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Dismissed from the Navy, Jack Aubrey goes privateer — and the adventure begins gloriously anew. The Letter of Marque — the twelfth Aubrey–Maturin novel, published in 1988 — picks up after Jack’s devastating disgrace: sailing as a privateer aboard the beloved Surprise, he must rebuild his fortune and his name the hard way — while Stephen’s intelligence work grows ever more dangerous.
The privateering chapters are pure delight — Jack the legal pirate, thriving outside the Navy’s stifling rules, prize money glittering on the horizon — but O’Brian keeps the emotional depth: the shadow of the pillory still hangs over him, friendships are strained, and the slow road back to reinstatement is fraught with peril. The sea battles crackle with renewed energy and joy.
Twelfth in the sequence — the comeback begins. For O’Brian fans: the series reborn, as thrilling and as moving as ever — proof that you cannot keep a good captain down.
A Generous Vision: The Creative Life of Elaine de Kooning by Cathy Curtis is the first full-length biography of Elaine de Kooning — painter, writer and art critic, and one of the most dynamic figures of the New York art world. Published by Oxford University Press in 2017 as part of its Cultural Biographies series, it gives long-overdue attention to an artist too often overshadowed by her famous husband, Willem de Kooning.
Drawing on extensive research, Curtis traces Elaine’s bold portraits, her celebrated sports paintings and her sharp critical writing, capturing a woman of remarkable intelligence, wit and generosity of spirit. The book follows her from the downtown New York art scene to national recognition — a creative life lived on her own terms.
Richly illustrated and deeply researched, A Generous Vision is essential reading for anyone interested in modern American art, women artists, or the vibrant world of mid-century New York. A long-overdue tribute to a remarkable painter.
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