The Letter of Marque is the twelfth historical novel in the Aubrey–Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian, first published in 1988. The story is set during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812.

Aubrey faces life off the Navy List, as the captain of a letter of marque, finding heart to endure and train yet another ship's crew, but of volunteers, with no Marines aboard. Maturin travels to meet his wife.

This novel received strongly positive reviews, for the characterisations and the naval actions. "O'Brian is a brilliant stylist of sea-historicals" in this "authentic and engaging" novel.

Library Journal finds this long-awaited sequel (in the US) to be an "exciting sea story with good character development." O'Brian "created two wonderfully contrasting characters in bluff, hearty Aubrey and reedy, intellectual Maturin." They proffer the notion that "If Jane Austen wrote Royal Navy yarns, they might read like this" novel. The writing evokes the period both as to manner of speech and the life aboard ship in the early 19th century. Their understanding of each other is "warm and instinctual" and he goes on to say that, "On the foundations of this friendship, O'Brian reconstructs a civilization."

Allusion to real events

Ships in private ownership were privateers, doing some of the tasks of a national navy vessel. For permission to take enemy ships with full authority, the government issues a letter of marque. That is a legal document from the British government which gives the private vessel the right to capture ships from enemy nations.

Publication history

  • 1988 Collins hardback first edition
  • 1989 Fontana Paperback Edition
  • 1990 W W Norton hardback edition
  • August 1990 W. W. Norton Paperback Edition / 978-0393309058 (USA edition)
  • 1994 HarperCollins Paperback edition
  • 1997 HarperCollins B-format paperback edition
  • 2003 HarperCollins Paperback edition
  • Recorded Books Audio edition narrated by Patrick Tull
  • 2006 Blackstone Audio Audio CD narrated by Simon Vance / 978-0-7861-7184-2 (USA edition)
  • 2011 W. W. Norton & Company e-book edition

In August 1990, The Letter of Marque was the first of the series novels to be issued by W W Norton in hardback and in paperback in the US, two years after the first edition was published in the UK, and it was an instant success. This drew a new, large audience to the series, and new attention to the author, as well as positive reviews such as in Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and one by Richard Snow in the New York Times shown above. Novels prior to this were published rapidly in the US for that new market. Following novels were released at the same time by the UK and US publishers. Collins (name of UK publisher in that year) asked Geoff Hunt in 1988 to do the cover art for the twelve books published by then, with The Letter of Marque being the first book to have Hunt's work on the first edition. He continued to paint the covers for future books; the covers were used on both USA and UK editions. Reissues of earlier novels used the Geoff Hunt covers.

References

  • The Letter of Marque at the Patrick O'Brian Mapping Project