Order of Book Series
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Jack Aubrey / Stephen Maturin Books in Order

Patrick O’Brian has written 21 Jack Aubrey / Stephen Maturin books, published between 1969 and 2004. The first book is Master and Commander (1969) and the newest is 21: The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey (2004). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
21
Published
1969–2004
Confirmed
21 of 21 titles
Pages on record
5,989 in 18 of 21 books
Reading time
100–150 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 5,989 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 18 of 21 titles with a page count on record.

See all 21 books in order Printable Jack Aubrey / Stephen Maturin checklist

Jack Aubrey, a ship captain, and Stephen Maturin, a ship's physician, are the paired heroes of Patrick O'Brian's naval series set in the Napoleonic Wars. Master and Commander (1969) opens the Aubrey/Maturin books, followed by Post Captain (1972) and H.M.S. Surprise (1973). The series continues through The Mauritius Command (1977), The Fortune of War (1978) and The Far Side of the World (1984). The catalogue lists 21 titles, ending with 21: The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey (2004).

How many Jack Aubrey / Stephen Maturin books are there?

Jack Aubrey / Stephen Maturin has 21 books, released between 1969 and 2004.

Jack Aubrey / Stephen Maturin Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 21 Jack Aubrey / Stephen Maturin books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brian, book 1 of the Aubrey/Maturin series (1969)
  2. Cover of Post Captain by Patrick O’Brian, book 2 of the Aubrey/Maturin series (1972)
  3. Cover of H.M.S. Surprise by Patrick O’Brian, book 3 of the Aubrey/Maturin series (1973)
  4. Cover of The Mauritius Command by Patrick O’Brian, book 4 of the Aubrey/Maturin series (1977)
  5. Cover of Desolation Island by Patrick O’Brian, book 5 of the Aubrey/Maturin series (1977)
  6. Cover of The Fortune of War by Patrick O’Brian, book 6 of the Aubrey/Maturin series (1978)
  7. Cover of The Surgeon's Mate by Patrick O’Brian, book 7 of the Aubrey/Maturin series (1980)
  8. Cover of The Ionian Mission by Patrick O’Brian, book 8 of the Aubrey/Maturin series (1981)
  9. Cover of Treason's Harbour by Patrick O’Brian, book 9 of the Aubrey/Maturin series (1983)
  10. Cover of The Far Side of the World by Patrick O’Brian, book 10 of the Aubrey/Maturin series (1984)
  11. Cover of The Reverse of the Medal by Patrick O’Brian, book 11 of the Aubrey/Maturin series (1986)
  12. Cover of The Letter of Marque by Patrick O’Brian, book 12 of the Aubrey/Maturin series (1988)
  13. Cover of The Thirteen-Gun Salute by Patrick O’Brian, book 13 of the Aubrey/Maturin series (1989)
  14. Cover of The Nutmeg of Consolation by Patrick O’Brian, book 14 of the Aubrey/Maturin series (1991)
  15. Cover of The Truelove / Clarissa Oakes by Patrick O’Brian, book 15 of the Aubrey/Maturin series (1992)
  16. Cover of The Wine-Dark Sea by Patrick O’Brian, book 16 of the Aubrey/Maturin series (1993)
  17. Cover of The Commodore by Patrick O’Brian, book 17 of the Aubrey/Maturin series (1994)
  18. Cover of The Yellow Admiral by Patrick O’Brian, book 18 of the Aubrey/Maturin series (1996)
  19. Cover of The Hundred Days by Patrick O’Brian, book 19 of the Aubrey/Maturin series (1998)
  20. Cover of Blue at the Mizzen by Patrick O’Brian, book 20 of the Aubrey/Maturin series (1999)
  21. Cover of 21: The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey by Patrick O’Brian, book 21 of the Aubrey/Maturin series (2004)
  1. 1
    Master and CommanderAubrey/Maturin #11969 · 411 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1969411
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  2. 2
    Post CaptainAubrey/Maturin #21972 · 496 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1972496
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    H.M.S. SurpriseAubrey/Maturin #31973 · 379 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1973379
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    The Mauritius CommandAubrey/Maturin #41977 · 348 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1977348
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Desolation IslandAubrey/Maturin #51977 · 325 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1977325
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    The Fortune of WarAubrey/Maturin #61978 · 355 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1978355
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    The Surgeon's MateAubrey/Maturin #71980 · 382 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1980382
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    The Ionian MissionAubrey/Maturin #81981 · 367 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1981367
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Treason's HarbourAubrey/Maturin #91983 · 334 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1983334
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    The Far Side of the WorldAubrey/Maturin #101984 · 366 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1984366
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    The Reverse of the MedalAubrey/Maturin #111986 · 287 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1986287
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    The Letter of MarqueAubrey/Maturin #121988 · 284 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1988284
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    The Thirteen-Gun SaluteAubrey/Maturin #131989 · confirmed 3/4
    1989–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    The Nutmeg of ConsolationAubrey/Maturin #141991 · 315 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1991315
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    The Truelove / Clarissa OakesAubrey/Maturin #151992 · 256 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1992256
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    The Wine-Dark SeaAubrey/Maturin #161993 · 261 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1993261
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    The CommodoreAubrey/Maturin #171994 · 281 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1994281
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    The Yellow AdmiralAubrey/Maturin #181996 · 262 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1996262
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    The Hundred DaysAubrey/Maturin #191998 · 280 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1998280
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    Blue at the MizzenAubrey/Maturin #201999 · confirmed 3/4
    1999–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    21: The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack AubreyAubrey/Maturin #212004 · confirmed 3/4
    2004–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Do you have to read Jack Aubrey / Stephen Maturin books in order?

You should read the Jack Aubrey / Stephen Maturin books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Jack Aubrey / Stephen Maturin book also stands alone.

Where to start with Jack Aubrey / Stephen Maturin

Start with Master and Commander (1969), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Jack Aubrey / Stephen Maturin book?

21: The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey (2004) is the newest Jack Aubrey / Stephen Maturin book released so far.

Is there a new Jack Aubrey / Stephen Maturin book coming?

No next Jack Aubrey / Stephen Maturin book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Jack Aubrey / Stephen Maturin at a glance

No recent titles
The newest Jack Aubrey / Stephen Maturin title on record dates from 2004, 22 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
Release pace
Jack Aubrey / Stephen Maturin books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
Length
5,989 pages across the 18 of 21 books with a recorded length, a median of 330 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Jack Aubrey / Stephen Maturin books, 7 of 21, were published in the 1990s.

What the Jack Aubrey / Stephen Maturin books are about

All 21 Jack Aubrey / Stephen Maturin books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: historical fiction is tagged on 15 of 21. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

  • Historical fiction 15 of 21 books
  • Jack Aubrey (Fictitious character) 15 of 21 books
  • Stephen Maturin (Fictitious character) 14 of 21 books
  • Naval history 13 of 21 books
  • Aubrey, jack (fictitious character) 12 of 21 books
  • Ship captains 11 of 21 books
  • Ship physicians 11 of 21 books
  • Action & adventure 9 of 21 books
  • Maturin, stephen (fictitious character) 9 of 21 books
  • Sea stories 9 of 21 books
  • Great Britain 7 of 21 books
  • History, Naval 2 of 21 books

More books by Patrick O’Brian

The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.

Series that include Jack Aubrey / Stephen Maturin books

The series linked below has its own reading-order page.