Ten of the best historical novels

One title on the Telegraph's list of the ten best historical novels:
Master and Commander is the first of O’Brian’s famous Aubrey/Maturin 20-novel series. This book, published in 1962, establishes the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, who becomes his secretive ship’s surgeon and an intelligence agent.

O’Brian is widely applauded for his detailed and historically