Authors Pef - Pop
Peffer, Randall S.
The Seahawk Trilogy:
Southern Seahawk : a novel of the Civil War at sea. Bleak House, 2008. 318 pages
The true story of Commander Raphael Semmes' rise to infamy, becoming the Union's "Public Enemy Number One." In June, 1861, Semmes' Confederate cruiser Sumter makes a daring escape through the Federal Blockade of the Mississippi. So begins the commander's career as the Southern Seahawk. With a hand-picked crew of Southern officers and mercenary seamen, Semmes seizes eight enemy ships in four days, a record never surpassed by any other captain of a warship.
Seahawk Hunting : a novel of the Civil War at sea. Bleak House, 2010. 247 pages
Raphael Semmes abandons his broken raider, the Sumter, which is penned in by the Federals near Gibraltar. In the meantime, he has the Brits build him a new ship in Liverpool. Called the 290, it is the fastest commercial raider designed for its time, and it is waiting for Semmes in the Azores. After taking command of the ship he sets out seizing and burning whalers at the rate of one a day, sails back across the North Atlantic against the gulf stream where he picks off another dozen merchant ships headed to Europe.
Seahawk Burning : a third novel of the Civil War at sea. Tyrus, 2012. 320 pages
As Raphael Semmes rises to mythic stature, he becomes Lincoln's public enemy number one. Seizing and burning scores of Yankee ships in the Caribbean Sea, the south Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, and the South China Sea before heading to France for sanctuary, Semmes heads for final showdown off Cherbourg, when he decides to take the Alabama into battle against the U.S.S. Kearsarge, captained by his old friend John A. Winslow
Pérez-Reverte, Arturo (1951- )
Captain Alatriste series:
Captain Alatriste. Alfaguara, 1996. 237 pages
El capitán Alatriste. In 1623, Diego Alatriste and Italian sword-for-hire Gualterio Malatesta are paid by two mysterious masked characters to kill a pair of unknown English visitors in Madrid as news reaches the city that the Spanish siege of Bergen-op-Zoom has been repelled.
The Purity of Blood. Alfaguara, 1997. 233 pages
Limpieza de sangre. Madrid, 1623. A woman is found murdered in front of a church. Later, Quevedo seeks help from Alatriste to rescue a girl forced to enter a convent; meanwhile Alatriste's young squire Íñigo Balboa deepens his infatuation with the adolescent maidservant of the Queen, Angélica de Alquézar.
The Sun Over Breda. Alfaguara, 1998. 234 pages
El sol de Breda. Spanish Netherlands, 1624–1625. Alatriste and Íñigo join the Spanish Army and fight in the war against Dutch rebels, in particular the siege of Breda.
The King's Gold. Alfaguara, 2000. 248 pages
El oro del Rey. Seville, 1626. After their participation in the Flanders War, Alatriste and Íñigo return to Spain, where they become involved in an affair involving a Spanish treasure fleet ship full of contraband gold newly arrived from the Indies.
The Cavalier in the Yellow Doublet. Alfaguara, 2003. 319 pages
El caballero del jubón amarillo. Back in Madrid, Alatriste initiates a relationship with the famous actress María de Castro. However, he will encounter a rival for her affections amidst new intrigues at Court.
The Pirates of the Levant. Alfaguara, 2006. 324 pages
Corsarios de Levante. Alatriste and Íñigo go through different adventures along the Mediterranean coast, fighting Barbary pirates from Southern Spain to Turkey.
The Bridge of the Assassins. Alfaguara, 2011. 327 pages
El puente de los asesinos. Alatriste and Íñigo get mission to take part in an attempt of coup d'état in Venice to depose the Doge of Venice.
The revenge of Alquézar. Alfaguara, tbd
La venganza de Alquézar. Planned penultimate novel.
Mission to Paris. Alfaguara, tbdMisión en París. Projected final book of the series.
Perkins, Wilder (1921-1999)
Hoare series:
Hoare and the Portsmouth Atrocities. Thomas Dunne, 1998. 217 pages
A 19th century mystery featuring a whispering detective. He is Bartholomew Hoare of the Royal Navy whose larynx was crushed by a musket ball. The case involves the murder of the captain of a navy ship.
Hoare and the Headless Captains. St. Martin's Minotaur, 2000. 247 pages
After being struck in the throat by a musket ball, Bartholomew Hoare can't manage more than a whisper, but he finds himself in charge of a ship again, off to investigate the murder of two Navy captains, brothers, whose bodies, or parts of them, were found in the forest.
Hoare and the Matter of Treason. Thomas Dunne, 2001. 215 pages
A newly married Bartholomew Hoare combs the back streets of London to uncover a conspiracy against the Crown.
Perrault, Ernest G. (1922-2010)
The Twelfth Mile. Doubleday, 1974. 256 pages
Oceangoing tug, North Pacific, storms, salvage, tidal waves.
Perrow, Angeli (1954- )
Captain's Castaway. Down East Books, 1998. 1 volume
Based on the true story of Seaboy, a friendly seafaring dog. When his vessel is wrecked in a storm he crawls ashore on nearby Great Duck Island and is found, barely alive, by Sarah, the lighthouse-keeper's daughter. Two years pass, and the dog settles in happily with his new family. Then, a ship's captain arrives, home from distant seas. It is Seaboy's owner, delighted to find his old friend. A grief-stricken Sarah must reconcile herself to the loss of a loyal companion, but in the end the castaway himself decides where he really belongs.
Perry, David C.
Not Self but Country: A New Nation Forges a New Navy. Griz Independent Publishing, 2014. 228 pages
This is a story of the men who sailed into battle against the mighty British Navy in their smaller, often obsolete vessels converted from merchant ships of the day — men with names such as John Barry, Richard Dale, and John Paul Jones.
Pesci, David
Amistad : the thunder of freedom. Marlowe, 1997. 292 pages
Historical fiction based on the case of the Spanish coastal schooner AMISTAD ("friendship" in Spanish) which was carrying illegally-taken Africans from Havana to Puerto Principe when the slaves on board rebelled and took control of the ship, killing all but three of their captors. The Africans sailed eastward toward home during the day, but at night the Spaniards - the only ones on board who new any type of celestial navigation-sailed northward. AMISTAD eventually ended up off the coast of New York, where she was picked up by an American warship and taken to Connecticut. The subsequent salvage trial became a battle between abolitionists who wanted the Africans freed and returned to their homeland and the survivors of the AMISTAD's crew who wanted their ship and "cargo" returned. Steven Spielberg's movie is based on the same events.
Peyton, K. M. [Pseud. Kathleen Wendy Herald Peyton] (1929- )
North to Adventure. Collins, 1959. 192 pages
Boy accompanies his uncle on an Arctic expedition seeking a lost ship off the Greenland coast and uranium deposits in Greenland. During the course of this post-WW II adventure, they encounter pirates and find a lost treasure of gold. Treasure Island meets Sgt. Preston of the Yukon.
Windfall. Oxford University Press, 1962. 201 pages
US title: Sea Fever. Sixteen year old boy becomes the sole breadwinner for his family after his father dies in a fishing accident, and the family's savings disappear overboard with dad. Through hard work, luck, and the newfangled sport of yatch racing he is able to redeem his family's finances, and defeat the individual who stole the family's fortune. Set in coastal England in the mid to late 1800s. A fun read.
Pfarrer, Donald (1934-2022)
Cold River. St. Martin's, 1962. 281 pages
The sinking of a tug has tragic effects on the officers of the destroyer which rammed her.
Pickering, Edgar
In Press-gang Days. Blackie & Son, 1893. 288 pages
Press gang abducts young gentleman in time for the Nore Mutiny and the Battle of the Nile.
An old-time yarn : wherein is set forth divers desperate mischances which befell Anthony Ingram of Plymouth and his shipmates who adventured to the West Indies and Mexico with John Hawkins and Francis Drake in the year of our Lord one thousand five hundred and sixty-seven. Blackie & Son, 1893. 288 pages
The Adventures of David Oliphant. Frederick Warne, 1904. 335 pages
A book for boys.
The Cruise of the "Angel". Frederick Warne, 1907. 315 pages
A tale of adventure with "The Beggars of the sea".
Pilpel, Robert H. (1943- )
To the Honour of the Fleet. Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1979. 459 pages
Two men, one rich & cynical, the other guileless and honourable, are involved in the dramatic events leading up to the greatest sea battle in history: Jutland, 1916.
Plagemann, Bentz (1914-1991)
All For the Best. Simon and Schuster, 1946. 226 pages
First person account of a doctor on a US Navy ship.
The Steel Cocoon. Viking, 1958. 246 pages
Life aboard the WW II destroyer AJAX whose routine is flawed by an officer-enlisted man gulf, autocratic actions, fatal accidents, and men going "Asiatic," even psychotic.
Poe, Edgar Allan (1809-1849)
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, ca. 1840.
Mutiny and murder.
A Descent into the Maelström. Graham's Magazine, May 1841.
Short story: A Norwegian fisherman relates how he got caught in the notorious whirlpool and survived. Collected in Prose Tales (1843).
Ponce de León, Napoléon Baccino
Five Black Ships: A Novel of The Discoverers. Harcourt Brace, 1994. 347 pages
Translation of: Maluco : la novela de los descubridores. This talented Uruguayan writer has created in this book a wonderful tale of ships and men using rich prose, earthly humor, and striking poetry. He looks into the lives of the real men and real events behind what the history books say, and he follows, like an artist, the marvelous story of the first circumnavigation of the globe. The epic is narrated by the fool of the fleet, Juanillo, a Jewish jester converted to Christianity during the Spanish inquisition.
Ponicsan, Darryl (1938- )
The Last Detail. Dial Press, 1970. 182 pages
Two SPs take sailor to Portsmouth Naval Prison, stop off for some fun on the way. Made into movie with Jack Nicholson and Randy Quaid.
Cinderella Liberty. Harper & Row, 1973. 179 pages
Classic Navy snafu: seaman's records are lost, so officially he doesn't exist. Made into movie with James Caan and Marsha Mason.
Last Flag Flying. Wright Press, 2005. 178 pages
Sequel to The Last Detail. The boy Billy and Mule escorted to prison has come back into their lives, now a grieving man of 52, with a gut-wrenching request they cannot deny. What follows is a retracing of their steps from 34 years before, a journey from Norfolk, Virginia, to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on a mission as heart-breaking - and as exhilarating - as the first.
Pope, Dudley (1925-1997)
Nicholas Ramage series:
Ramage. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1965. 301 pages
In 1796 third lieutenant Ramage of the frigate SIBELLA must complete a mission after the attack of a French 74 kills all the other officers.
Ramage and the Drum Beat. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1967. 270 pages
U.S. title: Drumbeat. Lt. Ramage in command of KATHLEEN, cutter, captures a dismasted Spanish frigate, gets the KATHLEEN captured in turn, becomes a spy in Cadiz, then, escaping, is restored to command of the recaptured KATHLEEN, and helps Captain Nelson win the battle of Cape St. Vincent.
Ramage and the Freebooters. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1969. 384pages
U.S. title: The Triton Brig. Ramage, given command of the 10-gun brig TRITON, must overcome a crew that has joined the Spithead Mutiny to take dispatches to the Caribbean. Once on station, he is given the task of finding why coastal freighters are disappearing as they sail from Grenada -- a puzzle whose solution has eluded two post captains.
Governor Ramage R.N. Alison, 1973. 340 pages
Ramage, aboard TRITON on convoy duty, thwarts sneaky French attack, encounters hellacious hurricane.
Ramage's Prize. Alison, 1974. 344 pages
Lieutenant Ramage is sent to find out what is happening to His Majesty's mail packets in 1798. Based on true incidents.
Ramage and the Guillotine. Alison, 1975. 285 pages
French-speaking Lt. Ramage, now 25, is off to France spy on Napoleon and the impending invasion of England.
Ramage's Diamond. Alison, 1976. 307 pages
Captain Ramage in the frigate JUNO attacks a French convoy off Martinique in 1802. Possibly the most fun of the series.
Ramage's Mutiny. Alison, 1977. 232 pages
Captain Ramage, now commanding the frigate CALYPSO, is given the impossible assignment to cut out a captured British frigate from a Spanish stronghold.
Ramage and the Rebels. Alison, 1978. 287 pages
Ramage and the CALYPSO pursue a ruthless, butchering French privateer in the West Indies.
The Ramage Touch. Alison, 1979. 266 pages
Ramage and the CALYPSO are sent into the Mediterranean to wreak havoc, but stumble onto a French invasion fleet.
Ramage's Signal. Alison, 1980. 255 pages
Ramage and CALYPSO continue their solo mission into the Mediterranean to confuse the French.
Ramage and the Renegades. Alison, 1981. 285 pages
Ramage and CALYPSO are off to the Caribbean to claim an island.
Ramage's Devil. Alison, 1982. 255 pages
Ramage is on his honeymoon in France when war breaks out again in 1803. He steals a ship and escapes.
Ramage's Trial. Alison, 1984. 284 pages
Ramage is assigned convoy duty, is attacked by another British ship, and then is accused of nasty crimes.
Ramage's Challenge. Alison, 1985. 224 pages
Ramage is back in the Mediterranean to rescue a group of influential British prisoners being held hostage by Napoleon.
Ramage at Trafalgar. Alison, 1986. 214 pages
Ramage and CALYPSO participate in the Battle of Trafalgar, where frigates aren't supposed to mix it up with the big boys.
Ramage and the Saracens. Alison, 1988. 258 pages
Ramage is off to Sicily in 1806 to deal with some Barbary Pirates.
Ramage and the Dido. Alison, 1989. 243 pages
Ramage is given command of the DIDO, 74, and sent to the West Indies. He racks up enemy warships like billiard balls, and is sent to Martinique, scene of his triumph's in Ramage's Diamond.
Buccaneer Ned Yorke series:
Buccaneer. Secker & Warburg, 1981. 277 pages
Because his family are Royalists, Ned Yorke is forced to flee his Barbados plantation with such retainers as choose to come with him. This includes the wife of the Parliamentarian planter who wants Yorke's estate. After trying his hand as a smuggler, Yorke joins forces with Cromwell's Royalist nephew as a buccaneer, goes to Jamaica, and helps the Parliamentarian governor of the island retain it from the Spanish.
Admiral. Secker & Warburg, 1982. 309 pages
Yorke returns to Jamaica following the death of Oliver Cromwell, becomes elected as Admiral of the Brethren of the Coast in Tortuga, leads the ships to Jamaica, and in an effort to forestall a Spanish invasion of Jamaica, leads highly successful raids on Provencia and Portobello.
Galleon. Secker & Warburg, 1986. 257 pages
A new, Royalist governor of Jamaica suspends the buccaneers' licenses. Yorke rescues his partner from the Spanish, and assists the French governor of St. Martin's to capture a Spanish treasure galleon which ran ashore and threatened the colony's chief town, but is unable to convince the new governor of the buccaneers' importance to Jamaica's safety
Corsair. Secker & Warburg, 1987. 256 pages
Yorke uncovers evidence of Spanish plans to invade Jamaica, but cannot convince Governor Luce of the threat until it is at hand. In the rare instances where the governor seeks assistance of the buccaneers, York leads reprisal raids against Cuba and the Spanish Main.
Convoy. Secker & Warburg, 1979. 355 pages
A Yorke in action against the German's in WW II. He unravels the secret of how the Germans are secretly attacking convoy ships from the inside of the convoy.
Decoy. Secker & Warburg, 1983. 265 pages
Yorke rides again to capture a German U-Boat for the new Enigma coding/decoding machine that the Germans are deploying
Popham, Hugh (1920-1996)
Monsters and Marlinspikes : being a true account of the voyage of Lee-O! the jolly yachtsman and his crew in the schooner 'Pegasus' and of the marvellous adventures which befell them. Rupert Hart-Davis, 1958, 149 pages
U.S. title: The fabulous voyage of the Pegasus
The Sea Beggars. Cassell, 1961, 202 pages
A simple act of humanity involves a trampship with undocumented refugees, a hurricane, an island revolution, capture by pirates and search for asylum for the refugees.