Hornblower and the Atropos was published by Michael Joseph in 1953. The novel opens in January 1806 with Hornblower traveling to London to organize Nelson’s funeral procession on the Thames — a job given him because no senior officer wants it. It is a characteristic Hornblower assignment: unglamorous, bureaucratic, requiring organizational genius that will receive no public credit.
He then takes command of HMS Atropos — the smallest rated warship in the Navy, a twenty-two-gun sixth-rate — and sails for the Mediterranean with secret orders to salvage gold from a British treasure ship sunk off the Turkish coast. The salvage operation (primitive diving bells, hostile Turkish authorities, a deadline imposed by approaching winter) provides the novel’s central adventure. Hornblower succeeds — recovers the gold — only to have it confiscated by a superior officer through a legal technicality that leaves Hornblower with no prize money and no credit.
The pattern is quintessential Forester: Hornblower’s brilliance is exploited by a system that rewards birth and connection over merit. His competence serves the Navy; the Navy’s gratitude is perfunctory at best.
Collecting Hornblower and the Atropos
First edition (Michael Joseph, London, 1953): Blue cloth with dust jacket.
Market values:
- First edition with jacket, fine/fine: $150–$400
- Without jacket, very good: $40–$100
- US first (Little, Brown): $80–$200