8 Nautical Novels That Will Make You Want to Run Off to Sea

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Nautical fiction deserves a place on your summer reading list. Here are 8 sea novels that will give you a taste of the maritime literature genre–and make you want to come back for more! If you love tall ships and the age of sail, these are some of the best classic sailing novels ever written.

Photograph of tall ship with book covers of nautical novels overlaid on top.

Best Sea Adventure Novels

Almost one hundred summers ago, Frenchman Alain Gerbault set sail from Gibraltar to circumnavigate the globe–alone.

Why undertake such a feat?

“I wanted freedom, open air and adventure.” Gerbault said. “I found it on the sea.”

While most of us probably aren’t up to the task of solo-sailing the world, we’d all probably like that breath of freedom that Gerbault craved. Nautical fiction offers us an expansive, other-worldly experience that pulls us out to sea, immerses us in pure adventure, and sends us back to shore reborn. On the surface, reading a good sea novel looks a lot like plain escapism. But salt-seasoned readers know that those book covers enclose pages that are fathoms deep with the kind of heroism and human experience that change us in our real lives, too.

I love nautical novels because they engage our senses in a different way than we experience with shore-bound books. In a sea novel we smell briny winds and oozing tar and wet wood. We hear creaking planks and the crack of canonfire or the high and promising sound of seagulls. What we feel is never steady–we might be lurching in a launch on an off-ship mission, weathering a gale, or sensing the faintest tremor on a becalmed sea. And when we regain solid land it seems to reel beneath our feet after weeks on the ocean.

View from the deck of a tall ship, looking up at rigging and American flag

It’s this sensual, cathartic experience that draws me back to the nautical genre every summer. When June rolls in I scan my bookshelves for new adventures. Pages curl like whitecaps; by July I’m fathoms deep in the main course of my summer reading list–always a sea story. I’m a seasonal reader, and books about ships and the sea are a taste of summer.

Want to experience this often-unusual, always-rewarding genre? Dive into one of these classic sea stories this summer or any time of year!

View of a tall sailing ship from the deck, looking up at the sails and rigging

Note: While you’re reading these books, it might be helpful to keep this glossary of nautical terms handy for reference! Also, here’s a guide to the different types of sailing ships, so you know the difference between a barque and a brigantine.

8 Best Nautical Fiction Novels for Armchair Sailors:

Penguin Classics book cover of Billy Budd, with woodcut illustration

1. Billy Budd by Herman Melville (1924)

Billy Budd was Melville’s last novel, and it was pieced together and published after he died. It’s short–a novella, actually–so it’s a good pick if you just want to dip your toes into the nautical genre without getting completely submerged.

Synopsis: Billy Budd is a young seaman who is immensely popular with everyone in the crew–except for John Claggart. Claggart’s antagonism eventually leads to his accusing Budd of inciting mutiny. I don’t want to give away too much because it’s more fun to experience the story as it unfolds! But the events that follow lead to a fascinating moral conundrum that invites a variety of interpretations. (Although I’m still doing research, I have yet to find anyone who shares my own interpretation! Of course, I still have to find more evidence to substantiate it, too!)

Book cover of Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian - picture of tall ship in a port

2. Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brian (1969)

Synopsis: Master and Commander is the first book in a series of maritime fiction novels that occur during the Napoleonic Wars at the turn of the nineteenth century. The friendship between the two main characters–Captain Jack Aubrey and ship’s surgeon Stephen Maturin–is a complex and satisfying theme that carries throughout the 21-novel series. (Check out this post for other famous literary friendships.) There’s good action in this book, too, based on real historic naval battles and exploits, as well as a bit of intrigue and a good dose of humour.

Patrick O’Brian has been compared to Jane Austen (his favourite author), numerous times, and if you’re an Austen fan you’ll see why. Of course, there’s the obvious fact that O’Brian’s novels are set in the same era as Austen’s. The naval backdrop of Mansfield Park and Persuasion gets fleshed out in O’Brian’s novels, all served up with engaging, witty dialogue and fascinating interpersonal relationships–trademarks of Jane Austen.

Book cover of Carry On, Mr. Bowditch with illustration of Nathaniel Bowditch on the deck of a ship

3. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham (1955)

Synopsis: This is a sea novel you can read aloud to your kids–but it’s engrossing enough to read on your own, too! Carry On, Mr. Bowditch is a novelization of the life of Nathaniel Bowditch, an American mathematical genius who revolutionized maritime navigation.

The novel, which won the Newberry Medal in 1956, is simple to read, but you’ll soon find yourself captivated by Bowditch’s life. His strength of character through hardships and victories is inspirational, even more so when you know that he was a real person. Our family read this story aloud when I was little, and it’s stuck with me into adulthood.

Find it on Amazon

Macmillan Collector's Edition book cover of The Riddle of the Sands, with painting of a sailboat near the shore

4. The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers (1903)

Synopsis: Two Englishmen take it upon themselves to investigate suspicious German naval activity around the Frisian Islands in the North Sea. They navigate their small, weather-beaten yacht through the maze of treacherous sandbars to uncover a secret plot that threatens to target England in a way she least expects it.

Critics consider The Riddle of the Sands to be one of the first (and best) spy thrillers. It helped to launch the espionage genre and an entire sub-genre of “invasion literature.” Childers hoped his novel (the only one he wrote) would alert the public to the growing threat of Imperial Germany. It did. The Riddle of the Sands was an instant bestseller, and Winston Churchill even agreed that it was instrumental in motivating funding for increased naval security.

Apart from its fascinating historical context, The Riddle of the Sands is a bewitching novel that’s unlike anything else I’ve read. I was captivated by the writing, which was both visceral and cerebral, the unusual setting, and the gradually unfolding plot.

Penguin Classics book cover of Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini - painting of blindfolded sailor walking the plank

5. Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini (1922)

Synopsis: Once a respectable English doctor, a twist of fate turns Peter Blood into a pirate who roams the Caribbean in search of treasure, honour, and adventure on the high seas. Rafael Sabatini carefully researched the 17th-century historical setting of his novel, even basing Blood on a real person. His swashbuckling adventure story was wildly popular, and for good reason. It has all the ingredients you could want in an adventure story: epic scope, action, and romance, executed with plenty of witty dialogue and literary skill. 

Captain Blood is light and fast paced enough for a beach read. In fact, it’s a novel that’s best read in the summer, with your toes buried in the sand and a clean view of the horizon over a sun-flecked sea.

P.S. Captain Peter Blood happens to be one of my favourite literary heroes!

Book cover of Mr. Midshipman Hornblower by C. S. Forester - illustration of a shipwreck in a stormy sea

6. Mr. Midshipman Hornblower by C. S. Forester (1950)

Synopsis: Chronologically, Mr. Midshipman Hornblower is the first in a naval fiction saga that follows a young man up the ranks as a British officer in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic wars. Horatio Hornblower starts as a seasick teenager, but even in this origins story we get a glimpse of the ingenious and larger-than-life hero that he’ll become in later books.

The episodic nature of Mr. Midshipman Hornblower makes it easy to jump in to when you find small chunks of reading time. It’s also a very accessible naval adventure and isn’t too technical for us landsmen!

The Bounty Trilogy book cover - painting of castaways in lifeboat leaving a tall ship

7. The Bounty Trilogy by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall (1932-34)

Synopsis: The Bounty trilogy is based on the surprising and fascinating true story of the HMS Bounty mutiny of 1789. An angry crew seizes control of Captain Bligh’s ship and sets him and 18 other seamen adrift in an open boat in the South Pacific. The first volume, Mutiny on the Bounty, describes the rising tensions and the events leading up to the mutiny. Men Against the Sea tells of the incredible voyage of Captain Bligh and his loyalists, while Pitcairn’s Island follows the mutineers.

Sidenote: Did the Bounty mutiny help to serve as inspiration for the mutiny that figures in to Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South? There were a number of famous mutinies at the turn of the nineteenth century, and Gaskell likely would’ve heard these controversial stories growing up.

Signet Classics book cover of The Sea-Wolf by Jack London - picture of tall ship in the distance with undulating waves

8. The Sea Wolf by Jack London (1904)

Synopsis: Landsman Humphrey van Weyden is taking a ferryboat in foggy San Francisco bay when his boat collides with another craft and sinks. He’s rescued by a schooner captained by the tyrannical Wolf Larsen, who forces van Weyden to join his crew. As the schooner sails for Japan, van Weyden is forced to grapple with his own physical shortcomings and the psychological strain of his relationship with Captain Larsen.

Jack London was fast becoming a celebrity author by the time The Sea Wolf was published, and the book was an instant best seller. Although harsh conditions at sea lend a psychological element to many maritime novels, this theme is especially notable in The Sea Wolf, and still makes for a fascinating drama over one hundred years later!

When you come to the end of these eight books, you might be surprised to learn how grueling and tenuous life at sea actually is. If these stories are anything to go on, it’s no picnic. Alain Gerbault spent 700 days at sea during his round-the-world voyage, often under intense physical and mental strain.

Yet there’s something about the sea that renews us even while it demands our exertion. Alain Gerbault knew that, and I get a glimpse of it every time I slip between the pages of a good nautical novel.

Alain Gerbault quote overlaid on a photograph of a sailor on a tall ship at sunset

Do you love seafaring books? What nautical novels or sea fiction would you add to this list?

More Classic Nautical Fiction

Besides the books spotlighted in this post, there are many other classic books set at sea. Try one of these:

Classic and Modern Nautical Nonfiction

More Reading Lists You Might Enjoy:

8 Nautical Novels That Will Make You Want to Run Off to Sea8 Nautical Novels That Will Make You Want to Run Off to Sea8 Nautical Novels That Will Make You Want to Run Off to Sea
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25 Comments

  1. Thanks for this, Elsie! I didn’t know Mutiny on the Bounty was part of a trilogy! Also looking forward to checking out titles 4 & 5. Never heard of _The Riddle of the Sands_ before! Love thinking of you writing these posts; marching on in a good life down south but still accessible through this marvelous technology. Hope you’re well! We’re marching along here in Kzoo too. God is good. 🙂

    1. So fun to see you here, Michal! The sunset picture at the bottom of this post was taken on Lake Michigan! I miss Kalamazoo and all of you there. But yes–also loving this beautiful life down south.(:

  2. A few of my favorites on this list for sure! A particular favorite of mine is A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes. Four of my own novels are set at sea, and another one in progress.

    1. Thanks, I will check out that title! I love tall ships, so I will have to take a look at your books! I noticed in your bio that you sailed as a crew member on board the Endeavour. My dad sailed on the Rose/The Surprise, and I would LOVE to do something like that someday! We did tour the Endeavour when I was a little girl–it’s a lovely ship!

  3. Definitely check out Linda’s books! As a fellow author of nautical historical fiction, I really enjoy her characters. We both like to write about strong, interesting women at sea!

  4. Great reminder and I enjoy reading your article. History mentions to us what individuals do; chronicled fiction encourages us to envision how they felt. Thanks for sharing it!

  5. I just finished working through the entire Chronicles of Narnia, and I think Voyage of the Dawn Treader could be included here! Granted it’s a fantasy and about a journey in a magical land that’s not quite relateable to those of us who’ve never visited Narnia, but pretty much the whole thing takes place aboard a ship 🙂

  6. Thank you for the list! I read ‘Bowditch’ as a boy. My teacher thought I was crazy because I read it twice. I will read the other books on your list and report back, Cap’n. : )
    P.S. ‘The Caine Mutiny’ is very good, too, though not in the strict spirit of old-school sailing and sailors.

    1. Thanks for that title! I’ve gone and added The Caine Mutiny to my TBR…looks like there’s a good classic movie of that, too!

  7. Ahoy, Nautical Enthusiasts! I am Commander Roger L Johnson, the author of the pirate adventure novel, “The treasure of Dead Man’s Chest.” I am writing a new pirate adventure novel titled, “Of Chains and Slavery” that will be published within the next year by Seaworthy Publications of Florida. The novel follows the early life of John Flint’s bastard son, Joshua Smoot, and the events that cause Joshua to go into piracy.

  8. Reading “Treasure Island” for me was a treasure. I will eventually re-read the book again.
    Marion

  9. Hi Elsie, I found The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in a free Little Library box in my neighborhood, so that is the one I will read for the June reading challenge. I’ve read the first Narnia book, so I will have some idea of the characters, I think. Have a great month. Mez

  10. Lists such as this are always great to read, always hoping to find some new, as yet unknown to me, gem. I’ve already read several of these, but will now look forward to discovering Bowditch, Dawn Treader and London’s “Sea Wolf”.
    Having said that, whilst cruising Down East to Nova Scotia and back again in our own yacht, back in 2011, I was impressed by the reading list included in the CCA’s Pilot Guide.
    Reading as many of Farley Mowatt’s books as I could lay my hands on in Halifax’s excellent Secondhand bookshop, gave me a fabulous glimpse into a new, literary treasure trove, that happily married a true sailor’s experiences together with those naturalist’s enthusiasms of Gerald Durrell, and David Attenborough’s animal adventures as well as with Bill Bryson’s comic perceptions.
    “The Boat That Wouldn’t Float”, “Grey Seas Under, Grey Skies Over” and “The Ship That Wouldn’t Sink”, all come to mind as sea stories of the highest order.
    I’m just sorry I came to this link so late! Happy sailing, Alan

    1. Thank you for those additions! I have not read any of Farley Mowatt. Right now I’m reading a nautical nonfiction that came out recently: The Wager. It’s so good!

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