First published in 1836, Mr. Midshipman Easy is among the most spirited of Frederick Marryat's naval novels, combining picaresque adventure, social satire, and comedy of education. Its young hero, Jack Easy, goes to sea armed with abstract notions of universal equality learned from his eccentric father, only to encounter the practical hierarchies, dangers, and absurdities of naval life during the Napoleonic era. Marryat's style is brisk, anecdotal, and theatrical, rich in technical seamanship yet animated by comic dialogue and moral irony. Marryat wrote from unusually deep experience. A distinguished Royal Navy officer who served in the wars against Napoleonic France and later became one of the founders of English nautical fiction, he knew both the discipline and the humanity of shipboard society. His fiction often transforms lived professional knowledge into narrative, and in this novel his skepticism toward impractical philosophy is tempered by affection for youthful independence and courage. This book is recommended to readers interested in maritime literature, historical fiction, and the comic novel. It offers adventure without solemnity, satire without cynicism, and a vivid portrait of the navy as both institution and school of character.

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Frederick Marryat (1792 –1848) was a British novelist, Royal Navy officer, and Charles Dickens friend. He is also known for the development of maritime flag signaling known as Marryat's Code. His numerous naval novels and stories were inspired by his travels to different parts of the world. The pieces of the travel journalisms created by Marryat were printed in the most important magazines of his time.