Editing Master and Commander (section)

===First US and UK publications 1969 / 70===
[[C. S. Forester|C S Forester]] having died just a few years earlier, some critics were left bewildered and disappointed by the complexity of O'Brian's creation after the predictability of the [[Horatio Hornblower|Hornblower]] series.{{sfn|Bennett|1994|p=159}} "Not, I think, memorable, at least in the Hornblower way" wrote the ''[[Irish Press]]'',<ref>Poole, H J ''[[Irish Press]]'', 21 January 1970, quoted in {{harvnb|Bennett|1994|p=161}}</ref> while according to the ''[[Library Journal]]'', "Mourning Hornblower fans may prefer to read a good if disappointing new book rather than to reread one of the master's epics".<ref>Taylor, David C., ''[[Library Journal]]'', 15 December 1969, quoted in {{harvnb|Bennett|1994|p=160}}</ref>

The reception of other critics was more positive. In the US, [[The New York Times Book Review|The ''New York Times Book Review'']] noted the author's "delightful subtlety", and his "easy command of the philosophical, political, sensual and social temper of the times [that] flavors a rich entertainment",<ref name=Levin1969>{{cite news |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1969/12/14/issue.html |newspaper=The New York Times |department=Book Reviews |url-access=registration |first=Martin |last=Levin |title=Master and Commander |date=14 December 1969 |access-date=13 February 2014}}</ref> while ''[[Kirkus Reviews]]'' said that the book was "A welcome treat for sea hounds who care more for belaying pins than ravaged bodices below decks".<ref>''[[Kirkus Reviews]]'', 1 October 1969, quoted in {{harvnb|Bennett|1994|p=160}}</ref>

Several UK press reviewers were also impressed. The ''[[Sunday Mirror]]'' said "Nothing is glamourised. The press gangings, the squalor are all here....The battle scenes are tremendous...This is not secondhand [[C. S. Forester|Forester]], but a really fine piece of writing",<ref>''[[Sunday Mirror]]'', 18 January 1970, quoted in {{harvnb|Bennett|1994|p=160}}</ref> while [[Benedict Nightingale]] writing in ''[[The Observer]]'' called the book "Dashing, well-timbered, pickled in the period, and with strong human tensions and cross-currents".<ref>[[Benedict Nightingale|Nightingale, Benedict]], ''Observer'', 18 January 1970, quoted in {{harvnb|Bennett|1994|p=161}}</ref> According to [[Tom Pocock]] in ''[[London Evening Standard|The Evening Standard]],'' "It is as though, under Mr O'Brian's touch, those great sea-paintings at Greenwich had stirred and come alive".<ref>Pocock, Tom, ''[[London Evening Standard]]'', 20 January 1970, quoted in {{harvnb|Bennett|1994|p=161}}</ref>

The sailor [[Francis Chichester|Sir Francis Chichester]], recently returned from his 1967 single-handed voyage round the world, described the book as "the best sea story I have ever read",{{sfn|Ollard|1994|p=23}} a quote which the publishers adopted for use on the novel's front cover. Also used on the book's jacket in Britain was a heartfelt quote from the author [[Mary Renault]], "A spirited sea-tale with cracking pace and a brilliant sense of period. In a highly competitive field it goes straight to the top. A real first-rater".{{sfn|King|2000|p=213}}