Hunting the Bismarck [Paperback]

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Mayflower (1963)
• ASIN: B000KF2D2S
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

More About the Author

C. S. Forester (1899-1966) wrote several novels with military and naval themes, including The African Queen, The Barbary Pirates, The General, The Good Shepherd, The Gun, The Last Nine Days of the "Bismarck," and Rifleman Dodd. But Forester is best known as the creator of Horatio Hornblower, a British naval genius of the Napoleonic era, whose exploits and adventures on the high seas Forester chronicled in a series of eleven acclaimed historical novels. Over the years Hornblower has proved to be one of the most beloved and enduring fictional heroes in English literature, his popularity rivaled only by Sherlock Holmes.

Born Cecil Louis Troughton Smith in Cairo, Egypt, Forester grew up in London. At the start of World War II he traveled on behalf of the British government to America, where he produced propaganda encouraging the United States to remain on Britain's side. After the War, Forester remained in America and made Berkeley, California, his home.

The character of Horatio Hornblower was born after Forester was called to Hollywood to write a pirate film. While the script was being drafted, another studio released Captain Blood, starring Errol Flynn, based on the same historical incidents about which Forester was writing. Rather than seek another movie project, and to avoid an impending paternity suit, Forester jumped aboard a freighter bound for England. By the end of the voyage he had outlined Beat to the Quarters, which introduced the now legendary character Hornblower, Bush, and Lady Barbara.

Forester died in 1966 while working on Hornblower During the Crisis.

Back Bay's editions of the Hornblower novels are numbered according to the chronology of Hornblower's life and career, not according to the sequence in which they were written. The series is comprised of the following titles:


Mr. Midshipman Hornblower
Lieutenant Hornblower
Hornblower and the Hotspur
Hornblower During the Crisis
Hornblower and the Atropos
Beat to Quarters
Ship of the Line
Flying Colours
Commodore Hornblower
Lord Hornblower
Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars History for the masses, April 29, 2002

By 

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hunting the Bismarck (Paperback)

This is an exciting story of a pivotal World War II naval battle. The sinking of the Bismarck is a story I actually know very little about, so I am not sure how historically accurate this book is. I think the Bismarck took three hits in its initial encounter with (and quick dispatch of) the Hood, but Forester only speaks of one hit. Also, Forester gives us the conversations of men on the ships, in the air, and in London. This makes for a more personal, involving, gripping story, and indeed this short, energetic work comes across as a form of history for the masses. Hunting the Bismarck strikes me as an excellent resource for young readers; it richly portrays the mystery, majesty, and glory of this naval battle without burdening the reader with the technical descriptions and ponderous musings of academic history. Forester is best known for his fictional tales of the courageous sailor Horatio Hornblower, works which have captivated readers for decades, and he definitely knows how to tell a story. Readers with an armchair interest in World War II, and naval warfare in particular, will enjoy this quick-reading book, but those seriously interested in the sinking of the Bismarck should look elsewhere for the facts this book is not designed to provide. Having known very little about this event going in, this book has inspired in me a desire to learn more about this tragic yet triumphant moment in world history.