It stands to reason that the author of the Horatio Hornblower series knew a lot about the age of sail and the battles during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic era and the War of 1812.  In this book, originally published in 1956, Forester sets the stage for the war briefly, and then goes straight to the action. He covers the heroes and explains the action in a way that keeps us riveted. He shows how the new nation, so recently a colony, and so ill-equipped as far as a navy, the incredible defeat of British naval forces that were spread too thin and perhaps had too much confidence in their naval power. Chapman Billies, Inc. no date. Paper. USED. $20.00