Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World around Cape Horn is taken from the novel "Desolation Island", although the "Acheron" replaced the Dutch 74-gun warship "Waakzaamheid", the "Surprise" replaced the "Leopard", and in the book it is Aubrey who is being pursued around the Cape of Good Hope. The episode in which Aubrey deceives the enemy by means of a raft bearing lanterns is taken from "Master and Commander", and the episode in which Maturin directs the surgery on himself, while gritting his teeth in pain, to remove a bullet is taken from "HMS Surprise". Other incidents in the film come from other books in O'Brian's series.
The Far Side Side" books, which were all on "The New York Times" Best Seller list. The cartoons were first collected in small books (see list below), and some were then republished in larger best-of collections such as "The Far Side Galleries". Additional best-of collections were published, such as "The Prehistory of The Far Side", culminating in the final publication, "The Complete Far Side" in 2003. The five "The Far Side Gallery" books are the most popular, each of them collecting together the best cartoons from three smaller books, along with a humorous foreword by celebrity fans, including Stephen Jay Gould, Stephen King,