Annapolis books in order

Q: "How many books are in the Annapolis series?"

"There are two books in the Annapolis series, published in 1903."

Q: "What is the first book in the Annapolis series?"

"The first book in the Annapolis series is Bound for Annapolis / The Trials of a Sailor Boy, published in 1903."

Q: "Did Upton Sinclair write the Annapolis books under his own name?"

"No, Sinclair published the Annapolis novels under the pen name Ensign Clarke Fitch, USN. He wrote these boys' adventure stories in his early twenties to earn money while attending Columbia University. The books were part of a wave of popular juvenile fiction about military academies that was common at the turn of the twentieth century."

Reading order

#	Title	Published	Author	Buy on Amazon
1	Bound for Annapolis / The Trials of a Sailor Boy	1903	Upton Sinclair	Buy
2	Clif, the Naval Cadet / Exciting Days at Annapolis	1903	Upton Sinclair	Buy

The Annapolis series is a pair of boys’ adventure novels that Upton Sinclair wrote in 1903 under the pen name Ensign Clarke Fitch, USN. The books follow Clif Faraday, a young man who enters the United States Naval Academy and faces the trials of cadet life, from hazing and rivalries to sailing adventures and tests of courage. Sinclair wrote these stories as a young man to pay his way through Columbia University, churning out thousands of words per day for the pulp adventure market.

These early novels have little in common with the muckraking social fiction that later made Sinclair famous. They belong to a popular genre of juvenile military academy stories that sold well in early 1900s America. Along with his companion West Point series about cadet Mark Mallory, the Annapolis books show a different side of Sinclair’s output, long before The Jungle and his career as a political writer. Readers interested in the full range of Sinclair’s work will find these short adventure tales a curious starting point.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Annapolis series?

There are two books in the Annapolis series, published in 1903.

What is the first book in the Annapolis series?

The first book in the Annapolis series is Bound for Annapolis / The Trials of a Sailor Boy, published in 1903.

Did Upton Sinclair write the Annapolis books under his own name?

No, Sinclair published the Annapolis novels under the pen name Ensign Clarke Fitch, USN. He wrote these boys’ adventure stories in his early twenties to earn money while attending Columbia University. The books were part of a wave of popular juvenile fiction about military academies that was common at the turn of the twentieth century.

Reading order#

Frequently Asked Questions

Reading order