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Series

The Lord Ramage Novels

The Lord Ramage Novels follow Nicholas Ramage from an unexpected lieutenant's command in 1796 to command of a seventy-four-gun ship of the line in 1806. Across eighteen novels he serves through the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, fighting in the Mediterranean and Caribbean, dealing with mutiny and court martial, carrying out intelligence missions, surviving the Peace of Amiens and eventually joining Nelson's fleet at Trafalgar.

The series combines fleet actions with the smaller work that sustained British sea power: convoy escort, blockade, cutting-out expeditions, coastal reconnaissance, signalling and the constant management of crews. Ramage's rise in rank steadily broadens the scale of his responsibilities without removing the personal and political dangers that follow him from his first command.

Reading order

Books in this series (18 books)

Ramage cover

1. Ramage

Dudley Pope

First published 1965

4.0(4)

Set in 1796 during the French Revolutionary Wars, Ramage opens with the British frigate Sibella shattered by a stronger French warship. Lieutenant Nicholas Ramage awakens wounded amid wreckage to find every officer above him dead, leaving him responsible for saving the survivors of a ship that…

Ramage and the Drumbeat cover

2. Ramage and the Drumbeat

Dudley Pope

First published 1967

4.4(489)

Beginning in October 1796 and moving toward the Battle of Cape St Vincent in 1797, Ramage and the Drumbeat sends Lieutenant Nicholas Ramage from Corsica toward Gibraltar aboard the cutter Kathleen. His immediate duty is to carry the Marchesa di Volterra to safety, but an encounter…

Ramage and the Freebooters cover

3. Ramage and the Freebooters

Dudley Pope

First published 1969

2.5(5)

Set in 1797 after the Battle of Cape St Vincent, Ramage and the Freebooters gives Nicholas Ramage a new command, HMS Triton, at the worst possible moment. Her crew has joined the great Spithead Mutiny, and Ramage must persuade angry sailors to return to duty without…

Governor Ramage R.N. cover

4. Governor Ramage R.N.

Dudley Pope

First published 1973

4.4(368)

Set in 1797 during the French Revolutionary Wars, Governor Ramage R.N. sends HMS Triton across the Caribbean as escort to a merchant convoy. Ramage's task is complicated by Rear-Admiral Goddard, an old enemy of his family who remains determined to discredit him, and by French privateers…

Ramage’s Prize cover

5. Ramage’s Prize

Dudley Pope

First published 1974

4.4(689)

Set in 1798 in the West Indies, Ramage's Prize begins with a breakdown in the communications that hold Britain's scattered wartime empire together. Post vessels carrying dispatches between England and the Caribbean are disappearing, leaving naval commanders without orders and raising fears of French privateers, betrayal…

Ramage and the Guillotine cover

6. Ramage and the Guillotine

Dudley Pope

First published 1975

4.2(644)

Set in 1798 during the war with Revolutionary France, Ramage and the Guillotine sends Nicholas Ramage into enemy territory on an intelligence mission. French preparations for an invasion of Britain have created an urgent need for reliable information, and conventional naval reconnaissance cannot answer the questions…

Ramage’s Diamond cover

7. Ramage’s Diamond

Dudley Pope

First published 1976

4.5(662)

Set in 1799 during the continuing Caribbean struggle with France, Ramage's Diamond sends the newly promoted Captain Nicholas Ramage to Martinique and the stark volcanic rock that gives the novel its title. His task is tied to the blockade of French forces around Fort Royal, but…

Ramage’s Mutiny cover

8. Ramage’s Mutiny

Dudley Pope

First published 1977

4.5(702)

Set in 1799 in the Caribbean, Ramage's Mutiny begins after the crew of the British warship Jocasta mutinies and surrenders the vessel to Spain. For the Admiralty, the loss is both a military embarrassment and a challenge to authority; for Captain Nicholas Ramage, commanding the frigate…

Ramage and the Rebels cover

9. Ramage and the Rebels

Dudley Pope

First published 1978

4.6(634)

Set in 1800 in the waters around Jamaica, Ramage and the Rebels begins as HMS Calypso searches for freebooters and instead finds the wreck of a British vessel whose passengers and crew have been murdered by a French privateer. The discovery turns a routine patrol into…

The Ramage Touch cover

10. The Ramage Touch

Dudley Pope

First published 1979

4.4(571)

Set in 1800 during the Mediterranean war against France, The Ramage Touch finds Captain Nicholas Ramage cruising the Tuscan coast far from immediate British support. When he discovers a threatening French concentration, he has only HMS Calypso and a pair of bomb vessels with which to…

Ramage’s Signal cover

11. Ramage’s Signal

Dudley Pope

First published 1980

4.3(494)

Set in 1800, Ramage's Signal sends HMS Calypso deeper into French-dominated Mediterranean waters on an Admiralty mission to disrupt the enemy wherever an opportunity appears. Isolated from major British forces, Ramage is expected to confuse French plans by attacking communications, shipping and vulnerable positions rather than…

Ramage and the Renegades cover

12. Ramage and the Renegades

Dudley Pope

First published 1981

4.6(559)

Set in 1802 during the Peace of Amiens, Ramage and the Renegades begins while Nelson's crews are standing down and Nicholas Ramage is officially on leave. Secret Admiralty orders interrupt the respite and send HMS Calypso to inspect remote Trinidad off the coast of Brazil, where…

Ramage’s Devil cover

13. Ramage’s Devil

Dudley Pope

First published 1982

4.4(517)

Set in 1803 as the Peace of Amiens collapses, Ramage's Devil opens with Nicholas Ramage and his new wife Sarah on honeymoon in France. The renewal of war transforms them almost instantly from visitors into enemy subjects, leaving the couple trapped on hostile soil while Napoleon's…

Ramage’s Trial cover

14. Ramage’s Trial

Dudley Pope

First published 1984

4.5(474)

Set in 1803 after the renewal of war with France, Ramage's Trial follows Captain Nicholas Ramage as HMS Calypso returns from Devil's Island while his wife Sarah remains missing. Personal urgency is overridden by orders to shepherd a slow merchant convoy back to England, forcing him…

Ramage’s Challenge cover

15. Ramage’s Challenge

Dudley Pope

First published 1985

4.4(299)

Set in 1803 during the renewed war with France, Ramage's Challenge sends Nicholas Ramage back toward the Tuscan coast on a mission involving British officers and allies trapped on the European mainland. Among those at risk is Gianna, the Marchesa di Volterra, Ramage's first love, now…

Ramage at Trafalgar cover

16. Ramage at Trafalgar

Dudley Pope

First published 1986

4.5(537)

Set in 1805, Ramage at Trafalgar brings Nicholas Ramage into the campaign that culminates in the Battle of Trafalgar. Reunited with Sarah and hoping for a period ashore, he is instead summoned by Admiral Horatio Nelson and ordered to join the fleet watching the combined French…

Ramage and the Saracens cover

17. Ramage and the Saracens

Dudley Pope

First published 1988

4.5(573)

Set in 1806, Ramage and the Saracens sends Nicholas Ramage and his crew against Barbary corsairs operating near Sicily. Coastal villages and fishing communities live with the threat of sudden raids in which ships are taken, property plundered and captives carried away for sale or ransom…

Ramage and the Dido cover

18. Ramage and the Dido

Dudley Pope

First published 1989

4.5(637)

Set in 1806, Ramage and the Dido gives Nicholas Ramage his largest command yet: HMS Dido, a seventy-four-gun ship of the line capable of overwhelming a frigate with a single broadside. The promotion is an honour, but it also demands that Ramage transform habits learned in…