Captain Frederick Marryat (1792-1848) was an actual nineteenth-century British naval hero who lived a saga worthy of the novels of C.S. Forester and Patrick O'Brian. He survived fifty naval battles on the crack frigate Imperieuse under Lord Cochrane - the real-life model for Horatio Hornblower and Jack Aubrey. In addition to plenty of cannonfire, battle strategy, peril, and passion - liberally sprinkled with wit and fine turns of phrase - Marryat's real-life naval experiences lend his novels a truly remarkable authenticity.

George D. Jepson, editorial director for McBooks Press, previously worked as a journalist and corporate communicator. As a freelance writer and editor, he was a regular contributor to WoodenBoat magazine and various other publications. He is the author of Sailing the Sweetwater Seas: Wooden Boats and Ships on the Great Lakes, 1817-1940 and the co-author of Crash Boat: Rescue and Peril in the Pacific During World War II. Jepson worked in the maritime book trade for more than two decades and founded Quarterdeck, a journal dedicated to celebrating maritime literature and art. He holds degrees in English and history, as well as an MBA. Jepson and his wife, Amy, live in Kalamazoo, Michigan.