a British-held island back to the French, and finds intrigue and danger there.Buy on Amazon
- 16Colours Aloft!1986With Richard BolithoAround 1803, as the peace collapses, Bolitho takes command of a captured French flagship and faces the French admiral who once commanded her.Buy on Amazon
- 17Honour This Day1987With Richard BolithoIn 1804, Vice-Admiral Bolitho sails for the Caribbean with a new squadron on a royal mission, troubled by his failing marriage and an injury to his eye.Buy on Amazon
- 18With All Despatch1988With Richard BolithoIn 1792, Bolitho, without a frigate, patrols the Nore with three small cutters to catch smugglers, and is then ordered to recover a royal ransom.Buy on Amazon
- 19The Only Victor1990With Richard BolithoIn 1806, months after Trafalgar, Bolitho sails to southern Africa to help retake Cape Town from the Dutch.Buy on Amazon
- 20Beyond the Reef1992With Richard BolithoIn 1808, Vice-Admiral Bolitho sails for the Cape of Good Hope, but his ship is wrecked on the African coast and the survivors must fight to live.Buy on Amazon
- 21The Darkening Sea1993With Richard BolithoIn 1809, Bolitho returns to England after the capture of Martinique, and is then ordered to the Indian Ocean as France threatens British trade.Buy on Amazon
- 22For My Country's Freedom1995With Richard BolithoIn 1811, Admiral Bolitho leads a flying squadron from Plymouth to the Americas, as war with the United States looms.Buy on Amazon
- 23Cross of St George1996With Richard BolithoIn 1813, during the War of 1812, Bolitho returns to Halifax, where American privateers are attacking British convoys.Buy on Amazon
- 24Sword of Honour1998With Adam BolithoIn 1814, as Napoleon abdicates, Bolitho is sent to Malta, but Napoleon’s return threatens the fragile peace.Buy on Amazon
- 25Second to None1999With Adam BolithoIn June 1815, on the eve of Waterloo, Captain Adam Bolitho commands the frigate Unrivalled, as peace brings its own dangers.Buy on Amazon
- 26Relentless Pursuit2001With Adam BolithoIn 1815, Captain Adam Bolitho and the Unrivalled patrol off West Africa against the slave trade, and he plans a daring attack on a fortified stronghold.Buy on Amazon
- 27Man of War2003With Adam BolithoIn 1817, Adam Bolitho becomes flag captain of the Athena in the Caribbean, hunting a renegade slaver protected by powerful men.Buy on Amazon
- 28Heart of Oak2007With Adam BolithoIn 1818, Captain Adam Bolitho takes the new frigate Onward on a diplomatic mission off North Africa, shadowing a French frigate.Buy on Amazon
- 29In the King's Name2011With Adam BolithoIn 1819, Adam Bolitho sails the Onward on secret orders to Freetown, and on the voyage home the crew find a wrecked frigate and talk of mutiny.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Kent wrote the books out of order, so many readers prefer story order, which begins with Richard Bolitho, Midshipman and Midshipman Bolitho and the Avenger. Publication order works too, since each book is a complete adventure.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
Characters in the Bolitho books
4 characters from Alexander Kent’s chart, with the number of Bolitho books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Richard BolithoRoyal Navy officer from Falmouth, midshipman to admiral | 23 | To Glory We Steer 1968 |
| Adam BolithoRichard's nephew, later a captain in his own right | 15 | Success to the Brave 1983 |
| Thomas HerrickBolitho's lifelong friend and fellow officer | 21 | To Glory We Steer 1968 |
| John AlldayBolitho's coxswain | 15 | Command a King's Ship 1973 |