This book is a compendium of 3 individual novels by C. S. Forester:
- Beat to Quarters - first published 1937
- A Ship of the Line - first published 1938
- Flying Colours - first published 1938
These 3 novels covering Hornblowers voyage to the Pacific, his command of a ship of the line and his escape from France were made into a film starring Gregory Peck and Virginia Mayo.