Douglas Edward Reeman, born October 15, 1924 at Thames Ditton, is a British author who has written many historical fiction books on the Royal Navy, mainly set during either World War II or the Napoleonic Wars.
Reeman joined the Royal Navy in 1940, at the age of 16, and served during World War II and the Korean War. He eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant. In addition to being an author, Reeman has also taught the art of navigation for yachting and served as a technical advisor for films. Douglas married Canadian Kimberley Jordan in 1985.
Reeman's debut novel, A Prayer for the Ship was published in 1958. His pseudonym Alexander Kent was the name of a friend and naval officer who died during the Second World War.[1] Reeman is most famous for his series of Napoleonic naval stories, whose central character is Richard Bolitho, and, later, his nephew, Adam. He also wrote a series of novels about several generations of the Blackwood family who served in the Royal Marines from the 1850s to the 1970s, and a non-fiction account of his World War II experiences, D-Day: A Personal Reminiscence (1984).
Contents |
| Title | Original publication | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| A Prayer for the Ship | 1958 | ISBN 0515057835 |
| Dive in the Sun | 1961 | ISBN 0091113008 |
| The Hostile Shore | 1962 | ISBN 0099078805 |
| With Blood and Iron | 1964 | ISBN 0091056608 |
| HMS Saracen | 1965 | ISBN 0099062607 |
| The Pride and the Anguish | 1968 | ISBN 0090874404 |
| To Risks Unknown | 1969 | ISBN 0090975200 |
| Rendezvous - South Atlantic | 1972 | ISBN 0091092701 |
| His Majesty's U-Boat (also named Go In and Sink!) |
1973 | ISBN 0399111956 ISBN 0091146208 |
| The Destroyers | 1974 | ISBN 0091199409 |
| Winged Escort | 1975 | ISBN 0091247403 |
| Surface with Daring | 1976 | ISBN 0091276306 |
| Strike from the Sea | 1978 | ISBN 0099187809 |
| A Ship Must Die | 1979 | ISBN 0091381509 |
| Torpedo Run | 1981 | ISBN 0688001335 |
| The Volunteers | 1985 | ISBN 0091600707 |
| The Iron Pirate | 1986 | ISBN 0773721053 |
| In Danger's Hour | 1988 | ISBN 0434626325 |
| The White Guns | 1989 | ISBN 0434626341 |
| Killing Ground | 1991 | ISBN 0434626384 |
| Sunset | 1994 | ISBN 043462635X |
| A Dawn Like Thunder | 1996 | ISBN 0434002151 |
| Battlecruiser | 1997 | ISBN 0434002917 |
| For Valour | 2000 | ISBN 0434007196 |
| Twelve Seconds to Live | 2002 | ISBN 0434008745 |
| The Glory Boys | 2008 | ISBN 9780434013524 |
aka The Royal Marines Saga
(written under the name Alexander Kent)