Sterling Point Books: The Barbary Pirates »

One of the most popular adventure novelists ever, C.S. Forester delighted readers with his Horatio Hornblower series of nautical historical novels, which follow the career of a brave captain in the Napoleonic wars. Forester also created a great love story in The African Queen, the basis for the John Huston film of the same name.

C.S. Forester, creator of the beloved Horatio Hornblower series, takes young readers on an exciting adventure to the shores of Tripoli in North Africa. That’s where, more than 200 years ago, the United States was threatened by “pirates” who snatched American merchant ships and imprisoned sailors—and the country’s young, untested navy took on the task of fighting the pirates in their home waters. This true tale features thrilling ocean battles, hand-to-hand combat, and the first landing on foreign soil by the US Marines, and it’s as fresh and relevant today as when it was first published.