James Edmond Macdonnell (3 November 1917 – 13 September 2002) was an Australian novelist. The covers of his novels declare him "Australia's leading novelist of the Navy" and "Australia's greatest novelist of the sea".

Biography James Edmond Macdonnell was born in 1917 in Mackay, Queensland and became one of Australia's most prolific writers of paperback novels. As a boy, he became determined to go to sea and read every seafaring book he could find. At age 13, while his family was still asleep, he took his brother's bike and rode some 80 miles from his home town to Brisbane in an attempt to see ships and the sea. Fortunately, he was found and returned to his family. He attended the Toowoomba Grammar School from 1931 to 1932. He served in the Royal Australian Navy for fourteen years, joining at age 17, advancing through all lower deck ranks and reaching the rank of commissioned gunnery officer. He began writing books while still in active service. The publicity biography on the back cover of Command! (1959) states that "he began with novels in 1942"."news2.pdf, Greg Ray" http://www.warrigalpress.com.au/news2.pdf

Macdonnell wrote stories for The Bulletin under the pseudonym "Macnell" and from 1948 to 1956 he was a member of The Bulletin staff. His first book, Fleet Destroyer – a collection of stories about life on the small ships – was published by The Book Depot, Melbourne, in 1945. Macdonnell began writing full-time for Horwitz in 1956, writing an average of a dozen books a year.

After leaving the navy, Macdonnell lived in St. Ives, Sydney and pursued his writing career. In 1988, he retired to Buderim on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. He died peacefully in his sleep at a Buderim hospital in 2002. He is survived by his wife Valerie and his children Beth, Jane and Peter.

The radio play Wings Off the Sea was based on one of his stories.

The Bulletin

Macdonnell's work for The Bulletin, using the pseudonym Macnell, includes the following:

+ Articles for The Bulletin Title Edition Date Page(s) Neptune's Feet of Clay Vol.70 no.3640 16 November 1949 22–23 A Shepherd at Sea Vol.70 no.3646 28 December 1949 4, 20 Standby to Ram! Vol.71 no.3696 13 December 1950 34–35, 42 The Insubordination of P.O. Brady (from Gimme the Boats) Vol.71 no.3661 12 April 1950 4, 20–21 'Old Guns' : His Strange Disease Vol.71 no.3669 7 June 1950 20, 22 A Lesson for Two (from Gimme the Boats) Vol.71 no.3683 13 September 1950 21–22 International Incident Vol.72 no.3715 25 April 1951 20, 22, 24, 32 The Chook Gets Hers Vol.72 no.3747 5 December 1951 27, 39 Borrowed Braid Vol.72 no.3748 12 December 1951 32–33, 36 Target Unidentified Vol.73 no.3762 19 March 1952 16–17 The Drum Vol.73 no.3764 2 April 1952 4, 14–15 Destroyer Operation (from Gimme the Boats) Vol.73 no.3773 4 June 1952 4, 14–15 Submarining Off Sydney Vol.73 no.3790 1 October 1952 4 Pity Requited 1952 Vol.73 no.3797 19 November 1952 20, 22 Untitled Vol.74 no.3812 4 March 1953 Open Sights Vol.74 no.3817 8 April 1953 20 What You Learn in the Navy Vol.82 no.4232 22 March 1961 16

Publishers

The Book Depot Ace Books Constable & Co. Ltd. Continental Printing Co. Ltd. (Hong Kong) Corgi Books Dent (London) Flammarion (France) Horwitz Publications Signet Books The Children's Press

Works

J. E. Macdonnell wrote over 200 novels, in at least 7 different series under several versions of his own name and several pseudonyms:

J. E. Macdonnell James Edmond Macdonnell James Macdonnell J.E.M. Jim Macdonnell J. Macdonnell James Macnell James Dark Kerry Mitchell Michael Owen.

James Dark was a Horwitz house pseudonym shared by several authors. Some believe that he may have written as James Workman, another Horwitz house pseudonym, as well."James Edmond Macdonnell, James MacNell and 'Mettle'", http://www.collectingbooksandmagazines.com/mettle.html Macdonnell's work has been published in at least nine different languages.

Characters Macdonnell's naval stories feature several recurring characters:

Captain "Dutchy" Holland, D.S.O. Captain Peter Bentley, V.C. Captain Bruce Sainsbury, V.C. Jim Brady. XO Lieutenant Commander Robert Randall

Several books follow Jim Brady through the ranks from Able Seaman to Captain.

Recurring characters in other series include Commander Carton, a "tough, enterprising skipper"Macdonnell, J. E.: "Alias Carton", back cover. Horwitz Publications, 1961 in the Crime Series, Mark Hood, an international spy, in the International Espionage series and Captain Mettle, V.C. in the three juvenile novels.

Series

Since J. E. Macdonnell wrote so many books, many of which were released numerous times in different guises, in different collections and in various countries, it is difficult to identify every published series but some can be clearly identified:

J. E. Macdonnell Series. The Horwitz Australian Library. The Horwitz Sea Adventure Library or Horwitz Naval Series. The Classics Series. The Collector's Series. The Juvenile Books. The Medical Series. The Commander Carton Crime Series by Horwitz. The International Espionage Series.

The Collector's Series, and the Classics Series both comprise 141 books, with 2 differences between them other than the title sequence. The Collector's Series does not contain the book The Captain and the classic series does not contain the book Don't Gimme The Ships. Both of these series comprise books from the original Sea Adventure Series.

The Juvenile Books Macdonnell wrote three juvenile works about the character Captain Mettle using the pseudonym James Macnell. They were published by Constable and The Children's Press. He wrote another entitled Colt and Co in the Valley of Gold as J. Macdonnell, which was published by Dent in 1960. This book was described in the wrapper notes as "the first of a new series" but no further titles were forthcoming.

Mettle at Woomera was re-released in paperback as Weapon Raid by Horwitz in 1979, using the name J. E. Macdonnell.

+ The Juvenile Books Title Year Captain Mettle, V.C. 1955 Mettle Dives Deep 1956 Mettle at Woomera 1957 Colt and Co in the Valley of Gold 1960 Weapon Raid 1979

The Commander Carton Crime Series Commander Carton is a retired R.N. captain who finds himself fighting crime.

+ The Crime Series Title Year Commander Carton 1960 Alias Carton 1961

The Horwitz Naval Series

Published as J. E. Macdonnell.

+ The Horwitz Naval Series No. Title Year      No. Title Year      No. Title Year      No. Title Year 1 Standby to Ram 1957 38 Broadsides! 1962 75 Hell Ship 1966 112 Circle of Fire 1970 2 Target Unidentified 1957 39 Battle Line 1962 76 The Convert 1966 113 For Valour 1971 3 Battle Ensign 1958 40 The Long Haul 1962 77 Wall of Fire 1966 114 Torrent of Fire 1971 4 Enemy in Sight 1959 41 Away Boarders 1962 78 The Unforgiving Sea 1967 115 Guns for God 1971 5 Command 1959 42 The First Lieutenant 1962 79 Down the Throat 1967 116 Damn the Torpedoes 1971 6 Alarm–EBoats! 1958 43 UBoat 1962 80 Combat Assignment 1967 117 First Command 1971 7 The Weak Link 1959 44 Flotilla Leader 1962 81 The Snake Boats 1967 118 Standing into Danger 1971 8 Presumed Sunk 1958 45 Sea Surgeon 1962 82 The Misfit 1967 119 Torpedo Junction 1971 9 Mutiny 1958 46 Abandon Ship! 1963 83 Behemoth 1967 120 The Worst Enemy 1971 10 Coffin Island 1958 47 Conflict 1963 84 Dit Spinner 1967 121 North West by North 1971 11 Frogman! 1958 48 Repel Boarders 1963 85 The Power and the Privilege 1968 122 Chain of Violence 1972 12 Killer Ship 1958 49 Not Under Command 1963 86 Rat Island 1968 123 Close Up 1972 13 Night Encounter 1958 50 Fire One! 1963 87 Petty Officer Brady 1968 124 False Colours 1972 14 Bilgewater 1958 51 Abandon and Destroy 1963 88 Valiant Mission 1968 125 The Brave Men 1972 15 The Secret Weapon 1959 52 The Buffer 1963 89 Full Fathom Five 1968 126 Point Blank 1972 16 Target Battleship 1959 53 Decision 1963 90 Approved to Scrap 1968 127 Most Immediate 1972 17 Dive! Dive! Dive! 1959 54 The Gun 1963 91 Attack and be Damned 1968 128 This Ship is Mine 1972 18 The Surgeon 1959 55 The Pawn 1964 92 Mission Hopeless 1968 129 The Trap 1972 19 The Gunner 1959 56 Sabotage 1964 93 Judas Rat 1968 130 The Verge of Hell 1972 20 The Captain 1960 57 The Betrayal 1964 94 High Command 1968 131 Blind into Doom 1972 21 Brood of the Eagle 1960 58 Collision Course 1964 95 HunterKiller 1968 132 Fire Storm 1973 22 The Recommend 1960 59 The Big Wind 1964 96 White Fury 1968 133 The Iron Claw 1973 23 The Coxswain 1960 60 Killer Group 1964 97 The Hammer of God 1968 134 Attack! 1973 24 The Challenge 1960 61 The Mistake 1964 98 Headlong into Hell 1968 135 A Council of Captains 1974 25 Convoy 1960 62 Course to Intercept 1964 99 Decoyed 1968 136 The Kill 1974 26 Find And Destroy 1960 63 Creeping Attack 1964 100 To the Death 1969 137 Court Martial 1975 27 Escort Ship 1960 64 The Jaws of Hell 1965 101 Execute! 1969 138 Operational Immediate 1975 28 Don't Gimme the Ships 1960 65 Close and Investigate 1965 102 Strike Force 1969 139 The Dark of the Night 1975 29 The Blind Eye 1961 66 Under Sealed Orders 1965 103 The Big Hunt 1969 140 Liberty Men 1976 30 Eagles Over Taranto 1961 67 Flashpoint 1965 104 Operation Jackal 1969 141 The Battle for Midway 1976 31 Fleet Destroyer 1961 68 White Death 1965 105 And the Heavens Spoke 1969 142 Big Bill the Bastard 1976 32 The Rocky 1961 69 The Deserter 1965 106 Not Wanted on Voyage 1970 143 Confirmed in Command 1976 33 The Lesson 1961 70 The Duel 1965 107 The Last Stand 1970 144 Standoff 1977 34 Clear for Action 1961 71 Whispering Death 1965 108 Object Destruction 1970 145 The Shadow 1977 35 Battle Fire 1961 72 Point of Departure 1966 109 Battle Hymn 1970 146 Death of a Destroyer 1977 36 The Ordeal 1961 73 Loom of Ice 1966 110 Died Fighting 1970 147 Valiant Occasions 1960 37 Sainsbury V.C. 1962 74 Foul Ground 1966 111 Fog Blind 1970

The Classics Series The classics series is a re-release of most titles from the Horwitz Naval Series. The covers were mainly coloured silver and as a result this series is also known as the silver series.