Snarleyyow or the Dog Fiend

Captain Frederick Marryat (1792–1848) was an actual 19th-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.

"Perhaps the most remarkable instance of a man working his professional knowledge with effect in literature." --G. E. B. Saintsbury