Free shipping sitewide - No minimum spend* - Use code FREESHIP - *T&Cs apply
Track My Order
Help Centre
Likes
My Wish ListsLogin / Join
Booktopia
Australia's local bookstore
Get Free Shipping on orders over $0
Captain John Manley : Patriot, Privateer, and America's Forgotten First Hero - Kenneth M Sheldon

Captain John Manley

Patriot, Privateer, and America's Forgotten First Hero

By: Kenneth M Sheldon

Paperback | 13 October 2026

At a Glance

Paperback

RRP $30.79

$30.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $7.69 with

 or 

Ships in 5 to 7 business days

In 1776, Capt. John Manley was a hero, his naval exploits celebrated in song and reported in newspapers across the colonies. George Washington and John Adams praised him, and even the British acknowledged his abilities, calling him "the only man of real courage they have at sea." Today, however, John Manley is largely forgotten, and even his final resting place remains unmarked. Why did a career that began so impressively end in poverty and obscurity?

Captain John Manley - Patriot, Privateer, and America's Forgotten First Hero seeks to answer those questions. It is the first comprehensive examination of Manley's life, revealing details never before published, the result of years of research into naval records, newspaper accounts, diaries, journals, and original documents held by public and private institutions.

Industry Reviews

"John Manley was a true hero of the Revolutionary War-much of his life reads like a thriller, which Ken Sheldon marvelously brings to life with deep research. But Sheldon doesn't just focus on Manley's adventures during the Revolution; he also reveals the darker side of victory, which left many members of America's Greatest Generation in poverty and their tremendous sacrifices overlooked. Captain John Manley fills a void in American naval history. Highly recommended." -Patrick K. O'Donnell, author of The Indispensables and The Unvanquished

"Manley's life and exploits seem more the stuff of naval fiction, and they are brought to life in Sheldon's narrative, which is readable, well-researched and fast-paced." -James L. Nelson, author of George Washington's Secret Navy

"Sheldon takes the reader on a journey of discovery and in the process shines light on the birth of a nation, with its triumphs and defeats, both in battle and in life."-Mel Allen, longtime Yankee Magazine editor and author of Here in New England

You Can Find This Book In

Non-FictionBiographies & True Stories BiographiesHistorical, Political and Military BiographiesHistoryRegional & National HistoryHistory of the AmericasWarfare & DefenceNaval Forces & Warfare

More in Historical, Political and Military Biographies

Plunder - Max Hastings

Plunder

Paperback

RRP $39.99

$31.75

21%
OFF
A Grateful Son : An Autobiography - Josh Frydenberg

A Grateful Son

An Autobiography

Hardcover

RRP $45.00

$29.99

33%
OFF
The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of - Riley Knight

The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of

Paperback

RRP $34.99

$23.99

31%
OFF
A Suitable Man : The Eccentric Empire of Fletcher Jones - Jock Serong

A Suitable Man

The Eccentric Empire of Fletcher Jones

Paperback

RRP $36.99

$29.99

19%
OFF
Grand Ambition : Paul Keating's global vision for Australia - James Curran

Grand Ambition

Paul Keating's global vision for Australia

Hardcover

RRP $49.99

$38.75

22%
OFF
The Perilous Fight - Colin Kaepernick

The Perilous Fight

Hardcover

RRP $55.00

$53.75

Abandoned Women : Scottish Convicts Exiled Beyond the Seas - Lucy Frost

Abandoned Women : Scottish Convicts Exiled Beyond the Seas

Paperback

RRP $24.99

$21.75

13%
OFF
Musquito : The real story of a legendary colonial warrior - Naomi Parry Duncan

Musquito

The real story of a legendary colonial warrior

Paperback

RRP $36.99

$25.00

32%
OFF
100 Ways I Almost Died - Bram Connolly

100 Ways I Almost Died

Paperback

RRP $34.99

$23.99

31%
OFF
The Commando : The Life And Death Of Cameron Baird, VC, MG - Ben Mckelvey

The Commando

The Life And Death Of Cameron Baird, VC, MG

Paperback

RRP $34.99

$19.99

43%
OFF
The Gulag Archipelago : (Abridged edition) - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

The Gulag Archipelago

(Abridged edition)

Paperback

RRP $26.99

$22.99

15%
OFF
Kosciuszko : The incredible life of the man behind the mountain - Anthony Sharwood

Kosciuszko

The incredible life of the man behind the mountain

Paperback

RRP $24.99

$16.00

36%
OFF

This product is categorised by