Alexander Kent

Alexander Kent is the highly celebrated pen name of Douglas Edward Reeman (October 15, 1924 – January 23, 2017), a prolific British novelist and former Royal Navy officer who stands as a master of 20th-century maritime fiction. Joining the Royal Navy at just 16 years old, he served on destroyers and small craft during World War II, surviving grueling convoy duties in the Atlantic, Arctic, and North Sea. Under his own name, Reeman published over 30 gritty novels focusing on modern 20th-century naval warfare. However, he earned massive international fame under his Alexander Kent pseudonym—a name he borrowed from a real-life friend and fellow officer who died in the war—by penning the legendary, 28-novel Richard Bolitho series. This acclaimed historical saga meticulously details the high-seas exploits of a Royal Navy officer during the Age of Sail. Kent's beloved 1998 historical adventure, Sword of Honour, serves as the monumental 25th book in the chronology, capturing a battle-worn Admiral Bolitho as he takes command in Malta during the final gasps of the Napoleonic Wars before passing his literal and metaphorical sword down to his nephew, Adam.