James L. Nelson

James L. Nelson (1962-) is an American historical nautical novelist. He was born in Lewiston, Maine. In 1980, Nelson graduated from Lewiston High School. He attended the University of Massachusetts, Amherst for two years, and then transferred to UCLA, with the ambition of becoming a film director. Nelson, his wife, Lisa, and their daughter Elizabeth lived for two years in Steubenville, Ohio, while Lisa attended Franciscan University. They also have three other children, Nathaniel, Jack, and Abbey. They now live in Harpswell, Maine, where Nelson continues to write full time. He is also the Skipper of Sea Scout Ship 243, out of Maine Maritime Museum, in Bath.

Revolution at Sea series
features "Isaac Biddlecomb"
 * 1) By Force of Arms (1997), ISBN 978-0-671-51924-7
 * 2) The Maddest Idea (1997), ISBN 978-0-671-51925-4
 * 3) The Continental Risque (1998), ISBN 978-0-671-01381-3
 * 4) Lords of the Ocean (1999), ISBN 978-0-671-03490-0
 * 5) All the Brave Fellows (2001), ISBN 978-0-671-03846-5

Brethren of the Coast series
features "Thomas Marlowe"
 * 1) The Guardship (2000), ISBN 0-380-80452-2
 * 2) The Blackbirder (2001), ISBN 0-06-000779-6
 * 3) The Pirate Round (2002), ISBN 0-06-053926-7

Civil War at Sea series
features "Samuel Bowater"
 * 1) Glory in the Name (2004), ISBN 0-06-095905-3
 * 2) Thieves of Mercy (2005), ISBN 0-06-019970-9

Standalone novels

 * Reign of Iron: The Story of the First Battling Ironclads, the Monitor and the Merrimack (2004)
 * The Only Life that Mattered: The Short and Merry Lives of Anne Bonny, Mary Read, and Calico Jack (2004)

Non-fiction

 * Benedict Arnold's Navy: the Ragtag Fleet that Lost the Battle of Lake Champlain But Won the American Revolution (2006), ISBN 0-07-146806-4
 * George Washington's Secret Navy: How the American Revolution Went to Sea (2008), ISBN 0-07-149389-1
 * With Fire and Sword: The Battle of Bunker Hill and the Beginning of the Revolution (2011) ISBN 978-0-312-57644-8