Boys at Sea is a study of homoerotic life in the Royal Navy during the age of sail. The book traces every feature of sexual life at sea, including seduction, rape, prostitution, courts martial, and the punishments meted out to those convicted of violating the stern moral code set down in the Articles of War.

B. R. BURG is Professor of History at Arizona State University, UK. He is the author of numerous books and articles on seafarers and sexuality in the age of sail.