Charles Boardman Hawes Books in Order (Updated September 8, 2026)

Charles Boardman Hawes was an American writer and editor best remembered for historical sea adventures. His writing career was extremely short, but it produced three novels, a history of Gloucester, Massachusetts, and a nonfiction book about whaling that was completed after his death by his wife, Dorothea Hawes.

Hawes is especially associated with The Dark Frigate, which received the 1924 Newbery Medal. His three novels are all standalone maritime adventures, so there is no recurring-character series to follow.

Charles Boardman Hawes Has a Very Simple Reading Order

• Best first book: The Dark Frigate.
• Best complete fiction order: The Mutineers, The Great Quest, then The Dark Frigate.
• Number of principal novels: three.
• Continuity: all three novels are standalone.
• Main nonfiction: Gloucester, by Land and Sea and Whaling.
• Posthumous material: includes The Dark Frigate, articles, and Whaling.

Readers who want only the most important Hawes book can begin with The Dark Frigate. Those who want his complete development as an adventure novelist should start with The Mutineers and follow publication order.

The Three Charles Boardman Hawes Novels in Order

1. The Mutineers (1920)
2. The Great Quest (1921)
3. The Dark Frigate (1923, posthumous)

This is the complete principal fiction order. The books do not share protagonists, so publication order reflects Hawes’s development as a writer rather than a continuing story.

Modern catalogues sometimes make his bibliography look much larger because individual stories, public-domain reprints, translations, and modern facsimile editions are listed as separate books. Hawes’s original core fiction remains compact.

The Mutineers Comes First

The Mutineers was Hawes’s first book, published in 1920. Its full original subtitle describes it as a tale of old days at sea and adventures in the Far East as recorded by Benjamin Lathrop.

The novel uses a retrospective first-person framework and combines seafaring with mutiny, danger, travel, and adventure far from New England.

• Series status: standalone.
• Required sequel: none.
• Best placement: first for a complete Hawes read.

Neither The Great Quest nor The Dark Frigate continues Benjamin Lathrop’s story.

The Great Quest Is a New Adventure

The Great Quest, published in 1921, is set in 1826 and records the experiences of Josiah Woods of Topham and the people with whom he sails toward Cuba and the Gulf of Guinea.

It is Hawes’s second novel but not the second installment of a series. Readers can begin with it without reading The Mutineers, although publication order gives the clearest view of Hawes’s increasingly ambitious maritime storytelling.

The Dark Frigate Is the Essential Hawes Novel

The Dark Frigate is Hawes’s best-known book. It follows Philip Marsham in seventeenth-century England and at sea, where an already difficult life becomes entangled with a ship, piracy, violence, and the political turmoil surrounding King Charles I.

The book appeared in 1923 after Hawes’s death and received the 1924 Newbery Medal for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

No earlier Hawes novel is required. If you are reading only one book by him, The Dark Frigate is the safest choice.

Why The Dark Frigate Should Still Be Third in a Complete Read

Although it is the strongest general starting recommendation, The Dark Frigate belongs third when reading everything Hawes wrote in fiction.

The Mutineers and The Great Quest show the earlier development of his interest in maritime history, young protagonists, old-fashioned narrative voices, and dangerous voyages. Reaching The Dark Frigate last lets the reader see how those interests became concentrated in the work for which Hawes is most remembered.

Are the Hawes Novels Connected?

No. They share the sea as an important element, but they have different narrators, periods, ships, destinations, and central conflicts.

• The Mutineers: standalone maritime and Far East adventure.
• The Great Quest: standalone nineteenth-century voyage and quest.
• The Dark Frigate: standalone seventeenth-century pirate and Civil War-era adventure.

There is therefore no spoiler-sensitive chronological order different from publication order.

A Chronological Story Order Would Not Help

The three novels take place in different historical periods, so they could theoretically be rearranged according to story setting. Doing that would not improve continuity because none of the characters crosses from one book into another.

Publication order is more meaningful because it reflects Hawes’s development as an author. Readers who simply want the strongest book can ignore both systems and begin with The Dark Frigate.

Gloucester, by Land and Sea

Hawes also wrote Gloucester, by Land and Sea: The Story of a New England Seacoast Town. It was published in 1923, only days after his death.

This is nonfiction rather than another adventure novel. It examines the history and character of Gloucester, Massachusetts, a community deeply connected with fishing, ships, and maritime life.

• Fiction series: no.
• Subject: Gloucester and maritime New England.
• Best placement: after the novels, or before them if you want historical maritime context.

Whaling Was Completed After Hawes’s Death

Whaling was published in 1924. Hawes had begun the work, but his wife, Dorothea Hawes, completed it after his death.

The book is a historical study of whaling rather than a fictional continuation of The Dark Frigate. Readers should keep it in the nonfiction section even though its maritime subject naturally overlaps with Hawes’s novels.

For a complete Hawes library, it belongs after Gloucester, by Land and Sea in publication order.

Complete Charles Boardman Hawes Book Order

Combining fiction and nonfiction produces a short five-book bibliography:

1. The Mutineers (1920) Fiction
2. The Great Quest (1921) Fiction
3. Gloucester, by Land and Sea (1923) Nonfiction
4. The Dark Frigate (1923) Fiction
5. Whaling (1924) Nonfiction, completed by Dorothea Hawes

This five-book structure is a better representation of Hawes’s original bibliography than modern online profiles listing dozens of editions as though they were separate works.

Posthumous Hawes Material

Hawes died in July 1923 at only 34 years old. Several works appeared after his death because manuscripts and articles were already in preparation.

• Gloucester, by Land and Sea was published almost immediately after his death.
• The Dark Frigate followed later in 1923.
• An article about the Nantucket whaling ship Globe appeared posthumously.
• Another article, A Boy Who Went Whaling, appeared in 1924.
• Whaling was completed after his death by Dorothea Hawes and published in 1924.

These publications should not be interpreted as evidence that Hawes continued writing through 1924. They were posthumous releases of work already begun or completed before his death.

The Dark Frigate and the Newbery Medal

The Dark Frigate received the 1924 Newbery Medal. Hawes therefore became one of the earliest authors recognized by the award and the first American-born writer to win the medal.

Because Hawes had died before the award was announced, the honor was necessarily posthumous.

The award helps explain why The Dark Frigate has remained far more visible than his other books and why it is the strongest recommendation for readers who want only one Hawes novel.

Was The Great Quest a Prequel to The Dark Frigate?

No. The two books take place in different centuries and use different protagonists.

The Great Quest is set in 1826, while The Dark Frigate belongs to seventeenth-century England. The earlier publication date of The Great Quest does not make it narrative background for Philip Marsham’s story.

Is Whaling a Sequel to the Sea Novels?

No. Whaling is nonfiction. It deals with the history and realities of the whaling industry rather than continuing a fictional character from The Mutineers, The Great Quest, or The Dark Frigate.

Its subject makes it useful companion reading for anyone interested in Hawes’s maritime background, but it should stay outside the novel order.

Which Hawes Book Works Best for Different Readers?

For Pirates and Seventeenth-Century Adventure

Choose The Dark Frigate. It is the most famous Hawes novel and combines seafaring, piracy, political conflict, and personal survival.

For an Earlier Maritime Adventure

Choose The Mutineers. It introduces Hawes’s use of an old-fashioned narrator and a dangerous voyage into distant waters.

For a Nineteenth-Century Quest

Choose The Great Quest. Its 1826 setting and voyage toward Cuba and West Africa give it a distinct identity from Hawes’s other two novels.

For Maritime History

Choose Gloucester, by Land and Sea or Whaling. Both are nonfiction and reflect the maritime interests that also shaped Hawes’s fiction.

A Recommended Hawes Reading Route

If you want to experience both Hawes’s fiction and his maritime nonfiction, the following sequence works well:

1. The Dark Frigate
2. The Mutineers
3. The Great Quest
4. Gloucester, by Land and Sea
5. Whaling

This is a discovery order rather than publication order. It begins with Hawes’s strongest and most recognized novel, then works backward through his earlier fiction before moving into nonfiction.

Completists should instead follow the five works by original publication date.

The Hawes Memorial Prize Was Not a Hawes Series

After Hawes died, Atlantic Monthly Press established a memorial contest for adventure fiction written in a spirit comparable to his work.

Books produced through that competition were written by other authors. They are not posthumous Hawes novels and should not be attached to his three-book fiction bibliography.

This distinction matters because old publisher catalogues can place the Hawes Memorial Prize books close to Hawes’s own titles and make them appear connected.

Modern Reprints and Duplicate Listings

All three Hawes novels have been reprinted numerous times. Public-domain publishers have also produced ebooks, facsimiles, audiobooks, and print-on-demand editions.

A modern listing dated 1971, 1996, 2015, or later does not indicate a new Hawes novel. The original works remain:

• The Mutineers, 1920.
• The Great Quest, 1921.
• The Dark Frigate, 1923.

Checking original publication dates is especially important when building a reading-order page from retailer data.

Charles Boardman Hawes Release Status

Charles Boardman Hawes died in 1923, so his original body of work is complete. There is no unfinished recurring novel series waiting for another installment.

The Dark Frigate was his final novel and appeared posthumously. Whaling, completed by his wife, became the final principal book associated with Hawes when it was published in 1924.

Later releases are reprints, translations, adaptations, or newly formatted editions of existing material.

Charles Boardman Hawes Reading Order FAQs

How many novels did Charles Boardman Hawes write?

He published three principal novels: The Mutineers, The Great Quest, and The Dark Frigate.

Do the Hawes novels need to be read in order?

No. They are standalone stories with different protagonists and historical periods. Publication order is recommended only for a complete career read.

What is the first Charles Boardman Hawes novel?

The Mutineers, published in 1920, was his first novel.

Which Hawes book won the Newbery Medal?

The Dark Frigate received the 1924 Newbery Medal.

Was The Dark Frigate published after Hawes died?

Yes. Hawes died in July 1923, and The Dark Frigate was published later that year.

Who completed Whaling?

Hawes’s wife, Dorothea Hawes, completed the book after his death. It was published in 1924.

Is Gloucester, by Land and Sea a novel?

No. It is nonfiction about the New England seacoast town of Gloucester, Massachusetts.

What Charles Boardman Hawes book should I read first?

The Dark Frigate is the strongest general starting point. Readers who want to follow his brief career from the beginning should start with The Mutineers.

The Complete Hawes Reading Plan

Charles Boardman Hawes has one of the simplest adventure-author bibliographies to navigate. His three novels are all standalone, so readers who want only the best-known work can go directly to The Dark Frigate.

For the complete fiction experience, read The Mutineers, The Great Quest, and The Dark Frigate in publication order. Add Gloucester, by Land and Sea and Whaling separately for the nonfiction, remembering that Whaling was completed by Dorothea Hawes after her husband’s death.