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First published in 1997, The Real Hornblower offers a comprehensive and engaging account of the life and times of this great naval Admiral. Ever since C.S. Forester's fictional hero Horatio Hornblower began to delight and enthral readers, there has been speculation as to whether his adventures were based on the career of a real naval officer. Several names were suggested; the general conclusion was that Hornblower was a composite character. However, while researching the campaign that resulted in the burning of Washington's public buildings, Bryan Perret consulted Forester's Naval War of 1812 and was surprised to discover that the author had been deliberately reticent regarding a Captain James Alexander Gordon, RN, who had led his squadron up the Potomac. Further inspection of naval records revealed a startling number of parallels between the careers of Gordon and Hornblower. Subsequent research spanning a period of ten years uncovered yet more similarities - too many, in fact, to be a matter of simple coincidence. It became apparent that, while Forester certainly included other episodes in the Hornblower cycle, he was aware of Gordon when the first of his books were written, and that when he decided to expand the series he chose Gordon's career as the framework on which his hero's life would be based. As a professional author, it was neither surprising that he should conceal the fact, nor that he should choose Gordon as his model. Gordon had entered the Royal Navy as a semi-literate eleven-year-old and rose to become Admiral of the Fleet. He took part in major sea battles, frigate actions, single-ship duels and operations far behind enemy lines. It was the fire of his ships, directed against Fort McHenry, Baltimore, that inspired the National Anthem. He was the last Governor of the Royal Naval Hospital at Greenwich, and when he died, having

"This book tells the story of a war unlike any other in history, fought between a nation that believed itself to be invincible, even when its strength was being systematically destroyed by the greatest industrial power in the world. Prior to the middle of the nineteenth century, the Empire of Japan was content to remain in medieval isolation and, apart from very limited trading concessions, was unwilling to extend her contacts with the western world. This was all to change however, as Japan hurtled forwards into the twentieth century, armed and determined to carve out a new identity characterised by a dominating spirit. Dejected by the Great Depression of the early 1930s, they were a nation grown from moderate to militant. Following the pivotal and devastating attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941, the Japanese Army were emboldened. Hong Kong, Malaya, Singapore, Burma, the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies were all overrun with deceptive ease, leading the army to become dangerously confident in their ability. Subsequently named 'The Victory Disease', the author argues that it was this arrogant complacency that led to the army's ultimate downfall. Each episode of note in the history of the Japanese military forces is relayed, as the author dissects, analyses and endeavours to explain the root causes and pivotal decisions that led to defeat."--Jacket